The Lexington Philharmonic Family Series Concert at the Lexington Opera House

These days, with unprecedented interest in and access to the richness of musical expression all over the globe, a symphony orchestra concert titled, "Rhythms of the World," and which features a razor-sharp guest ensemble such as the University of Kentucky's own award-winning percussion ensemble, is a programming slam-dunk, and indeed, the Lexington Opera House was filled to capacity last Sunday afternoon in this first of three Family Concerts to be presented this season.

Almost as if to contrast with what the audience was about to experience from the UK Percussion Ensemble, the concert opened with Scott Terrell leading the Lexington Philharmonic through some vintage, and perhaps fading, orchestra pops repertoire by Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Leroy Anderson, and Copland.

Then came the Brazilian drumming! With percussion ensemble director Jim Campbell leading from the front of the stage on his own drum and whistle-blasts, the UK Percussion Ensemble members filled the two main floor aisles and some of the balcony, beating out call-and-response samba rhythms worthy of a thunderous carnival season in Rio. Next, the ensemble took to the front of the stage to demonstrate the instruments and strong rhythmic counterpoint of West Africa.

But wait, there's more! Ensemble members then took to the steel drums - chromatically-tuned steel cans ranging from soprano to bass that are the pride of Trinidad, to finish their part of the program with an arrangement of "Oye Como Va," capably accompanied by the Lexington Phil. The exuberant applause, shouts of joy, and yes, cheers from the audience that followed led one to wonder if there could possibly have been anyone there who didn't think that being able to play music is a pretty wonderful thing.

The orchestra then launched into "Aqua" by Minnesota-based composer, Steve Heitzeg, known for his works that celebrate the natural world. A harmless enough little tone poem dedicated to the life of sea explorer, Jacques Cousteau, and complete with the delicate sounds of tapping stones, driftwood, coral, and wind chimes made of sea shells, it seemed out of place on this particular program.

Perhaps if the orchestra had sought to make connections in its part of the concert with the percussion ensemble, it might have been an even more interesting and rewarding program. The orchestra repertoire has dozens of good pieces with strong roots in the music of Brazil, West Africa and the Caribbean, and as a very real practical matter, many of these pieces - as with the pieces on this program - could have been performance-ready in one rehearsal.

As it was, the orchestra's closing with the older Johann Strauss', "Radetzky March," left me with that cringe-worthy realization that you've been clapping on one and three when everybody else around you, and indeed, throughout the world, is clapping on two and four.