Music Reviews

Oct 21, 2007 - The Reno Philharmonic Romances the West with excitement, power and poignancy

By Jack Neal

In his final season as conductor of the Reno Philharmonic, Barry Jekowsky is pulling out all stops and Sunday’s (10/21/07) near capacity audience loved every moment (three standing ovations), including the encore of Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance No. 8. It was a fitting coda to the orchestra’s majestic performance of Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony.

Under Jekowsky’s leadership, the Philharmonic did full justice to the power and poignancy of Dvorak’s great and popular Symphony No. 9 in E minor, the “New World.” It was the sumptuous finale of the orchestra’s second series of concerts of the season at Reno’s Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts.

The problem with popular works? Their popularity too often places them on the endangered-species list. What a shame. Popularity is not just based on accessibility, but to qualities that make a work great. To his credit, Dvorak encouraged American music, when Americans felt insecure about the artistic edge America could and would eventually have as a world center for great art. Hence the birth of his “New World.”

The “New World’s” greatness stems from its invention and warmth, its vital spirit, and its sublime beauty – a second movement that goes to the heart (gorgeous English horn playing by Marianne Maytan). Because of Dvorak’s fascination and attention to American folk music, it’s a work that fits American orchestras and American conductors naturally.

The Reno Philharmonic is an excellent orchestra that regularly plays, especially under its resident conductor, superb, exciting interpretations. And so it was with this program loaded with inspiring performances.

As concertmaster, Roy Malan brings a discipline to the orchestra’s strings that produces a ravishing sound. The woodwinds, with some excellent solo work by clarinetist David Ehrke, oboist Steve Caplan and flutist Mary Miller, save for a few moments of uncomfortable intonation, are impressive. The brasses add richness without dominating. Timpanist Robert Lightfoot is the underpinning that provides a solid comfort zone for each performance.

Always a lightweight charmer, Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, a la pianist Andrew von Oeyen, is also a dazzler. Von Oeyen plays with the same ease as Mendelssohn was reported to have composed for a performance noted for its virtuosity and subtle musicality. A pianist with an unassuming manner, von Oeyen knows how to keep virtuosity in its place allowing the concerto’s volley of notes to flow with the greatest of ease.

A Rossini overture is to the concert hall, what a Gershwin tune is to show business. Rossini’s Overture to “William Tell” used to gain its fame from “The Lone Ranger” radio show. Now “The Lone Ranger” is remembered because of the fame of Rossini’s Overture to “William Tell.” In spite of its not-so-clandestine attachment to America’s Wild West, the Rossini is a tour de force for any orchestra, and a wonderful opportunity for a principal cellist (in this case, Peter Lenz) to show his wares. Under the excitement generated by the explosiveness of Jekowsky’s approach, the Reno Philharmonic does not disappoint. The Rossini is a gallop to the photo finish.

The Reno Philharmonic’s “Romancing the West” concerts can be heard at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada, Sunday, October 21 (2007) at 4:00 p.m. and Tuesday, October 23 (2007) at 7:30 p.m. For information call 775-323-6393.