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PERLMAN'S ROUSING PLAYING HIGHLIGHT OF ZUKERMAN'S FINAL NAC GALA
Ottawa Citizen, Canada
Oct 3 2014
Natasha Gauthier
After last year's foray into pop, the 18th NAC Gala returned to a
strictly classical format last night, headlined by legendary violinist
(and Pinchas Zukerman pal) Itzhak Perlman.
The Overture to Mozart's Magic Flute kicked off the gala, Zukerman's
last. What should have been like the frothy pop of a champagne cork
fell a bit flat, missing the mark both in the gravitas of the opening
chords and the effervescence of the main themes.
The fiendish 19th-century showpiece La Ronde des lutins, by Paganini's
less well-known acolyte, Antonio Bazzini, showcased the gifts of
another rising star Zukerman has taken under his generous wing. The
14-year-old Armenian violinist Diana Adamyan is slight little thing,
but although her sound is still small, she is hugely self-assured,
attacking the work's notorious double stops and left-hand pizzicati
with effortless panache. I would have liked to hear her in something
less trite.
For Bach's Concerto for Two Violins, Zukerman shared the spotlight with
three talented young proteges. Daniel Khlaikov, Jessica Linnebach,
and Ann-Estelle Medouze each took over the Violin 1 part for one
of the three movements. Khalikov, second concertmaster of the
Chamber Orchestra of New York, was elegant and refined. Linnebach,
NACO's associate concertmaster, was the most old-school romantic
of the three. Medouze, concertmaster of France's Orchestre national
d'Ile-de-France, was the most energetic and authentic in her approach.
The orchestra returned with Perlman for Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante
for Violin and Viola, with Zukerman conducting from the latter. Gala
performances can have a throwaway feel but this was actually an
exceptionally satisfying reading. Perlman and Zukerman are naturally
sympatico, and their easy, conversational complicity -- and gorgeous
combined sound -- seemed to inspire the orchestra. There were, finally,
true gossamer pianissimi, and the second movement was as plangent
and earnest as one of Mozart's great opera arias, with beautifully
executed and shaped long pedals from the horns and oboes.
The concert closed with the scintillating last two movements
Mendelssohn's Octet, bringing most of the evening's stars together
on stage one last time. Led by Perlman from the first violin part
(Zukerman joined NACO's Jethro Marks on viola), the players managed
good cohesion, helped of course by the fact five of the eight are
accustomed to playing together. The closing fugue was taken at furious
speed and served as a rousing finale.
The evening raised $917,000 for the National Youth and Education Trust.
http://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/music/perlmans-rousing-playing-highlight-of-zukermans-final-naco-gala
From: A. Papazian
Ottawa Citizen, Canada
Oct 3 2014
Natasha Gauthier
After last year's foray into pop, the 18th NAC Gala returned to a
strictly classical format last night, headlined by legendary violinist
(and Pinchas Zukerman pal) Itzhak Perlman.
The Overture to Mozart's Magic Flute kicked off the gala, Zukerman's
last. What should have been like the frothy pop of a champagne cork
fell a bit flat, missing the mark both in the gravitas of the opening
chords and the effervescence of the main themes.
The fiendish 19th-century showpiece La Ronde des lutins, by Paganini's
less well-known acolyte, Antonio Bazzini, showcased the gifts of
another rising star Zukerman has taken under his generous wing. The
14-year-old Armenian violinist Diana Adamyan is slight little thing,
but although her sound is still small, she is hugely self-assured,
attacking the work's notorious double stops and left-hand pizzicati
with effortless panache. I would have liked to hear her in something
less trite.
For Bach's Concerto for Two Violins, Zukerman shared the spotlight with
three talented young proteges. Daniel Khlaikov, Jessica Linnebach,
and Ann-Estelle Medouze each took over the Violin 1 part for one
of the three movements. Khalikov, second concertmaster of the
Chamber Orchestra of New York, was elegant and refined. Linnebach,
NACO's associate concertmaster, was the most old-school romantic
of the three. Medouze, concertmaster of France's Orchestre national
d'Ile-de-France, was the most energetic and authentic in her approach.
The orchestra returned with Perlman for Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante
for Violin and Viola, with Zukerman conducting from the latter. Gala
performances can have a throwaway feel but this was actually an
exceptionally satisfying reading. Perlman and Zukerman are naturally
sympatico, and their easy, conversational complicity -- and gorgeous
combined sound -- seemed to inspire the orchestra. There were, finally,
true gossamer pianissimi, and the second movement was as plangent
and earnest as one of Mozart's great opera arias, with beautifully
executed and shaped long pedals from the horns and oboes.
The concert closed with the scintillating last two movements
Mendelssohn's Octet, bringing most of the evening's stars together
on stage one last time. Led by Perlman from the first violin part
(Zukerman joined NACO's Jethro Marks on viola), the players managed
good cohesion, helped of course by the fact five of the eight are
accustomed to playing together. The closing fugue was taken at furious
speed and served as a rousing finale.
The evening raised $917,000 for the National Youth and Education Trust.
http://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/music/perlmans-rousing-playing-highlight-of-zukermans-final-naco-gala
From: A. Papazian