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Last Friday, March 4th, in the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) performed Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Marin Alsop, one of the most famous conductors of our time, led the performance featuring solo pianist Lukás Vondrácek.
Marin Alsop made history in September 2007 when she was named the 12th director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra. Though she recently renewed her contract to continue to be the music director of the BSO until 2015, Alsop has also just been appointed Chief Conductor of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, described as “one of the world’s three most exciting upcoming orchestras” by Gramophone magazine.
Starting in the Czech Republic, Lukás Vondrácek began his career when he gave his first public performance at the age of 4 (Beethoven gave his first at the age of 7) and has since toured 27 countries, giving over 1000 concerts. Vondrácek studied under Vladimir Ashkenazy and who recorded on of the most famous recordings of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody performing with the London Symphony Orchestra.
The first performance of the night was Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1, Classical. Its harmonies and cadences strongly influenced by Joseph Haydn, Classical is a joyful piece one would expect to hear at a Symphony Orchestra. The piece accented the wonderful acoustics of the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and warmed up the audience for Rhapsody.
Rhapsody is actually a set of 24 variations of Paganini’s violin Caprices, and was performed, in three major movements. As Alsop cued the orchestra, Vondrácek began to strike the first notes of the variation before the main theme of Rhapsody, his thumb and little finger on both hands an octave apart. During the call-and-response between the piano and orchestra in the first theme, Vondrácek played with excellent restraint, softly keying in each note with complete dynamic control. Deeper into the first movement, Vondrácek’s confidently played the complex melodies, both hands rising over and under each other. The second movement was slower, and more chord-intensive and helped provide an excellent change of pace before heading into the incredible finale. It started by resembling the theme from once before, but this time louder and more intense as it went along until it reached it’s climax, paused, and, just when you thought it was done, quietly restated the theme and closed. Vondrácek’s performance here was spectacular, mirroring the intensity of the music in his body movements; towards the end striking four notes at a time, two in each hand, racing up and down the piano and building up to a triple forte before hitting the last chord and shooting up in his seat.
Next came Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 6 in E-flat Minor. In most performances the strongest piece is used to finish the set, thus not ending with Rhapsody was a surprise. Like Rhapsody, Symphony No. 6 is performed in three parts: the Allegro Moderato, Largo, and Vivace. The performance of the march in the Vivace was executed well and made a powerful impression. Still, under the spell of the Rhapsody, it was hard to appreciate the slower Symphony No. 6 and, as a whole, the show could’ve greatly benefited from switching the order of the Symphony No. 6 and the Rhapsody. Looking through the rest of the BSO’s spring schedule, this was the only performance where the advertised piece was not the last piece of the night.
Nevertheless, the BSO knows how to put on a show. Vondrácek played with such control, exploding with intensity and pulling back without any hesitation while Marin Alsop ensured the orchestra provided the perfect response. Tickets to this week’s performance of Beethoven’s 5th will definitely be in hot demand and, whether you’re a seasoned musician or have never touched an instrument, you’re sure to come away with a greater appreciation of symphonic music.
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Meyeroff Symphony Hall
1212 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201-5545
Performances typically Friday-Sunday
Photo Credit: www.musicalpainter.com
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