蜜柚直播

The 蜜柚直播 Symphony Orchestra conductor was mesmerizing to watch as he coaxed sublime music from the musicians in the opening concert of his inaugural season.

The program opened with 鈥淢argarite帽a,鈥� by Gomez鈥檚 fellow countryman, Venezuelan composer Inocente Carre帽o. The composition鈥檚 leitmotif is the song 鈥淢argarita es una lagrima,鈥� and you can practically smell the sea and feel the rhythms of the island, Margarita, where the composer was born. This 1954 piece, which pulls from popular Venezuelan tunes, begins softly and builds to an electrifying end. This was a first for this orchestra, and they embraced all the color and life in it.

Pianist Zhang Zuo followed with Beethoven鈥檚 Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major. Zuo鈥檚 elegant and well-articulated phrasing flirted with the orchestra, which flirted right back. With the last note, the audience jumped to its feet, and the prolonged applause persuaded her to do an encore. She attacked Liszt鈥檚 energetic 鈥淟a Campanella鈥� with a joy that was contagious.

The second half was taken up by Mahler鈥檚 exciting Symphony No. 1 in D major, 鈥淭itan.鈥�

It opens ethereally, and the violins almost shimmered as they softly played a seven-octave-spread A. It鈥檚 always a breathtaking surprise when that gentle sound is abandoned for a movement rich with cellos and basses 鈥� they offer a rousing contrast to the opening. The third movement opens with the double-bass and slows down to a funeral march with the children鈥檚 song 鈥淔rere Jacques鈥� woven throughout. The final movement practically roars with the crashing of trumpets and trombones. Mahler called it 鈥渢he cry of the human heart,鈥� and TSO instilled it with all the fury and passion it called for.

There was passion, too, in Gomez鈥檚 conducting. That bodes well for a thrilling tenure under his baton.

The concert repeats at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, at the 蜜柚直播 Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. For tickets and details, visit