Under Stilian Kirov’s leadership, the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra has climbed in quality in recent seasons.
Conductor Stilian Kirov leads The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra concert held at Ozinga Chapel Auditorium at Trinity Christian College on April 13, 2024, in Palos Heights. When not sitting principal horn with the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta and Camerata Chicago, Shirer is an inventor and crafter of prosthetics, running his own company in the south suburbs. Somehow, he’s also found time to polish up Mozart’s demanding Horn Concerto No.
Apparently, being a patent holder isn’t Shirer’s only hidden talent. For his encore, Shirer reemerged sans horn to sing a live rendition of British comedy duo Flanders and Swann’s “Ill Wind” , a pattering sendup of the concerto’s Rondo. It was a bold choice, but Shirer — a surprisingly secure baritone, with a just-right deadpan delivery — pulled it off most affably.
That last asset promoted Saturday’s performance from “good” to “superb.” Strings used vibrato judiciously, cutting it out — to great effect — in the second movement of the Bologne. As the program chestnut, the “London” symphony was, unsurprisingly, the most meticulously executed piece on the program, its mercurial shifts emphasizing color over caricature.
The night began with a world premiere, yet another test of an orchestra’s mettle. “No last days, only more tomorrows,” by IPO composer-in-residence Oswald Huỳnh, calls upon the musicians to pass off hissing exhalations, as though a gust of wind is scattering leaves across the stage. Stopped horns introduce a Doppler-ish effect eventually taken up by other sections, turning this uneasy pastoral uneasier. The atmospheric introduction builds into a grand sweep, but the arrival is fleeting.
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