Depending on the time of day you read this, composer Mason Bates may be referred to as Dr. Bates.

The St. Christopher's School-bred Richmonder is skipping graduation ceremonies at the University of California at Berkeley today, continuing a visit to his hometown to participate in the Richmond Symphony's presentations of his composition "Rusty Air In Carolina."

Performed at Second Baptist Church on Friday night with Bates on stage with his computer to provide the "electronica" aspects of his piece -- and scheduled for two other performances, one last night and another tomorrow evening -- Bates has reached one of his goals . . . performing a composition he wrote with a musical group that had a lot to do with his goals in life.

"My mom used to bring me to Richmond Symphony concerts when I was young," Bates said in an earlier interview. "Those experiences were a big part of my being where I am today."

Bates' composition was a departure from most of the symphonic repertoire heard during this season's Masterworks Concerts. But it was a tingling delight of what even the most posh classical music fiend would gratefully call "modern" music -- at times shriekingly alarming, then melding into an almost-Gershwinesque relaxation.

Written in 2006, the piece evokes the sounds of the South with many references to the composer's recollections of a summer spent in South Carolina. Computerized cicadas croaked by the thousands. And the orchestration pulled every instrument on the stage into play.

Dr. Bates . . . may you live a long and productive musical life.

Also sharing the stage Friday night was perhaps the most prolific double-bass performer in the world, Edgar Meyer. If you've never seen or heard Meyer, something is missing in your life.

True, there are few solo pieces written for double-bass and orchestra. But Meyer is a larger-than-life artist who brings a fertile technique and talent to the party.

If you've ever heard him on National Public Radio or seen him on public television, you'll understand. He makes a solo performance on a bass seem effortless, and does so with an earthy yet classic penchant. And he plays impossible passages with such dexterity that it's as if he's one with the instrument.

Meyer first presented Giovanni Bottesini's Concerto No. 2 and made the 19th-century composer's work seem easy . . . which it isn't. The cadenzas in the first and third movements made jaws drop.

He then followed up with a concerto of his own that drew in part from his fondness for the music of Appalachia. Indeed, at times he was stomping his foot during some of the more rhythmic portions, and it was delightful. He could even be heard humming at times, ? la Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.

Meyer has collaborated with musicians from Hank Williams Jr. to Yo-Yo Ma. And if you want to hear something special, pick up a CD with Meyer and world-renowned banjo player Béla Fleck. They pick through some Bach, slide into some B.B. King and end up with Bach. It's indescribable and delightful.

The last piece of the evening was Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 1. It took the composer many years to complete the piece that some ill-informed musicologists actually refer to as "Beethoven's 10th." It is a staple for conductor Mark Russell Smith, who showed why Friday night. Seldom has the orchestra sounded better.
Contact Walt Amacker at (804) 649-6247 or wamacker@timesdispatch.com.