Teenaged piano phenom wows CSO crowd
The Cincinnati Enquirer's Janelle Gelfand found herself transported to Vienna last night by the magnificent playing of Paavo's CSO and guest artist, piano phenom Lukas Vondracek in Teenaged piano phenom wows CSO crowd.
"You might have thought, if you closed your eyes Friday night at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, that you were listening to the Vienna Philharmonic.
"Brahms' Symphony No. 3 in F Major is probably the most difficult of Brahms' four symphonies to pull off. Yet under Paavo Järvi, this was a glowing performance of one of the great masterpieces of the symphonic literature.
"Friday's concert included the debut of a teenaged piano phenom named Lukas Vondracek, who wowed the crowd in Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. , and the orchestra's first performance of Symphony No. 2 by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu.
"Brahms' Third is not a heroic symphony. It has an autumnal quality, suggesting someone looking back on life. Järvi's view was both warm and intense. Turbulent passages had tremendous momentum that were thrilling for their drama and passion. Softer, lyrical passages glowed, sonorities were wonderfully balanced and every detail of the music was illuminated.
"Järvi urged his players on with sweeping gestures. The inner two movements had an intimate quality that reminded us what a romantic Brahms was. The third (Poco allegretto), with its yearning cello theme, was remarkable for its silken string sound and extraordinary dynamic range. When french hornist Eric Overholt took the theme, the result was deeply moving.
"Nowhere was the feeling of nostalgia so powerful, though, as in the finale, which was almost mystical in feeling.
"In the first half, Vondracek, an 18-year-old native of the Czech Republic, tackled Mendelssohn's youthful showpiece, not heard here since 1981. The shaggy-haired teen hunched over the keyboard and proceeded to toss off cascades of difficult arpeggios with impressive finesse.
"The first movement was charged with adrenalin; after some initial harshness he settled into a glittering touch. In the slow movement, Vondracek proved that he's more than a technical whiz; here his phrasing was poetic and he projected a singing tone. The finale flew like the wind, and had the audience cheering.
"Järvi opened with Martinu's Symphony No. 2, composed in 1943 for Czech refugees in Cleveland. The four-movement work is a real find - an evocative canvas, colored by piano and harp and bursting with folk tunes.
"Great orchestral buildups were balanced by jazzy, Stravinsky-like moments, and the winds carried on witty conversations. Järvi was an inspired leader; still, I wished for more spontaneity."
"You might have thought, if you closed your eyes Friday night at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, that you were listening to the Vienna Philharmonic.
"Brahms' Symphony No. 3 in F Major is probably the most difficult of Brahms' four symphonies to pull off. Yet under Paavo Järvi, this was a glowing performance of one of the great masterpieces of the symphonic literature.
"Friday's concert included the debut of a teenaged piano phenom named Lukas Vondracek, who wowed the crowd in Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. , and the orchestra's first performance of Symphony No. 2 by Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu.
"Brahms' Third is not a heroic symphony. It has an autumnal quality, suggesting someone looking back on life. Järvi's view was both warm and intense. Turbulent passages had tremendous momentum that were thrilling for their drama and passion. Softer, lyrical passages glowed, sonorities were wonderfully balanced and every detail of the music was illuminated.
"Järvi urged his players on with sweeping gestures. The inner two movements had an intimate quality that reminded us what a romantic Brahms was. The third (Poco allegretto), with its yearning cello theme, was remarkable for its silken string sound and extraordinary dynamic range. When french hornist Eric Overholt took the theme, the result was deeply moving.
"Nowhere was the feeling of nostalgia so powerful, though, as in the finale, which was almost mystical in feeling.
"In the first half, Vondracek, an 18-year-old native of the Czech Republic, tackled Mendelssohn's youthful showpiece, not heard here since 1981. The shaggy-haired teen hunched over the keyboard and proceeded to toss off cascades of difficult arpeggios with impressive finesse.
"The first movement was charged with adrenalin; after some initial harshness he settled into a glittering touch. In the slow movement, Vondracek proved that he's more than a technical whiz; here his phrasing was poetic and he projected a singing tone. The finale flew like the wind, and had the audience cheering.
"Järvi opened with Martinu's Symphony No. 2, composed in 1943 for Czech refugees in Cleveland. The four-movement work is a real find - an evocative canvas, colored by piano and harp and bursting with folk tunes.
"Great orchestral buildups were balanced by jazzy, Stravinsky-like moments, and the winds carried on witty conversations. Järvi was an inspired leader; still, I wished for more spontaneity."
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