In musical scores, the Italian term “parlando” (speaking) indicates a passage whose rhythm and inflection mimic human speech. A concert by the chamber orchestra named Parlando doesn’t just mimic speech, it features the real thing, in the form of verbal introductions to each piece delivered by music director Ian Niederhoffer from the podium.
In Parlando’s program of music by American composers on Sunday at Merkin Concert Hall, the twenty-something conductor not only offered the kind of crisp and colorful performances one has come to expect from this group, but upped his game as a verbal communicator. Besides the approachable manner of an eager grad student, and his willingness to share a laugh with listeners when something struck them as funny, he came prepared with cogent historical points and details in each piece that got a lot across in only a couple of minutes of chat before he gave the downbeat.