Music Reviews

Nov 14, 2005 - The fabulous violinist Nadja Salerno Sonnenberg and the Reno Philharmonic

By Jack Neal

Giving robust life to Shostakovich's brooding violin concerto, while retaining its rich lyricism is no mean feat. Doing both beautifully is a Mount Everest climb, but the superb violin artist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg is used to climbing the heights. She did so again Sunday afternoon (11/13/05) before a large and appreciative audience at Reno's Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts.

While Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg climbs to the heights, critics reach for adjectives to describe her dark-hued, sublimely lyric and intensely vivid playing. From a hauntingly played first movement through a breathtakingly athletic last movement, her reading of Shostakovich's churning cold-war concerto moves from one sensational and revelatory moment to another. Never does it mire down into a sense of sectionalism. On the concerto's golden anniversary of its debut performance, Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg mines a mature expressiveness of this massive work and gives its every phrase the ultimate in craftmanship and superb musicality.

Played out in four movements - "Nocturne," "Scherzo," "Passacaglia," and "Burlesca" with a cadenza between the third and fourth movements that separates pretenders to concert violining from the real thing - the concerto is a display piece and a profound musical utterance of the first rank. In the gifted hands of a no nonsense, thoroughly dedicated artist such as Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg it's as moving to experience as it's exciting to hear.

Conductor Barry Jekowsky is a most sensitive collaborator, as is the orchestra. The Shostakovich concerto, with the musical demands and the free-wheeling phrasing those demands force a violinist to make, is a supreme challenge and the Reno Philharmonic under the skillful baton of its conductor meets the challenge with an impressive flexibility and virtuosity.

Impressive, also, is the program's curtainraiser, Rossini's Overture to "Semiramide." This tour de force overture requires a tour de force performance and that's what it got. Kudos to all for a dazzling show-off presentation. Piccoloist Juli Betterton, clarinetist David Ehrke, flutist Mary Miller, bassoonist Jeff Leep and oboist Andrea Lenz deserve special praise. Rossini's demands for expert woodwind playing are a comfortable fit for the philharmonic's nicely matched set of excellent players.

Beethoven's enormously important and popular Symphony No. 5 in c minor closed the concert on a high note of triumph. Beethoven's passion for freedom and the rights of the individual so much at the heart of the Enlightenment, ring true and through every moment of this superb work. Capturing what Beethoven stood for through his majestic talent for composition is one of the world's greatest artistic achievements.

Capturing Beethoven's sense of freedom and exhilaration through Barry Jekowsky's insightful interpretation and the orchestra's splendid response to its conductor's wishes, provide Reno Philharmonic fans with an excellent re-creation of one of the great wonders of the world.

Obviously Maestro Jekowsky has made a study of Beethoven's writing by poring over the composer's sketches and finished scores. The from-the-podium lecture presented by the conductor with themes and various exerpts from Beethoven's notes and scores played by the orchestra is not a bad idea - just risky. Demonstrations and comments need to be insightful enough to enhance what an audience is about to hear, not upstage it. While not upstaging an excellent presentation of Beethoven's Fifth, the comments from the podium, while interesting, did not step up to the plate as succinct enough to further engage an audience that seemed more than already engaged to love what it was about to hear.

That having been said, the Shostakovich and Beethoven both received noisy (lots of bravos), extensive - and well deserved - standing ovations.

The concert will be repeated Tuesday (11/15/05) at 7:30 p.m.

All Reno Philharmonic MasterClassics concerts are played at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada. Next up for the Reno Philharmonic is the orchestra's "Spirit of the Season" concert starring Toni Tennille, December 4 (2005) at the Reno Hilton Theatre, 2500 East Second Street, Reno. Nevada. For information about Reno Philharmonic concerts and events call 775-323-6393.