PERFORMING ARTS

Fairfax Symphony Orchestra

Thi s is the way an era ends: not with a bang or a whimper but with a melody -- specifically, that of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5. The work was chosen by William Hudson as the final piece in his last Masterworks concert as music director of the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra.

At George Mason University's Center for the Arts on Saturday night, the orchestra gave its all to Hudson, who has led the ensemble since 1971. Every section shone in the symphony's first movement, with piquant brass and percussion above the strings' solid foundation. The wonderful Scherzo, a heady blend of the sardonic and the sensuous, was a percussion showcase: woodblocks, snare drum, tambourine, piano and more. The strings brought near-Tchaikovskian lushness to the Adagio, and the finale featured snarky woodwinds and plenty of rhythmic bite.

It was a top-notch conclusion after a less enthralling first half. Strings were warm and winds delicate in Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun," but the rhythms drifted. And Bruch's "Scottish Fantasy," with violinist Elmar Oliveira, showed the orchestra in better form than the soloist. For the first three-quarters of the work, Oliveira was unfocused, making bowing and intonation errors. Kate Hazzard Rogers, her harp placed at the front of the stage to accentuate its prominence, played very well, but this is not a double concerto. Only in the final Allegro Guerriero did Oliveira sound fully involved and rhythmically strong.

The six curtain calls for Hudson after the Prokofiev acknowledged the maestro as a class act -- who leaves his not-yet-chosen successor a very classy orchestra.

-- Mark J. Estren

Baltimore Opera: 'Madama Butterfly'

Complaints of seasickness were common at the Baltimore Opera Company's "Madama Butterfly" Saturday night, but despite their vertiginous effect, the undulating projections that replaced sets were the most successful aspect of the production.

It was like being drawn into an Imax film as frothy waves crested forward and kaleidoscopic designs of Japanese flowers swirled around the Lyric Opera House stage, the way they might have in B.F. Pinkerton's head upon his first meeting with Butterfly. With the visuals shifting at nearly every reference to atmosphere in the libretto, it was easy to get queasy, or at least distracted. But at best, as when the Japanese flag's red circle was replaced by the ocean that separated the title character from her American husband, the images were a poignant and innovative way to capture the physical and emotional landscape of the opera.

The singers were less memorable, with the ethereal female chorus the most effective presence onstage. In the title role, soprano Shu-Ying Li sang with more than enough power: elegantly shaped phrases in "Un bel dì" and rapturous high notes in her Act 1 duet with Pinkerton. Her voice was often abrasive at full force, however, with a cold, steely timbre particularly noticeable in her middle range. José Luis Duval's ardent Pinkerton, Misoon Ghim's Suzuki and especially John Packard's richly sung Sharpless were all sensitively acted but too light to soar above the lush strings for the thrilling climaxes that Puccini's music rests on. Conductor Stephen Mould could have reined in his orchestra; its playing was not so strong as to justify drowning out the voices.