THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996 TAG: 9602250061
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Music review
SOURCE: BY PAUL SAYEGH, SPECIAL TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
The Virginia Symphony gave solid readings of three Russian masterpieces at Chrysler Hall on Friday evening. Music Director JoAnn Falletta was back at the podium to lead works by Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Tchaikovsky. Pianist Tanya Stambuk made her first appearance with the orchestra with Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3.
Any pianist who tackles the fistfuls of notes that Prokofiev placed in his score deserves a medal for bravery. Stambuk not only played the concerto extremely well, but she also managed to make a great deal of musical sense out of its dissonant and quirky melodies. Appearing calm and collected throughout, she brought out the lyricism in the piece. One particularly striking moment was the piano's quiet entrance at the start of the second movement. Falletta and the orchestra provided excellent accompaniment, despite some slow tempos in the earlier part of the work.
Stambuk was less successful with the sarcasm and irony that are also a big part of this concerto. She and Falletta de-emphasized this sassy, ``in-your-face'' aspect to such a degree that despite the dazzling playing, the performance seemed too tidy and lacking in excitement.
A similar problem affected Stravinsky's ``Firebird Suite,'' the concert's opening work. The orchestra gave a beautiful rendition of the quieter passages; the strings, in particular, played with much smoothness. In the faster, more extroverted sections, Falletta appeared to be holding too tight a rein on the musicians. The notes were all sounded accurately, but more thrills were needed. The ending of the piece, a brilliantly orchestrated section that cries out for a Technicolor interpretation, brought out the best in Falletta and the players.
Tchaikovsky's dramatic Symphony No. 4 concluded the concert. Here, there was no lack of excitement; Falletta took a theatrical, unrestrained approach, and the orchestra followed her every step of the way. Despite some daring tempo fluctuations, Falletta's direct and unfussy manner with this music allowed the symphony to reach a powerful conclusion, eliciting cheers from the pleased audience. by CNB