Oregon ArtsWatch Reviews Prior’s “Four Extractions of Water Musick”

by James Bash

Posted on 5/1/26 on Oregon ArtsWatch

The orchestra delivered new Music Director Alex Prior's lively reimagining of Handel’s Water Music with élan.

Alex Prior conducting Eugene Symphony Orchestra.

Leopold Stokowski made quite a name for himself as Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and as a composer who tinkered with well-known symphonic works, rearranging Bach, Beethoven, and other masters for orchestra. In a kindred spirit, Alex Prior, Music Director of the Eugene Symphony, has reimagined selections from Handel’s Water Music for a full-sized modern orchestral, which includes instruments that were not yet invented during Handel’s lifetime. The result was a witty and highly entertaining Four Extractions of Water Musick, which opened the Eugene Symphony’s concert on April 23 at the Silvia Concert Hall, Hult Center. 

In addition to a few remarks about Handel’s flamboyant personality and popularity – Prior referred to him as the Freddy Mercury of his time – Prior gave a more extended verbal introduction that was in the ornate and elegant literary style of writers from Handel’s era, longwinded but humorous nonetheless. Reading from his cell phone at a very quick clip, Prior described what the audience would hear and announced that the concert would be dedicated to the memory of the great American conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, who had just died and was a formidable mentor to Prior.

Handel’s Water Music consists of eighteen orchestral movements divided into three suites. Prior selected four of the movements for his modern reimagination, and he shifted their sequence so that they don’t appear in the same order as the original.

The first movement in Prior’s Four Extractions of Water Musick was a “Sarabande in G,” inspired by the Sarabande in the third volume of the original. Prior’s reimagining offers a number of glissandos (especially for the trombones) and isolated passages for various sections of the orchestra. The lively music, sprinkled liberally throughout the orchestra, went smoothly and perked up our ears for the rest of the piece.

Next came the “Overture in F,” which had springy, ebullient sounds and several very similar passages that instantly connected listeners with the original. It was followed by an energetic “Hornpipe in F” in which the orchestra cut loose with rhythmic hand-clapping, snapping of fingers, and fa-la-la singing by the musicians. The “Rigaudon in G” upped the ante with more chaotic elements — like the spontaneous argument between members, a shushing of the audience, and a tik-toc like sequence that suggested rainfall that slowed down to a few drips. It was all done very with a tongue-in-cheek style that P.D.Q. Bach (Peter Schickele) would have approved. All-in-all, Prior’s light-hearted concoction was a delightful appetizer for the rest of the evening.

Trumpet soloist Bryce Schmidt performs Böhme’s Trumpet Concerto, conducted by Alex Prior.

Oskar Böhme’s Trumpet Concerto in F minor, a little gem of a piece that is rarely heard, received a solid effort by guest soloist Bryce Schmidt, who was born just up the road in Salem, has two master’s degrees in music from the University of Michigan and professional performances in film and television to his credit. He played the Böhme with great conviction but had an off day with the orchestra, starting with the first two notes of the piece, which sounded rough around the edges. The concerto has several devilish runs that he took at full speed, and most of the time, he executed them cleanly, but a couple of runs got smeared. There was a bobble here and there as well, and I almost wished that he could have done the piece one more time, especially since he elicited a burnished, beautiful tone throughout the piece – except for the glitches. 

The audience was in a celebratory mood and nevertheless gave Schmidt a standing ovation, which was nice to see. I would wager that he will do better the next time he gets to play the Böhme.

Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major (“Rhenish”) closed out the concert on a robust note. Prior’s conducting was spot on, but he needed the orchestra to create more dynamic contrast – especially with pianissimos which were very rare. The volume was either mezzo-forte or forte almost all the way through. Also, the horns really struggled and missed or mishandled several notes. Otherwise, the orchestra did well, and it seemed a shame that it only had one performance of this masterpiece. 

Eugene Symphony performs Schumann’s Symphony No. 3, conducted by Alex Prior.

Prior made sure to acknowledge contributions by individuals and sections of the orchestra. He is a natural entertainer with an enviable mane (conductor’s hair!) and connects with concertgoers extremely well. So, things should look up for him and the orchestra, which has nurtured several music directors who have gone on to stellar careers, including Marin Alsop, Miguel Harth Bedoya, and Giancarlo Guerrero.