Music Reviews

Nov 11, 2007 - A world-class Reno Chamber Orchestra concert with pianist Meng-Chieu Liu

By Jack Neal

Impressionistic, classic and iconoclastic, Saturday night’s (11/10/07) Reno Chamber Orchestra concert was as close to having it all as a two-hour concert (with intermission) allows.

The program – Faure’s Ballade in F-sharp for Piano and Orchestra, Ravel’s “Mother Goose” Suite, Haydn’s Symphony No. 85 in B-flat major, Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor featuring pianist Meng-Chieu Liu and trumpeter Paul Lenz – was impressive for its variety, musical interest and brilliance of execution.

Conductor Theodore Kuchar continues the diversity of programming that has been so important in building interest for what is called Reno’s “players’” orchestra. A program that is sixteen movements long (seven for the Ravel, four each for the Haydn and Shostakovich, and one for the Faure) can be deadly. Under Kuchar’s continuing freshness of invention and just plain inspiration, this program was not.

A big plus in a program filled with pluses, is having pianist Meng-Chieh Liu on board as guest artist.

The Faure, a lovely rhapsody for piano and orchestra, is as impeccably played as it was impeccably written, with the added bonus of heart-on-the-sleeve warmth via Liu, Kuchar and the orchestra. The Shostakovich is a profound work that is a slam dunk (no negative pun intended) for a pianist and a whip-lash thrill for listeners. Liu could not have been better – a virtuoso musician expressively free, because he’s so technically secure. The Shostakovich is iconoclastic stuff, the kind of stuff on which dreams are made. Shostakovich is a trumpeter’s dream. A Piano Concerto for piano, trumpet and strings is a quirky deal, but astonishingly workable. The orchestra’s principal trumpet, Paul Lenz, plays magnificently and in perfect collusion with the unabashed work of his piano-playing cohort.

Ravel’s “Mother Goose” Suite is given the lush, subtle brush strokes of pastel impressionism for which the composer is so noted. There is not a moment when the orchestra does not shimmer and shine. The strings, headed by concertmaster Ruth Lenz, are clean and clear with a velvety sheen. The brasses and percussion are musical and nicely contained. The woodwinds, lead by flutist Nancy Marfisi, are crystalline.

Crystalline, too, is the Haydn. A wonderful symphonist by the time he wrote No. 85 he was, shall we say, by then a seasoned pro. A seasoned pro also is Kuchar who elicits spick-and-span polish at every turn from an orchestra more and more inclined to give its conductor what he wants. It is, if you will, a voluptuous performance (Haydn would be pleased) filled with charm, wit and subtle shading. A world-class presentation amidst and evening of world-class presentations adds up to a very fine batting average.

This Reno Chamber Orchestra concert can be heard at Nightingale Concert Hall, 900 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada, Friday, November 10 (2007) at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 11 (2007), at 2 p.m.

The Reno Chamber Orchestra presents the Nevada Chamber Music Festival December 27-31 (2007). The next Reno Chamber Orchestra concert Saturday, January 26 (2008) at 8 p.m. and Sunday, January 27 (2008) at 2 p.m. features guest conductor Carl Topilow, the RCO College Concerto Competition winner (TBA) and the music of Arensky, Danzi and Tchaikovsky. For information go online at renochamberorchestra.org or call 775-348-9413.