THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605120137
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Music review
SOURCE: BY LEE TEPLY, SPECIAL TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
JoAnn Falletta returned to the Chrysler Hall podium Friday evening after a 10-week absence to lead the Virginia Symphony in a program that displayed the strengths of many of the orchestra's individual musicians.
The depth of musicianship was most obvious in the program closer - the ever-popular Ravel ``Bolero.'' Over the steady drum rhythm, nearly every wind player had the opportunity to put a personal mark on the repeated melody. As if warmed by the hot Spanish sun, the orchestra moved through the long piece with an increasingly passionate intensity. The built-up energy lifted the audience to its feet in approval the moment the piece ended.
Claude Debussy's ``Iberia,'' another picture of Spain from a French viewpoint, may not have the raw power of ``Bolero.'' Instead, it is filled with tiny details and nuances like the dots in a pointillist painting.
This impressionist style is particularly well-suited to Falletta's artistic temperament. She drew out of the orchestra lush sounds made of carefully mixed tone colors. Where necessary in the outer movements, she got incisive rhythmic patterns from the musicians. But mostly, the mood was relaxed, encouraging full enjoyment of each passing sonority.
Two pieces featuring cellist Wendy Warner fit in nicely with the atmospheric nature of the evening. In Swiss composer Ernest Bloch's ``Schelomo,'' she used her secure technique in a moving interpretation that was more introspective than overtly dramatic. Her rich sound was always in tune, and she shaped phrases with a vocal sensativity, as if singing the words that had inspired Bloch's composition.
She was well-supported by the orchestra, especially by the string section, which played with warmth and precision. While this was clearly important in the softer sections, the strings also added fullness to the well-balanced blend of winds at climactic moments.
The concert opened with William Schuman's ``New England Triptych.'' Although from a completely different musical world than the rest of the music, its energy filled the hall with an excitement that sustained the players and listeners through the program's quieter middle section.
A strong rhythmic approach to the music, supported by percussion, drove the outer movements. Of the many wind soloists, two who stood out, as they did all evening, were principal oboist Sherie Lake Aguirre and principal bassoonist Daniel Matsukawa. They invariably gave their lines just the right touch to place them in the context of the larger composition. by CNB