I tried to be inconspicuous as I listened to the Northwest Sinfonietta last night from my privileged perch on the Rialto Theater stage with the players. 

I watched as the maestro coaxed nuanced changes out of the players who’d been traumatized in the previous rehearsal the day before, when the tempo of the piece was revealed.

Sinfonietta Executive Director Neil Birnbaum grinned an impish grin as he asked how many shots of espresso the conductor had as we chatted before the rehearsal.

But despite the frenetic tempo, which the orchestra seems to effortlessly keep, the Northwest Sinfonietta’s conductor Christophe Chagnard helped his musicians create mystery in one segment; levity, in another; and drama, in yet another.

Chagnard helped buff out rough spots with a sense of humor and compassion, suggesting ways a bassoonist can make it through and arduous series of insanely fast notes, and even apologizing for a “suicidal” transition, humming in that conducto-hum familiar to musicians as he explains how to work through the patch that is the musical equivalent of blinding, wet roads becoming torturous switchbacks.

As he sipped his latte before the rehearsal, Chagnard explained that he’d researched Beethoven, and felt as though he understood the man who’d been so influential in pushing the future of classical music.

Check out my preview of the Sinfonietta's weekend shows tomorrow in the Weekly Volcano. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler