Music Reviews

Jan 13, 2002 - Collard & Jekowsky: Musical Electricity at the Reno Phil

By Jack Neal

As French pianist Jean-Philippe Collard teams with American conductor Barry Jekowsky, nobility of spirit meets electrifying performances in the current series of subscription concerts by the Reno Philharmonic which opened a two-performance run Sunday afternoon (1/13/2002) at Reno's Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts.

The vehicles for nobility and arcing electricity are Rachmaninoff's sumptuous Piano Concert No. 2 in C minor and Beethoven's triumphant Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, the "Eroica."

Both Collard and Jekowsky raise the playing field in the Rachmaninoff to exhilarating heights. Their's is a noble, expressive and richly colored performance that restores faith in the intrinsic beauty and majesty of this overly-familiar, yet rightfully beloved concerto. It's all too easy to oversentimentalize Rachmaninoff's lush, lyric music, but Collard and Jekowsky never fall into that trap. The pianist grabs attention from the top with his effortless playing and complete command of the score's heroic grandeur. The conductor's accompaniment, so gloriously captured in rapture and detail by the orchestra, is a model of grace, refinement and edge-of-the-seat drama.

The star power of it all is nothing less than overwhelming. Collard is one of the most formidable international pianists in demand today. If Jekowsky's superb work in Reno is an example of his work elsewhere, and from what I read it is, he is a conductor destined for a great deal of international attention himself. It is a cause for celebration to have these two artists join forces with an orchestra that's playing in remarkably top form for this kind of volatile, fulfilling presentation. With Jekowsky drawing a sumptuous sound from his players and the dynamic Collard at the height of his considerable powers, the results are nothing short of electrifying.

The Beethoven itself is a marvel of sustained coherence, a noble heroic vision from first to last. The opening movement is exciting and energetic. The slow movement, the Funeral March, is more poignant than I've heard. Thereafter, the Scherzo is joyous and the Finale high spirited. This is one of those muscular, lyrical, boldly stated Beethoven performances that, once heard, will always have a place in the memory of listeners as one of the great performances they've heard.

Throughout, the orchestra's playing is brilliant, colorful, sparkling and incandescent. Jekowsky has inspired the orchestra's response by providing a leadership of unusual flexibility, deep humanity and an off-the-cuff spontaneity that propels the performance's careful preparation into the realm of impassioned, emotional statement. The Beethoven comes from a musically committed, adventurous frame of mind where tensions are always strongly maintained and the work's messages are always eloquently and powerfully conveyed.

How can an audience help but be moved?

The concert will be repeated Tuesday (1/15/2002) at 7:30 p.m. at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South Virginia Street, Reno. The Reno Philharmonic's next series of MasterClassic's concerts, March 10 and 12, 2002, will feature the Turtle Island String Quartet, Mozart's Overure to the "Marriage of Figaro," David Balakrishnan's "Spider Dreams," and Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5. For information about Reno Philharmonic concerts and events call 775-323-6393.