Friday November 17, 2006 SGN.org |
 |
Volume 34 Issue 46 |
 |
|
Monday, Oct 06, 2008
|
 |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||
|
 |
Lawrence Renes should move in with the SSO |
||
.jpg) |
||
| Lawrence Renes should move in with the SSO | ||
| Lawrence Renes should move in with the SSO
by Rod Parke -
SGN A&E Writer Last week I wrote, "Lawrence Renes is simply one of the most exciting conductors performing anywhere today." His second program in this two-week stay did everything to reinforce this opinion. Certainly, the first half could hardly have been more impressive. The Seattle Symphony began with a rousing performance of Brahms' "Hungarian Dances Nos. 5 & 6." Anyone who has seen '2001: A Space Odyssey' will remember the soundtrack by Herbert von Karajan and his Berlin Philharmonic of Strauss waltzes. Von Karajan could take such concert chestnuts and make them sound like major works. The same passionate attention to detail, care with daring dynamics, and loving rhythmic articulation here raised the Brahms to heights that perhaps even the composer did not envision. At any rate, these dances got our blood pumping, filling Benaroya with excitement. After the next work, Bartok's 'Violin Concerto No. 2,' I thought, "Well, where has this work been all my life?" A long, difficult piece, the Concerto is first-rate Bartok. Constantly fascinating with strong ideas, virtuosic writing for the violin soloist, and deft orchestrations, it is nonetheless seldom performed and it's easy to see why. The rehearsal time needed to make its complexities performable must be daunting indeed. Suffice to say, Renes, the SSO players, and soloist Leonidas Kavakos delivered a performance that was not only technically perfect but red-hot with passion and sharp accents, as well as lyrical passages of great beauty. Bartok was no slouch when it came to orchestration. His second violin concerto uses a large orchestra that includes a celesta, a harp, and elaborate writing for the tympani. With all these forces, Renes never let the orchestra overwhelm the soloist. Indeed, Kavakos' tone was so clean, so focused, that it cut through any orchestral tutti's with ease. His sound was like crystal, lacking any fat, buzzing overtones, yet powerful and expressive. His style was animated, yet disciplined. Tall, dark, and handsome, his obvious passion for the music helped him to command attention, eliciting an excited response from the audience. It was heartening to see such a response to such an unfamiliar and demanding work. Stravinsky's 'Petrouchka' completed the program. As the printed notes mentioned, this composer's skill in orchestration was "beyond masterful." And, under Renes' direction, we got to hear every note of that brilliant score. This wasn't the most idiomatic reading I have ever heard, but it was highly energetic and fun. One wonders if the rehearsal time for the immensely complex and unfamiliar Bartok didn't rob attention from the ultimate finishes Renes might have put in this performance. It was a little heavy and lacking in character at times. Just how much can one expect from a visiting conductor with an orchestra that doesn't know intimately the language with which he communicates his intentions? I am awed by both the Bartok of this concert and the Harbison and Tchaikovsky of last week's program. Maestro Renes can't come back too soon! Reviewer Rod Parke can be reached at rmp62@columbia.edu. |
||
 |
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
International Readers read the SGN in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 post your own information on Seattle Gay Blog |
copyright Seattle Gay News - DigitalTeamWorks 2006