CSO season ends with tour de force
Tchaikovsky's Fourth a triumphant finale
by John K. Toedtman
Cincinnati Enquirer, May 7, 2005
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concert Friday evening in Music Hall began with a rousing piece by contemporary composer Jennifer Higdon.
"Fanfare Ritmico" is an energetic composition full of driving percussion and violent, repeated notes over a harmony of surprisingly tonal major chords.
A savage drum beat by timpani and bass leads to a Copeland-like angular theme by the strings. The complex rhythmic fragments would be a challenge for any orchestra, but were executed with precision and aplomb by Paavo Järvi and the CSO.
The Concerto No. 1 in C Minor For Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra, written by the Russian composer Shostakovich in 1933, borrows heavily from Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata and also his "Rage Over a Lost Penny" but otherwise is uniquely Russian.
Pianist Alexander Toradze, equipped with formidable technique and a superb sense of lyricism, supplied a commanding performance of the piano part, which truly dominates the concerto.
The percussive quality of the piano is enhanced by the sharp attack which the pianist employs at the keyboard. The second movement, a Lento, allowed Toradze to spin a long and beautiful melodic line out of the piano, and the forlorn yet sweet tone from the trumpet of CSO member Phillip Collins complemented the piano very well.
In the last movement, sadness is replaced with uncontainable joy and a brashness akin to Prokofiev.
Following a tumultuous standing ovation, the finale of the concerto was repeated as an encore for the enthusiastic audience.
The three great symphonies of Tchaikovsky - four, five and six - all exploit the full range of dynamics and the resources of the brass, winds and strings.
Tchaikovsky wrote the fourth symphony while undergoing extreme personal upheaval.
From the opening theme with the brass ominously calling forth fate the Symphony Number 4 in F Minor, Opus 36 deals with strong emotions.
As the work progresses the mood gradually lifts out of the abyss, as if the act of composing this symphony removed Tchaikovsky from his depression and unhappy marriage.
Järvi's tempi move the music ahead, yet allow it to breathe and speak to the listener without missing any of the grand emotions it contains. The last movement is a whirlwind full of sound and fury, signifying the end of a glorious symphony and a glorious season for the CSO.
by John K. Toedtman
Cincinnati Enquirer, May 7, 2005
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concert Friday evening in Music Hall began with a rousing piece by contemporary composer Jennifer Higdon.
"Fanfare Ritmico" is an energetic composition full of driving percussion and violent, repeated notes over a harmony of surprisingly tonal major chords.
A savage drum beat by timpani and bass leads to a Copeland-like angular theme by the strings. The complex rhythmic fragments would be a challenge for any orchestra, but were executed with precision and aplomb by Paavo Järvi and the CSO.
The Concerto No. 1 in C Minor For Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra, written by the Russian composer Shostakovich in 1933, borrows heavily from Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata and also his "Rage Over a Lost Penny" but otherwise is uniquely Russian.
Pianist Alexander Toradze, equipped with formidable technique and a superb sense of lyricism, supplied a commanding performance of the piano part, which truly dominates the concerto.
The percussive quality of the piano is enhanced by the sharp attack which the pianist employs at the keyboard. The second movement, a Lento, allowed Toradze to spin a long and beautiful melodic line out of the piano, and the forlorn yet sweet tone from the trumpet of CSO member Phillip Collins complemented the piano very well.
In the last movement, sadness is replaced with uncontainable joy and a brashness akin to Prokofiev.
Following a tumultuous standing ovation, the finale of the concerto was repeated as an encore for the enthusiastic audience.
The three great symphonies of Tchaikovsky - four, five and six - all exploit the full range of dynamics and the resources of the brass, winds and strings.
Tchaikovsky wrote the fourth symphony while undergoing extreme personal upheaval.
From the opening theme with the brass ominously calling forth fate the Symphony Number 4 in F Minor, Opus 36 deals with strong emotions.
As the work progresses the mood gradually lifts out of the abyss, as if the act of composing this symphony removed Tchaikovsky from his depression and unhappy marriage.
Järvi's tempi move the music ahead, yet allow it to breathe and speak to the listener without missing any of the grand emotions it contains. The last movement is a whirlwind full of sound and fury, signifying the end of a glorious symphony and a glorious season for the CSO.
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