Music Reviews

Apr 11, 2005 - The Reno Philharmonic closes its season with simplicity, elegance, melancholy and power

By Jack Neal

If good taste is doing things in the simplest possible way, then closing the Reno Philharmonic's 2004-2005 MasterClassics series with these two identical-twin concerts is an infinitely tasteful way to end the orchestra's winter season.

Simplicity, Copland's "Old American Folk Songs," elegance, Mendelssohn's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, melancholy and power, Brahms's Symphony No. 4, are what conductor Barry Jekowsky has so beautifully melded together for another of the orchestra's listenable and inspired programs of accessible symphonic music. Such was the case Sunday afternoon (4/10/05) at Reno's Pioneer Center, when the orchestra played before another of its near capacity, enthusiastic audiences.

Given the nearly 250 musicians on stage for the Copland, perhaps simplicity is a bit of an oxymoron. Nonetheless the concert's total effect was affecting without lapsing into any sense of aggrandizement. Bass-baritone Gary Aldrich is the soloist for the Copland. Aldrich's singing, superb musicianship and on-stage magnetism (he's a fine actor) are cornerstones of his talent. He's always a thrill to hear, not because he's grandiose (although grandiose he can be), but because he's always so perfectly in tune with what's right musically.

Rich in sound and sensitive in approach Aldrich's work is captivating. Especially captivating this time out is his singing of "The Dodger." Copland's gift for understated writing and Aldrich's gift for understated artistry fuse into a luminous unity that won't soon be forgotten. A giant assist with the Copland from the Philharmonic and the Nevada Choral Union (Duane Karna conductor) and the Truckee Meadows Community College Singers make these "Old American Folk Songs" very special. Also very special was the encore of Carmen Dragon's lush arrangement of "America The Beautiful." It is, as are the "Old American Folk Songs," gorgeously performed.

The interpretive powers of Jekowsky cannot be overestimated. A splendid concert without splendid leadership is not possible. Jekowsky consistently provides the intuitive musicanship and skilled leadership that turns a keen sense of what's right into a listening experience that engages both the mind and the heart. Is there an American composer who touches both better than Aaron Copland? Is there an American conductor who touches both better than Barry Jekowsky? From this corner, both questions are rhetorical to be sure.

Violinist Anne Akiko-Meyers brings a sublime musicianship and spectacular technique to the Mendelssohn, one of the most melodious and lovable of violin concertos The concerto is loaded with the kind of any-violining-anyone-can-do-I can-do-better chutzpah that has loaded the concerto with the musical athleticism that keeps an audience on the edge of its seats (all those runs and double and triple stops). It also has its share of hit-parade tunes audiences adore.

Akiko-Meyers is terrific in all ways. She plays with a ravishing sound. Her subdued playing of the slow movement is a rapturous encounter with one of Mendelssohn's most romantic utterances. She also plays with a virtuosity that's breathtaking. Her playing does not, however, merely fly across a dazzling surface, but plays sensitively to the concerto's lyricism and depth of character. With movie-star good looks this lovely young woman and violin virtuoso is a concert-hall phenomenon.

The orchestra plays wonderfully throughout, but has its crowning moment after intermission with the Brahms. With Brahms's dense orchestrations it takes a conductor who knows how to throw light on dark places and make them shine to create a profound and enduring reading. Jekowsky has that kind of talent. His Brahms is full of shining places that radiate through the elaborate architecture on which Brahms constructs his eloquence. Jekowsky, and the exceptional orchestra the Reno Philharmonic has become under his guidance, get to the heart of the matter for a performance that flows from beginning to end with grace and grandeur.

The concert will be repeated Tuesday, April 12, 2005, at 7:30 p.m. All Reno Philharmonic MasterClassics concerts are performed at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada. For information call 775-323-6393.