THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 21, 1996 TAG: 9601210089
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Music review
SOURCE: BY PAUL SAYEGH, SPECIAL TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
On paper, Friday evening's Virginia Symphony concert at Chrysler Hall had a conservative, even safe feel to it: an all-Beethoven program and a familiar soloist to offset the unknown factor of a guest conductor making his local debut. Heard live, it emerged as one of the orchestra's most exciting and musically satisfying offerings so far this season.
Kirk Trevor, conductor of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, approached Beethoven not as a cultural icon to be treated from a respectful distance, but as a vital and creative man who still has something to say to audiences in 1996.
Setting brisk tempos throughout the concert, Trevor encouraged the orchestra to play incisively. Rhythms were well-marked and maintained, with little slowing down for expressive purposes. Yet this was not blank, faceless playing. Within the quick tempos, players were allowed to phrase Beethoven's melodies most effectively.
And this definitely was not Beethoven ``lite.'' There was a good deal of weight and power to the orchestra's performance, achieved through dynamic contrasts and orchestral colors rather than ponderous tempos.
David Buechner, the evening's soloist, shared in this view of the composer, turning in a performance of the ``Piano Concerto No. 3'' that was intensely dramatic and even unsettling. This was not an attempt to cast the work in a ``classical'' mold, but an exploration of its darker colors and possibilities. The slow movement was hushed, offering only a brief lyrical respite before a headlong plunge into the concluding rondo. Only at the very end did the somber mood lift.
Buechner, who has appeared with the orchestra in prior seasons, gave his most impressive local performance to date. Working within the framework of Trevor's swift tempos, his impressive technique and clear tone projected a powerful nervous energy.
The opening ``Egmont Overture'' was a bit ragged initially, as if the orchestra wasn't quite ready to pursue the same course as its maestro. The final pages, though, were notable for the players' ability to maintain momentum without sounding frantic.
The concert concluded with the ``Symphony No. 7.'' Again, Trevor took a lean approach that had the orchestra playing with tremendous vitality and spirit. Even in the slow movement, which can often sound dirgelike, forward motion was sustained, allowing the music's emotional power to register without sentimentality.
Throughout, the orchestra demonstrated continuing improvements in its quality of sound, particularly the strings, which on this occasion produced a full and flexible tone. The audience rose to its feet at the symphony's conclusion, on this occasion an appropriate response to a stimulating concert. by CNB