Intimate and sentimental are only a few words to describe the Santa Cruz Symphony’s premiere of Carl St. Jacques’s viola concerto The Elemental Prayer Suite. St. Jacques was a violist and close friend of music director Daniel Stewart, so his passing from lung cancer in 2022 prompted Stewart to program the concerto the following season, on April 29 and 30, 2023, with himself as soloist, along with two other works played as tributes. Though St. Jacques recorded the solo part himself at the time of writing, Stewart’s performance was the first with its string orchestra accompaniment.
The concerto is a five movement meditation through the elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether. It is harmonically simple, and the orchestra always plays a supporting role, since the piece can be played with or without accompaniment. The orchestra creates a lush backdrop, acting as an emphasis and extension of the viola’s somber timbre. In the viola solo, incorporating airy harmonics into the melodies of the second movement carry through a sense of comfort, whereas fast runs and trills in the third movement allow for a contrasting intensity. Orchestral timbres add to the elemental depictions, like string plucks feeling like water droplets and large chords giving a grand sense of fire. The last movement, Ether, adds a fitting conclusion by incorporating motifs from the prior movements.
A welcome addition to the performance was a clip of St. Jacques himself speaking. Included was his “Invocation Toward The One” at the beginning from his solo recording, though the ending “Healing Prayer Nayaz” was omitted. However, the inclusion of his short speech set a meaningful tone for the rest of the piece to follow.
A piece with such simple orchestration and delicate melodies makes room for interpretation. Stewart plays with such passion that the emotional depth can be heard through the nuances in his sound. Even though his rhythm and intonation are occasionally inconsistent in runs, and his bow is sometimes unstable on long notes, his phrasing and intent are never lost. The concerto also makes extensive use of double stop thirds, which Stewart navigates with ease.
The performance was without a conductor, which prompts active listening from the orchestra, but also allows room for error. Both sides are present, where occasionally Stewart and the orchestra are slightly out of time with one another, especially on sudden loud downbeats. However, the orchestra is almost always in time, through fluid calls and responses and powerful tutti sections.The Santa Cruz Symphony is not a full-time orchestra, and their concerts are never perfect. However, programming pieces like The Elemental Prayer Suite allows for a display of passion in an intimate setting. Such meaningful programming is hard to come by in large-scale concert halls, which makes Stewart’s performance of this piece stand out as incredible and memorable.
thecounterpoint.org 