The National Symphony of Costa Rica

What a delight to open my email on September 26 and see a flyer of an upcoming event for Friday, October 20^th in San Jose.  Democrats Abroad were inviting members to an open rehearsal of The National Symphony of Costa Rica in the National Theater.

I was excited because one of the challenges I have faced living in Costa Rica is finding stimulating cultural activities that are in English or at least don’t require knowing Spanish as a prerequisite to enjoyment.  I RSVPed, filling out the form with both my Passport Number and Temporary Residency number, which were required for attendance.  As the days grew closer to the event, the chance to be transported by beautiful music was indeed a very welcome relief in these difficult times.

I had never been in the National Theater and so the time spent waiting in the lobby before the doors opened was very special.  We were surrounded on three sides by beautiful classical sculpture.

Once the doors opened, we were escorted into the orchestra part of the auditorium.  My friend and I decided to sit as close as we could, in the fourth row just behind where the musicians had left their instrument cases.

Carl St. Clair, the Conductor and Orchestra Director, welcomed us while behind him musicians were still busy tuning their instruments.  St. Clair has an impressive background, having studied conducting with Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood.  He has conducted various symphonies throughout Europe and the United States.  Since 1990 he has been the Musical Director and Conductor of the Pacific Symphony located in Southern California with performing venues in Irvine and Costa Mesa, CA.  In 2013 he was appointed Principal Conductor of the Costa Rican Symphony.

He conducts with his whole body, and as a choreographer I loved watching him.  I could sense the music flowing through his veins.  It was also very meaningful to be able to hear — in part Spanish and part English — his notes to the orchestra, and then to hear the improvement when they replayed a section of a piece.

The program was varied.  The first piece, which he carefully rehearsed, requiring repetition of quite a few sections, was by a Costa Rican composer, William Porras.  The piece, written 25 years ago, is called Rhapsody for Orchestra and is dynamic and dramatic.  The composer was at the rehearsal, and after the orchestra finished working on the piece, the musicians were given a break and St. Clair introduced us to Porras.

Although we were not aware of anything unusual during the rehearsal, I learned a few days after the two performances that the performance that evening had marked the first time in the 83-year history of the symphony that a woman, Rebecca Medrano Munoz, was the concertmaster during an official season concert. The Costaricatimes reviewed the Friday night performance:

The theatre’s air was thick with anticipation as Medrano, with a bow as her baton, led the orchestra through an unforgettable night. It was a performance she had dreamt of and practiced for all her life, a magnum opus that reverberated with hopes, dreams, and extraordinary talent. The audience, wrapped in the symphony’s grandeur, embraced the landmark moment with applause as stirring as the music itself.  https://www.costaricantimes.com/a-striking-crescendo-costa-ricas-national-symphony-sees-first-female-concertmaster-in-official-season/75460

The rehearsal continued with Brahms Double Concerto for Violin and Cello, Opus 102 with soloists Fernando Munoz (violin) and Alvaro Gonzalez (cello).  St. Clair especially rehearsed the transitions between soloists and orchestra.  My heart soared listening to this beautiful piece.

The program ended with two playful pieces by Ravel, Mother Goose Suite and Bolero.  In Bolero, it was particularly interesting to watch the drummer, whose chair was moved  directly in front of the conductor, and who keeps a continual beat throughout. St. Clair stopped the piece several times to check with an assistant in the back of the auditorium to make sure the drum and the orchestra were properly balanced.

Following the rehearsal, the 45 of us in attendance had lunch at the Alma de Café located in the National Theater.  We had preordered our lunches, and they did an amazing job getting each of us what we had individually ordered.

Thank you, Democrats Abroad in Costa Rica, for sponsoring this event.   It provided a wonderful break from the distressing world news.

All of photos by JoAnne.

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