Music Reviews

Jan 23, 2006 - Reno Philharmonic stars violinist Harriet Langley, composer Athena Adamopoulos

By Jack Neal

Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade " is always a crowd pleaser, and the Reno Philharmonic does it justice, but the real stars - both with talent and winning the hearts of a large Sunday afternoon (1/22/06) audience at Reno s Pioneer Center - are twelve-year old violinist Harriet Langley and nineteen-year old composer Athena Adamopoulos.

For those not lucky enough to be present to hear Ms. Langley blaze her way through Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor or hear Ms. Adamopoulos's majestic "Theme and Dance of the Regiment", the concert will be repeated Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

The concert thrills for lots of reasons but mostly because these two gifted young women provide a showcase for our best and brightest young people, bringing hope to a troubled world that there is a future of enrichment for the human spirit.

The Adamopoulis, inspired by friends in music who lost their father in the World Trade Center tragedy, is a testament to people who have the courage to go on with life following the trauma of loss. There are moments of simple grandeur slightly reminscent of Aaron Copland s music without being derivative in any sense.

Best described, perhaps, as a contemporary tone poem of recollection and transfiguration, the work is filled with lyricism and poignant patches of mild dissonance. As in life, where lives are touched with both pain and exhilaration, Ms. Adamopoulos has captured life though the universal language of music. Bravo for an incandescent work that should become a distinguished addition to the symphonic repertory.

The Adamopoulos is followed directly by Ms. Langley's splendid, fresh performance of the Bruch. At twelve, the Langley tone is rapturous, the technique virtuosic, her presence on stage and with the concerto magnetic and assured. Clearly this young artist is on the threshold of a brilliant career.

The Bruch endures because it's a dazzling showcase for technical wizardry enhanced with broad expanses of gorgeous melody. Ms. Langley is a colorist who manages all with a depth of musicianship usually achieved by artists after decades of experience. Harriet Langley is a phenomenon and a thrill to hear. How special it is to experience her playing at the beginning of her concert career.

Kudos to conductor Barry Jekowsky for engaging these two young talents. Kudos also to conductor and orchestra for doing such sumptuous work on the Adamopoulos and in collaboration with Ms. Langley on the Bruch.

"Scheherazade " receives one of those rich, movie-music performances Maestro Jekowsky brings off with flair. His, and of course Rimsky-Korsakov's, re-telling of the Arabian Nights' stories unfold like a shimmering panorama of a thousand and one nights under the stars. How refreshing to once again think of the Middle East through its imaginative stories devoid of today's news.

As wonderfully as the orchestra plays this lush score it's the well-played solo vignettes that make it soar. Concertmaster Phillip Ruder is superb as always. So, too, are an array of the orchestra's other remarkably fine musicians: harpist Bev Colgan, clarinetist Chris Money, flutist Mary Miller, trumpeter Paul Lenz, cellist Peter Lenz, French hornist John Lenz, oboist Scott Caplan, bassoonist Jeff Leep, and trombonist Leonard Neidhold.

The Philharmonic's current "Scheherazade" plays out as an entrancing dream filled with eccentric stories. Add the contributions of Athena Adamopoulos and Harriet Langley to the mix and the concert moves from fleeting dream into the realm of memorable.

The concert will be repeated Tuesday (1/24/06) at 7:30 p.m. All Reno Philharmonic subscription concerts are played at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada. The orchestra's next series of concerts, March 5 and 7, 2006, will feature conductor Joseph Silverstein, pianist James Winn and the music of Mendelssohn, Liszt and Mozart. For information call 775-323-6393.