Photograph by Robert Scheer
The symphony tunes up during a practice session at West Valley College.
By Harriet Leman
At a signal from the symphony director, the rising cacophony of musicians warming up switches abruptly to a short, efficient tuning session. This is the standard scenario that begins orchestra rehearsals and concerts.
The disciplined reading that follows may well provide an immediate clue to the musical orientation of the orchestra.
For example, the Saratoga Symphony opened its December concert with a symphony--a major musical form more commonly placed last in a program. This work, the infrequently performed Haydn Oxford Symphony No. 92, written in 1788, was followed by the relatively unfamiliar "Theme and Variations" by 20th-century composer Erich Korngold. A lively selection by another 20th-century composer, Ibert, was chosen to close the holiday program, where a more conventional concert program might have used it as an overture, at the beginning.
The content and order of this program demonstrates some of the Saratoga Symphony orchestra's thrust toward the unusual and the innovative.
"We like to explore unusual repertoire," explains Music Director Jason Klein. "We play standards, too, but seek out lesser-performed works by established masters and worthy pieces by lesser-known composers."
Local talent is encouraged. The orchestra has premiered works of local composers and provided local artists with the opportunity to perform solo works with a symphony orchestra.
"Many of our musicians have worked through the standard repertoire and appreciate music that is new to them," Klein points out. Still, a balanced program is the goal, providing a mixture of musical eras, nationalities and various levels of familiarity. The programs Klein selects are noted for their historical and interpretive insight.
Music as Avocation
As with all community orchestras, the founding principle of the Saratoga Symphony is to make it possible for talented musicians who have chosen other routes for their professional careers to participate in a symphony orchestra as volunteers.
Says bassist Larry Perlstein of Los Gatos, whose career is in marketing, "It is a great opportunity for someone like me to play with a quality group as an avocation, meet people with the same interest and play interesting music."
Not surprisingly, many of the 35-odd members of the Saratoga Symphony are employed in the high-tech industry and academia. At least three are involved with NASA. Lockheed is represented among the musicians, as is Stanford University.
Bassist Plamen Velikov, a mechanical designer, contrasts the music scene in Silicon Valley with Europe, where he played professionally with the Bulgarian Symphony. "Here one cannot afford to be a full-time musician. This is different from Europe, where every small community has some kind of musical organization. Those with second jobs are usually teachers. Interest in classical music is more traditional in Europe, and there are definitely more young people in the audiences."
Velikov's wife, Snejka, a pianist, has also played with the Saratoga Symphony.
A variety of previous orchestral experience is represented in the ranks as well, including some, like Velikov, who have played professionally. Several of the members, especially those who are retired, lend their talents to several South Bay orchestras. The musicians have their priorities. San Mateo musician Jennifer Gille plays viola, an instrument in short supply in most orchestras. Asked why she bypassed a number of groups closer to her home to play with the Saratoga Symphony, she says, "I really like the conductor and I really like the orchestra. It plays programs that are more unusual and more challenging than other orchestras'."
A Love of Music
The common engine that drives these musicians is an ingrained love of music and a compulsion to play that manages to work around other demands of time and commitment.
The concertmaster of the orchestra is Paul Slemmons of Monte Sereno, who performed as a soloist with the orchestra at its May concert. Slemmons attended Saratoga schools, and as a senior at Saratoga High in 1972, he played the Mendelssohn violin concerto in concert as a soloist. At Stanford University, he studied economics and music. Since then, he has played with many local community orchestras and currently plays professionally with the Santa Cruz Symphony.
Director Klein is a Stanford graduate. In the 1970s, he directed the Fremont-Newark Philharmonic and Hayward area symphony, prior to accepting a position as head of the orchestra program at the University of Utah, where he was music director of the Utah Youth Symphony. He retired to the Bay Area in 1987, and is currently music director of the South Valley Symphony and the Youth Orchestras of Southern Alameda County, in addition to the Saratoga Symphony. Each summer, Klein is associate conductor at the Oregon Coast Music Festival.
While the musicians have found or made the time to create the music, promotion of their efforts has been a low priority. The orchestra has no board of directors, and any legwork such as recruiting or publicity is done without title. The result is that Saratoga's own accomplished symphony orchestra has been--at least until now--one of the city's better-kept secrets.
The Saratoga Symphony originated as the Palo Alto Symphony, and Dr. Klein became its conductor not long after he returned from Utah. After several more years in Palo Alto, the orchestra was required to look for another rehearsal location. Through one of the musicians, the connection was made with West Valley College, which was, at the time, lacking an orchestra. The group, which changed its name to the Saratoga Symphony, is now a West Valley class, for which participants can obtain college credit.
While community orchestras don't have the often-crushing expense of paying the musicians, a problem that has scuttled a number of professional symphonies, there are ongoing expenses such as the rental or purchase of music. For most musicians, the fundraising method of choice is more playing.
In the case of the Saratoga Symphony, which has no base of contributors or sponsors other than West Valley College, the balance of is budget is supplied by the San Francisco Waltz Society, which hires the orchestra for its elegant annual charity, this year held at the World Trade Club in San Jose. The orchestra is so successful at playing in three-quarter time that it is sought after by three individual waltz societies.
The orchestra's concert schedule is flexible; the season usually involves an autumn, winter and spring concert, in addition to the waltzes-for-hire events. Concerts are usually played on Sunday afternoons at either the Palo Alto Jewish Community Center or the Los Gatos Methodist Church. At the latter venue, the orchestra is presented as a feature of a series of events called "Music under the Spires." The orchestra also performs at West Valley College.
Two more concerts remain in the Saratoga Symphony's 1996-97 season. In March, at the Jewish Community Center in Los Gatos, the orchestra will perform a "Family Pops" concert. Klein explains that the "pops" refers to light classics, in addition to a reading of Prokofiev's popular "Peter and the Wolf."
Underscoring the orchestra's reputation for innovation, a May "Mahler Blowout" concert is planned combining the Saratoga Symphony with Klein's South Valley Symphony, which rehearses in Morgan Hill. The enlarged orchestra will perform the Fifth Symphony of Gustav Mahler, a turn-of-the century German romantic composer known for his extravagant orchestrations.
The inspiration for this concert began when circumstances made available to Klein the musical scores free of cost. Neither of the two orchestras was large enough by itself to provide the instrumentation called for in the monumental work, but combined, they could fill the requirements.
"If the musicians weren't excited about doing this, I wouldn't try it," Klein says, "but they are. It will be new, interesting and different for them."
Moreover, the concert will be given twice--in this area and in Gilroy--a reward of sorts for the extra time and effort spent in rehearsing.
The Saratoga Symphony rehearses Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 10 p.m. in the music complex adjoining the West Valley College Theater. There are openings for players in all string sections, and musicians interested in joining are invited to contact Paul Slemmons (354-2527) or Jennifer Gille (415/323-7467). These numbers may also be called for concert information.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, January 15, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.