Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 22, 1994 TAG: 9411220094
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SETH WILLIAMSON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The nearly full Roanoke Civic Center contained a lot of satisfied customers after an evening featuring violin soloist Benedict Goodfriend and an original work from Barnea himself, not to mention one of the great symphonic landmarks of the 19th century.
It was an evening of transplants, with Barnea - conductor of the Billings (Mont.) Symphony Orchestra - trading places with RSO music director Victoria Bond, who is conducting one of her own works in Billings.
And the two main composers were the principals in a kind of musical heart transplant. Felix Mendelssohn is known as "the Classicist with the heart of a Romantic," and Johannes Brahms is frequently called "the Romantic with the heart of a Classicist." The program contained the Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, of Mendelssohn, as well as the great Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90, of Brahms.
But first was Barnea's genial "Prelude for Joyous Occasion," which he composed eight years ago for the opening of the Alberta Blair Theater in Billings. It was an instantly likable piece composed in a direct and accessible musical idiom. The predominant feeling was optimistic and outdoorsy, with tuned woodblocks giving the piece a horsy, western ambience.
The RSO seemed to enjoy playing for Barnea, whose stick technique - from the rear, at least - seemed impeccable. Barnea eschews the dramatic, Bernstein-like gesture, but he conducts with a semaphoric clarity and was exactly where he was supposed to be when cueing entrances.
The heroic fanfares of the opening gave way to a broadly lyrical midsection. The celebratory mood returned in the final section with bells and xylophone heralding the return of the initial fanfare theme. RSO principal trumpet Jim Kluesner was singled out by Barnea for special praise.
Goodfriend, violinist of the Kandinsky Trio, was the soloist in the beloved Mendelssohn concerto. Goodfriend, who is playing with more maturity and confidence than ever before, turned in a barn-burning performance in this concerto.
The piece is not a Paganini-style pyrotechnic showpiece, but instead places a premium on the soloist's ability to play long, singing, lyrical lines. After a few bars in which his intonation was uncharacteristically uncertain, Goodfriend settled into his stride and turned in a moving and musical performance.
With his customary huge tone married to a subtle and intimate address to the music, Goodfriend had the audience in the palm of his hand. He earned a standing ovation, numerous shouts of "Bravo!" and got not one but two bouquets - the second from his wife, Jane Wang, who is the orchestra's co-principal second violinist.
The Brahms Symphony No. 3 was not technically picture-perfect, but the overall effect was one of great beauty and passion. In fact, the lovely hymn-like theme in the woodwinds at the opening of the second movement ranks as one of the most beautiful moments from the RSO in recent years.
Barnea, in this piece as well as the Mendelssohn, kept his tempi up while reveling in the gorgeous autumnal serenity that infuses this work, probably the greatest of Brahms' four symphonies. There were a few moments when the strings were not together, notably in the final movement, but the orchestra and conductor got a respectable round of applause and several curtain calls.
Singled out for special recognition were principal hornist Wally Easter, principal bassoonist Doug Kehlenbrink, principal flutist Carol Noe, and principal clarinetist Thomas Josenhans.
Seth Williamson produces feature news stories and a weekday classical music program on public radio station WVTF (89.1 FM) in Roanoke.
by CNB