St. Paul Chamber Orchestra shines with or without a conductor
The wordless interactions that take place between a conductor and an orchestra are a wonderful form of interpretive alchemy, but they’re not the only possible way to musical success. There are actually a variety of ways that a musical ensemble can delegate or share leadership, and several of them were on display over the weekend during the vividly satisfying Berkeley visit by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
During its concerts on Saturday, Feb. 10, and Sunday, Feb. 11, in Zellerbach Hall — the last two installments of a whirlwind three-concert visit sponsored by Cal Performances — the ensemble played both with a conductor (Joshua Weilerstein) and on its own, acting as a sort of souped-up string quartet.