The energy was infectious in Oberlin Conservatory’s Warner Concert Hall on Saturday night, March 15th — as was the dancing.
Sophie Griffith-Oh’s senior French horn recital offered a unique experience, with a program that showed off her mastery of the instrument while also transcending the expectations of a traditional recital.
The structure of the program divided Griffith-Oh’s repertoire into two halves, with the intermission acting as a curtain that separated objective demonstration of skill from proof of pure passion. The front half was rather classical. Studiomate Gabriel Wittmer and pianist William Chen joined Griffith-Oh for a stellar performance of Antonio Rosetti’s “Concerto for Two Horns.” The work is a golden example of classical era music, full of well-balanced phrases and scalar passages over satisfying harmonies. This piece, in tandem with opening work “Bagatelle” by Hermann Neuling, displayed Griffith-Oh’s accomplishment of dextrous passages, varied tone production, and intricate phrasing — but it was in the second half of the program where Griffith-Oh’s personality really shined through.
Before playing the sonically sweet “Adoration” by Florence Price, the post-intermission thematic shift was marked by a short speech, where Griffith-Oh offered her gratitude—or rather her “adoration”—to both the audience and her instructors. The hints of jazz-based harmonic influences in the Price set the precedent for the remainder of the night.
This was promptly delivered with a smooth arrangement of the popular 1940s Latin standard “Bésame mucho.” Here, Griffith-Oh took on the role of a bass player, holding down the harmonic changes through percussive lines in the horn’s low range. This served to underscore fellow studiomates Witmmer, Noah Young, and Sammi Yang in the lyrical melodies. The quartet followed up with the energetic “Waltzing Matilda,” where the precision of Griffith-Oh’s acrobatics rivaled that of an actual double bassist.
But while the penultimate piece was a waltz, it was the final work that got people dancing. “Rondo alla Mambo,” was a truly interactive experience, complete with a brief choir lesson and actual dancing. Before performing, Griffith-Oh invited her audience to come to the front of the hall and engage in singing and dancing along to the tune—something made easy thanks to the groove offered by Enzo Nigro (bass), Jamie Phillips-Freedman (piano), and percussion trio Cendan Dillon, Anaïs Griffith-Oh, and Nathaniel Valsania.
Sophie Griffith-Oh’s horn playing overtop was bright, punchy, and fun, showcasing her affinity for groove-based musics in addition to classically-trained competence. It was a perfect close to a vivacious evening. Griffith-Oh’s horn recital was a refreshing and exhilarating event in the Oberlin student recital circuit, setting a new precedent for the entertainment and engagement that degree recitals are able to achieve—especially if dancing is afoot.
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