Music I'm Listening To: Gil Shaham, Christian Tetzlaff, and Elena Urioste

Gil Shaham after the concert

Three recent concerts, two in San Francisco, one in Santa Rosa. I attended the February 8 performance of the SF Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall. On the program were Steven Mackey's

Portals, Scenes and Celebrations (a Symphony commission and world premiere), Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1, and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4. Michael Tilson Thomas conducted. Gil Shaham was soloist in the Prokofiev. This is a belated report. I can't say I remember the first piece at all, which shouldn't really count against it, but, by definition, it wasn't memorable. Shaham was his usual, highly competent self. MTT's rendition of the Tchaikovsky was on the slow side but quite enjoyable. It was particularly fun to see the substantial pizzicato sections live. This is a very familiar piece of music but not one I'd seen in person before.

Christian Tetzlaff takes a bow

On March 15, I was at Davies Symphony Hall again, this time to hear Christian Tetzlaff play Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3. He played some unfamiliar cadenzas, which added interest. Also on the program were Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin and Sibelius's Symphony No. 2. MTT conducted. Although I generally find MTT bland, I must admit he does the very late romantic stuff well. I very much enjoyed his handling of the Sibelius. So, that's twice that I've found him really engaged and putting a distinctive stamp on the music—this and a recent performance of Mahler's Fifth Symphony. 

Violinist Elena Urioste

The following day, it was the Santa Rosa Symphony at the Green Music Center under the baton of Conductor Emeritus Jeffrey Kahane. On the program were Gershwin's An American in Paris in its original version (as Gershwin orchestrated it), Barber's Violin Concerto, and Copland's Symphony No. 3. Elena Urioste was the soloist in the Barber concerto. I was impressed by Urioste's performance and she was very gracious backstage. It was fun to see Kahane again, too. The Gershwin in the original orchestration sounded rather different than the version we're used to, which, according to Kahane, was cleaned up substantially by a Hollywood orchestrator. Gershwin apparently had little experience writing for full orchestra at the time. The Copland is not a favorite. It's rather ponderous, but it's interesting to hear the sections of Fanfare for the Common Man (1942) that were written into the symphony, which followed Fanfare by a year or two.

SR Symphony Conductor Emeritus Jeffrey Kahane

Music I'm Listening To: Santa Rosa Symphony, Jeffrey Kahane Playing and Conducting Mozart, Rachmaninoff (January 22, 2012)

What a pleasure to see and hear Jeffrey Kahane with the Santa Rosa Symphony again. Kahane is making guest appearances in a series of three concerts playing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25 and Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 3, conducting both pieces as well. I attended yesterday's performance (Sunday, January 22).

Kahane gave a delightfully lively and crisp performance of the Mozart, I thought, adding to the fun by playing an expansive cadenza of his own composition. I thought the symphony players were in fine form, with the woodwinds a standout, particularly the flute and the bassoons. The audience was very appreciative. Some in the crowd waved enthusiastically to Kahane after the performance, as if to say "We've missed you."

The choice of a large 20th century symphony for the second half of the program following the Mozart concerto was not an obviously logical one, but I trust Kahane had his reasons. I just wish I could ask him what they were. I can't really say much about the piece as I'd never heard it before, and it's not music that immediately grabs you. It gave the impression of being rather too full of ideas not fully developed or linked, but I suspect that apparent fault is as much a reflection of my ignorance as it is of anything else. Having said that, it seemed to veer from the pastoral to the grandiose and back again, sounding here like something quite modern, there like something more traditional, and in one or two places rather like generic film score music. Nevertheless, there were some interesting textures and some unusual percussion effects, and the musicians showed the same concentration they exhibited playing the Mozart. Kahane seems always to get the best from the Santa Rosa players (although there were a lot of unfamiliar faces among the musicians this time). Again the reception was warm. Kahane and the orchestra received a second standing ovation. As the audience began to leave, the conductor hopped onto the podium and began an encore.

As if to provide an antidote to the unfamiliar Rachmaninoff piece, Kahane and the Santa Rosa Symphony began to play the overture to Die Fledermaus, by Johann Strauss II, a piece the audience was better able to warm up to. It was well played and enthusiastically played and the crowd left quite pleased. The concert was worth it just for the Mozart, but the Strauss was a fun and unexpected way to end the afternoon. I hope we see Mr. Kahane often in the new Green Music Center. We do miss him.

Photo of Jeffrey Kahane courtesy of the Santa Rosa Symphony.