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Orchestra Leaves Smiling Faces After Tchaikovsky Spectacular

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  • Orchestra Leaves Smiling Faces After Tchaikovsky Spectacular

    ORCHESTRA LEAVES SMILING FACES AFTER TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR
    Judith White

    The Saratogian
    Aug 19 2008
    NY

    The air dripped with musical passion instead of rain on Saturday at
    the Saratoga Performing Arts Center as a full moon smiled down on
    the Philadelphia Orchestra's annual Tchaikovsky Spectacular.

    Maestro Charles Dutoit offered a program focused on the great Russian
    composer's ballet music, along with the debut of a wonderful young
    violinist, and the essential "1812," the "Solemn Overture."

    The concert began with a sensitive treatment of the overture to Romeo
    and Juliet Although it's been played here a gazillion times in the
    past, there was nothing perfunctory in this performance. Dutoit
    reached deep and found something new, while keeping the familiar
    urgency. Phrases in the opening section were put on display, while
    the finale brought the most lush string sound heard here in some time.

    The Philadelphia Orchestra's last recording, with Christoph Eshenbach
    conducting, was released this past spring, featuring music by
    Tchaikovsky. It's a good benchmark for comparison with Dutoit's style.

    Never before performed by the Philadelphians, Igor Stravinsky's
    orchestration of Excerpts from Sleeping Beauty added an extra layer of
    interest to the evening. The first of the three excerpts, The Lilac
    Fairy Variation, had been omitted from the ballet after its first
    production and Stravinsky worked on it from just a piano transcription.

    Here, Concertmaster David Kim played the solo with exquisite tenderness
    from the front of the stage.

    The concert's guest violinist, Armenian-born Sergey Khachatryan, 23,
    is already an international star of considerable acclaim, and has
    played at the Ravinia and Blossom festivals, and toured the U.S. with
    the London Philharmonic. In 2000 he was the youngest ever winner of
    the Sibelius Violin Competition in Finland.

    On this night the intense, somewhat brooding musician put his own
    particular brand on Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, playing with
    carefully chosen phrasing and often leaving space for anticipation.

    His first movement's cadenza was dramatic and wonderfully varied in
    approach, and he displayed a knife-clean tone as he made a nearly
    mournful entry to the second movement.

    In the fast third movement, Khachatryan was far from reckless, but
    nevertheless managed to lose Dutoit and the orchestra for a few beats
    along the way. His expressiveness held the audience rapt. He missed
    landing a couple of high note harmonics along the way, but not by much.

    This soloist is a keeper, and maybe Saratoga can teach him to smile
    a bit during return visits.

    And smiles were on most of the audience's faces as the Philadelphians
    played the famous 1812 Overture at the close of this concert.

    The cannons are meant to represent the sounds of the fierce battle,
    and synchronizing their shots with the score is always an issue. If
    this performance is any indication, Russia wouldn't have hit a single
    target. No matter: prettier fireworks came after the concert, in the
    night sky above the Hall of Springs.

    The Philadelphia Orchestra performs at SPAC again at 8
    p.m. Aug. 20. with a "Midsummer's Night's Dream" program. For tickets
    or information, call 584-9330

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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