Ken-David Masur is one of the four finalists for the position of conductor/music director of the Portland Symphony. The present music director, Robert Moody will be leaving at the end of this season. I have not yet observed Masur’s competition, but as a result of attending his debut with the orchestra on the 15th, I would state that they have a lot of competition.

Mr. Masur is currently the associate conductor of the Boston Symphony and while he has other responsibilities, this position speaks volumes about his capabilities as well as recognition by his colleagues. That his father, Kurt Masur, is an established star among present maestros while interesting, one can readily observe that the fruit did not land far from he tree.

In his performance with the orchestra, one noticed that he had a thorough knowledge of the music he conducted. While there are various techniques available to a conductor, this latter element is the most important. If professional musicians sense that this is the case they will go all out for the conductor. This is the case I observed this evening.

Like many another conductor trained in the European style of conducting, his beat is something that is not always clear. The first beat of a measure, for example ought always to be down. While he does observe his commandment, his first beat is often played at the bounce (up) rather than the down. Sometimes it also goes sideways! There were times when the note should be played on the last beat of the measure.

While the orchestra was always together, just at what point they should enter remained a mystery to this observer. There was nothing theatrical about his leadership and it was ever involved in the performance of the music he conducted. Given his background and experience, even at a relatively young age, one wonders why he wants a permanent base at the Portland Symphony, good as it now is.

Whatever his motive is, the PSO would have one of his generations best as their new conductor.

The program he conducted at this concert was both conservative as well as traditional. Nevertheless it

was a challenging one both for the orchestra as well as for their conductor. It included the following:

The overture of Tannhauser (Wagner); the first Piano Concerto (Liszt) with Fran Dank as soloist; and the First Symphony by Brahms.

The occasion of observing Mr. Masur as well as this traditional repertoire resulted in a packed house at the Merrill Auditorium. It was apparent from the get-go that the sound of the orchestra was different than it has been. It seemed to have a darker tint to it. This is merely an observation and not a criticism. I recall making the same observation when Mr. Vermel conducted at the anniversary concert this year. While this is not always the case, different conductors elicit different timbres from their orchestras. One should listen to earlier recordings by Ormandy with the Philadelphia or Szells with the Cleveland to get my point here.

The performance of the Liszt concert demanded a soloist who could readily deal with the technical fireworks of the solo part as well as one who could deal with the lyrical phrases in the work. Mr. Dank did. And Masur also showed that he could follow a soloist really well at the same time. While the Brahms is a standard work in the orchestral repertoire and professional musicians should be able to play it even without a conductor, nevertheless Mr. Masur put the orchestra through their paces and elicited a superb performance from his new wards. He recognized various solo players in the work during a prolonged and enthusiastic ovation at its conclusion.

This program (was) made possible with underwriting from the Sue and Hank Schmitt, guest artist underwriting from Drs. Susan and James Carter as well as individual donors to the Annual Fund.

“The Magic of Christmas” will be featured by Maestro Moody and the PSO next month, while the next concert led by Moody as part of the classical series will take place on Jan. 30 with works by Lash, Mozart and the featured work will be Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life) by Richard Strauss.

—Dr. Morton Gold is a composer/conductor, retired educator and an arts reviewer for the Journal Tribune.