`First Things First' is fine idea well executed.

Byline: CONCERT REVIEW By John Farnworth For The Register-Guard

"First Things First".

That was the designation artistic director and conductor Glen Cortese gave to the Oregon Mozart Players' final performance of the regular 2008-09 season (members of the OMP will perform two "Chamber Music and Chocolate" concerts later in the month). Comprised of works written at absurdly young ages by three geniuses and one competent composer, the program contained some extraordinary examples of the mastery of orchestral writing that other good or great composers have not achieved in long lifetimes of composing.

Perhaps most incredible of all the pieces performed in Soreng Theater's less-than-ideal acoustics was Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 1 in D major, written at the tender age of 16. Lighthearted and cheerful for the most part, it was the complex orchestration that gave me pause. That a teenager had such understanding of the tone colors of the various instruments, particularly the winds, and mixed them so skillfully made me shake my head in disbelief.

Speaking of the wind instruments, they were all played extremely well. Jill Paul's flute was quite simply exquisite, particularly in the second movement, with wonderful contributions from second flute, Debra Harris, oboes Cheryl Denice and Kris Klavik, clarinets Blake McGee and Lisa Taylor, and bassoons Helena Kopchick and Charlene Decker. In the brass section, David Kruse's horn bloomed warmly, ably seconded by Lydia Van Dreel. The trumpets performed adequately, married only by a couple of off-key notes.

The program opened with W.A. Mozart's Overture to his early opera, Bastien und Bastienne, written when he was a mere 12 years old! This light and delicate piece, barely five minutes long, is notable for its main theme being a miniature reminiscence of the first theme of L. van Beethoven's mighty Eroica symphony, composed 35 years later. Although the evidence says that it is unlikely that Beethoven ever heard Mozart's overture, it is certainly possible that he could have read the score. In any event, the similarity is extraordinary.

The second piece, Heitor Villa-Lobos' Sinfonietta No. 1 (an homage to Mozart), is notable for its blending of Mozartean musical forms with what, to my ears, sounded like quite Russian themes, an odd combination. Again, the orchestration was quite impressive, giving all sections, particularly the brass, opportunities to show what they are capable of. The cellos and basses gave a superb performance at the end of the second movement, a very Russian sounding motif.

The showiest work on the program was Felix Mendelssohn's Concerto for Piano in G minor, written when the composed was a ripe old 21!

Taiwanese born Tien Hsieh gave a brilliant performance of this pianistically demanding work, her crashing chords, bravura runs and swirling scales were truly breathtaking.

Not to be outshone, the orchestra played with excellent coordination (a tribute to Maestro Cortese!); and there were several exquisite dialogues between the soloist and various sections of the orchestra. The cellos, led by Ann Grebe and Dale Bradley, introduced the songful, sighing main melody of the second movement with particular grace and effectiveness; while the final movement, Presto Molto allegra e vivace, gave the soloist ample opportunity to display her glittering virtuosity.

Altogether, this was an interesting and varied program, held together by the youth of the composers, their audacious skills in orchestration, and the well coordinated very professional contributions of the musicians.

Well done, OMP!

John Farnworth of Vida reviews classical music for The Register-Guard.