One could hardly overlook the tragic political undertow of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Saturday night program. Led by a Ukrainian guest conductor, Kirill Karabits, it included new war-born works by two Ukrainian composers, and, in Inbal Segev, an Israeli-born cellist.
Two Richard Strauss showpieces — Don Juan and a Rosenkavalier Suite — were rather awkward frames for the very serious new works, but they certainly showed off the orchestra. Karabits, by the way, is chief conductor of England’s Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, where one of his predecessors was former DSO music director Andrew Litton.
Getting its world premiere here, Victoria Vita Polevá’s The Bell — Symphony No. 4 for cello was co-commissioned by the DSO (with underwriting from the Norma and Don Stone New Music Fund) and the London Philharmonic. The title refers to the chimings and tollings through much of the piece, but also to the Latin word for war, bellum. It is, as Polevá writes, “a work written during the war and by the war.”
In an unbroken 25 minutes, it’s definitely a symphony with a prominent cello part rather than a cello concerto. Backed by muted dissonances that gradually grow louder, the cello keens in long, sustained notes in narrow ranges, until cutting loose with grunts and desperate dithers.
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The orchestra suggests hope in rising, less dissonant music, but gentle ripples and muted slides have the last words.
This is hardly easy listening, and with all that backing dissonance Segev’s pitches weren’t always clear Saturday night. But the audience responded with considerable enthusiasm, and, spotlit in one of the Meyerson Symphony Center boxes, Polevá acknowledged the applause.
Speaking briefly before Anna Korsun’s Terricone, Karabits said the piece “very much reflects the turbulent world we are living in at the moment.” The title is a word for piles of processing wastes from mining operations.
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Eleven and a half minutes long, the piece starts with literal screams from the musicians, continuing with siren-like effects, raspings, clangings and woozy trombone glissandos. Passages vaguely notated in the score deliberately blur textures.
A hush that isn’t really calm makes much of muted string slides, eerie pulsings, flutterings, sonic glitters and suggestions of bird twitters. After a crescendo, pitches sink as winds retreat into silence.
As with Polevá, Korsun got a spotlit bow in the Meyerson box.
From a raw, randy, rowdy opening through passages of at least feigned tenderness, Strauss’ Don Juan opened the concert ina boldly characterized and brilliantly executed performance. Brasses raised stirring sounds, and there were particularly fine solos from principal oboist Erin Hannigan and co-concertmaster Nathan Olson.
Cobbled together by someone other than Strauss — Artur Rodzinski? — this particular Rosenkavalier Suite unfortunately ends with a loud rehash of earlier waltzes rather than the opera’s gentle final winks. And Karabits pumped up the famous trio more than it needed.
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But he daringly stretched the music here and there for maximum expressive effect, and again the orchestra played at its brilliant best.
Details
Repeats at 3 p.m. Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St. $42 to $193. 214-849-4376, dallassymphony.org.
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We’re blessed with two excellent professional orchestras around here, playing in two very fine halls. After the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s splendid Saturday night concert at the Meyerson Symphony Center, the Fort Worth Symphony did itself proud Sunday afternoon at Bass Performance Hall.
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Review: Brilliant playing by organist Thomas Ospital at the Meyerson Symphony Center
Wednesday night was an unfortunate choice for Thomas Ospital’s organ recital at the Meyerson Symphony Center. Presented by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the brilliant French organist was competing with choir rehearsal night at many area churches — not to mention a certain baseball game. And November 1 is a day of obligation for Catholics.
Every other year, the Aurora Biennial transforms Dallas into a dazzling display of lights, video and music. This year was special because it was the first time the event took play in-person since 2018. The free public event turned the Dallas Public Library, Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas City Hall and other buildings into art installations with the theme “FuturePresentPast.”
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Joe Mixon ran for three touchdowns to extend his TD streak to six games since coming back from injury, Derek Barnett returned a fumble 28 yards for a score, and the Texans beat the Cowboys 34-10 on Monday night.
The Texans (7-4) stopped just the second two-game losing streak of CJ Stroud’s young career while maintaining a two-game lead in the AFC South.
Houston pulled away in the second-half a week after a 26-23 last-play loss to Detroit at home, when the Texans let a 23-7 half-time lead get away from them.
“It’s not as bad as it ever seems, and it’s never as good as it ever seems,” Stroud said. “Those type of games, you have to come out with a win, especially going up like that at the half [against the Lions]. But what are we going to do about it?”
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Amid a woeful season for the Cowboys (3-7) on the field, debris fell from their stadium’s retractable roof as it was opening a few hours before the game. There was no delay and no injuries were reported, just another mishap to foreshadow a fifth consecutive defeat for a team that lost five games total in each of the past three seasons.
Cooper Rush threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin but lost his second start since Dak Prescott’s season-ending hamstring injury.
The Dallas losing streak is their longest since a seven-game skid in 2015, and the Cowboys dropped to 0-5 at home. Dallas are the first team in NFL history to trail by at least 20 points in six consecutive home games, including last season’s wildcard playoff loss to Green Bay, according to Sportradar. The Cowboys had reached the playoffs in each of their previous three seasons, but that run is all but over.
“Well, they better be frustrated,” Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy said. “I mean, we’re all frustrated. I think there’d be something wrong if they weren’t frustrated. So just very honest with everything and stay in tune with what’s right in front of us. And that’s the only way I’ve ever done it.”
The Cowboys were down 20-10 early in the fourth quarter when Barnett knocked the ball out of Rush’s hand. Dallas rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton caught it and was trying to run when Jalen Pitre knocked the ball loose again. Barnett scooped up the ball and scored, although he almost stepped out of bounds.
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“The play he made really changed for game for us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It flipped the momentum. It got everybody juiced up on the sideline. It was just a huge play.”
Earlier, the Cowboys appeared to have pulled within a touchdown on a 64-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey, but Barnett was penalized for slapping Terence Steele on the rush. Dallas erased the points by taking the penalty, but Rush’s fourth-down pass from the Houston eight-yard line was incomplete on the only good scoring chance of the second half for the the Cowboys.
“The defense played with elite energy,” Ryans said. “One big play that we gave up. Like to have that one back, but overall I think our guys played really well.”
Texans receiver Nico Collins returned after missing five games with a hamstring injury and took a screen pass 77 yards to the end zone on the first play of the game, only to have it called back because of an ineligible receiver downfield.
That possession ended with a touchdown anyway on Mixon’s 45-yard sprint up the middle, and he ran wide for a one-yard score and a 14-0 lead. Mixon had 109 yards rushing on the day and set up a field goal with a 37-yard catch-and-run on a screen.
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“I really love that first play because it showed what we could do in this game,” Ryans said. “Even though it got called back, I just told all our guys, ‘We can go score on these guys again. Just get it in your mind we’re going to score again.’”
Already without Prescott, the Cowboys lost tight end Jake Ferguson to a concussion and perennial All-Pro right guard Zack Martin and left guard Tyler Smith to ankle injuries. Rush was sacked five times, three on the same possession when Martin and Smith were injured.
Stroud, who has been in a mini-slump, threw for 257 yards while avoiding any mistakes after an early interception on fourth down. It was the third time in five games he has gone without a touchdown pass, and he has two TDs and three picks in that stretch.
Rush was 32 of 55 for 354 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Turpin had three catches for 86 yards.
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