ROHNERT PARK, CA—The Santa Rosa Symphony’s brave 2022 resumption of concerts (with VAXXes and masks everywhere) continued with a tumultuous world premiere, a major artist, a Beethoven concerto and a choice memorial. Most distinctive is the premiere of a ground-shaking symphony by Gabriella Smith of Berkeley, “One,” which Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong called the hardest work he has ever conducted. The musicians might be in broad agreement. Without question “One” opened our ears, with some applauding vigorously, others ready to bolt from the Green Music Center.

A Covid exposure within the ranks forced an emergency revamping of the two repeat concerts, jeopardizing planning for any future programs as bold as the Santa Rosa Symphony’s. (See note below)

At one extreme, “One” recalls the motley percussion instruments of Lou Harrison including resonant brake drums as gongs. At the other, the sonic  jungles of Karlheinz Stockhausen, with a pinch of “Rite of Spring” modernism in between. The Green Center might still be trembling with the aftershocks of this foundation-shaking opus.

Smith, 31, creates her four-movement work with giant sonic arcs, from the softest nuances like deft bow-taps on  violin strings to the full-throated cry of the whole ensemble in some of the loudest sounds ever produced here—and then back again,  like a rainbow. Its chattering of winds can make you think of hectic innercity life. Some ear-catching sounds like rattles, soft rumbles, loon-like wails, duck calls and hand-thumps on the bottom of clarinets may be symphonically unprecedented. The brass section fires away as if on its own wavelength in near-shrieks. The relentless pounding of drums recalls the “march to the gallows” music, as Berlioz might have told you. 

You were reminded of the boldest tone-cluster works of a half century ago, along with happenings and semi-improvisatory works. Smith’s common departure points are the climate crisis  and despoiling of the environment, which may not be evident to first-time listeners at all. But for some others, they might well conjure up the tumult of  immense predatory beasts of the dinosaur age or the hue and cry of livid protestors invading hallowed sites with abandon. Your imagination can do the rest.

The most lucid fixation point comes in the third movement’s rhythms echoing, in Smith’s own words, the feeling of the Scherzo in Beethoven’s “Eroica.”

At the very least, composer Smith never shies away from conflict, creating a methodically  designed chaos 33 minutes in length which may or may not  shake us out of our despair and resignation in bleak times.

The “Emperor” Concerto (No, 5, by Beethoven) is his most popular and grandiose, much as he hated the self-proclaimed emperors of his day. The rising-falling theme of the slow movement so enthralled Leonard Bernstein that he recycled it centuries later as the hit tune in the last scene of his musical “West Side Story.” The returnee piano soloist Olga Kern proved in top form, providing the requisite propulsion for the many runs and trills in the piece, and rubato where needed. In response to the enthusiasts, she added a brief but thunderous encore by Prokofiev (Etude Op. 2, No. 4) who, like Kern, was himself born in Russia. It’s now considered gauche to comment on the soloist’s attire, even if it’s a stunning flaming-red floor-length evening gown, so I won’t.

The performance under Lecce-Chong was gratifying, enhanced as always by the fine acoustics of the Green Center, with the exception of overachieving trumpets that sometimes made it sound like a concerto for brass instead.

The concert heard Saturday had opened with the stately serenity of Wagner’s Prelude to Act One of the Opera “Lohengrin,” beautifully and sensitively rendered. It was played in memory of a true leadership fixture, SRS’ marketing director of the last 30 years, Sara Mitchell, who had lamentably passed away on Christmas Day.

Masks and vaccination certificates were required of all in attendance, for which all patrons are advised to arrive 10 minutes earlier than usual for the check-in. The musicians were so conscious of health dictates that wind players never even removed their masks till their first musical entry. In addition, much of the audience Saturday was seated in distance-spacing mode.

A “Covid exposure” within the ranks forced a sharply revamped schedule for the Sunday repeat and led to a solo recital by Ms. Kern in lieu of the Monday orchestral concert. The box office will handle requests for rescheduling or refunds by patrons inconvenienced.

The more profound question for ALL orchestras in these pandemic days is whether such difficult programs are even advisable, given the danger of cancelations because of, say, one person’s positive Covid reading.

SANTA ROSA SYMPHONY in concert, with Beethoven’s “Emperor” Piano Concerto, a Wagner prelude and the world premiere of Gabriella Smith’s “One,” under Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong, played Jan. 8. Green Music Center, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA; revised followups Jan. 9-10. For SRS info: (707) 546-8742 or online at https://www.srsymphony.org.