Wesley Jacobs last concert tonight at Meadowbrook

[Robert N. Calkins]

I attended the Saturday night concert, with my tuba-playing daughter in tow. We both enjoyed it tremendously and Wes' playing was superb. The orchestra was conducted by Leonard Slatkin, music director designate for the upcoming season and hopefully far into the future, as he was very good and brought out the best from the orchestra. Slatkin acknowledged Wes and that being his final performance. I have known Wes since his first year in Detroit (we met at Custom Music in Royal Oak and discussed the merits of the big CC Rudy M. he had just purchased), studied with him the first six years of his DSO tenure and found him to be a great guy, incredible player and excellent teacher. I had monthly lessons and was assigned a ton of music to practice, not to mention the daily routine he started me on. The orchestra performed Pictures at and Exhibition, with some tweaks made to the Moussorgsky/Ravel score by Slatkin, which changed Bydlo to a horn section solo. No slowly-appearing oxcart in this version!! It started forte, but did have the traditional ending, played by a euphonium player (whose name was not in the program). Wes' work was, as I mentioned, superb, especially on the Catacombs, which was AWESOME! Slatkin acknowledged Wes again at the conclusion of Pictures with a well-earned solo bow. The audience responded with very energetic applause!
I wish him well in his retirement and cherish my friendship with him these many years.