Music Reviews

Jan 11, 2009 - Conductor Sarah Hatsuko Hicks and pianist Frederick Moyer's enchanted debuts with the Reno Philharmonic

By Jack Neal

Audition seasons for new conductors are fascinating, and – contrary to opinions from some quarters - may actually be good for an orchestra. There’s more to the discipline that defines a fine symphony orchestra than a revolving door of conductors, but stretching an orchestra’s artistry through podium diversity can move an already fit orchestra to a higher level of performance.

The fourth conductor in the Reno Philharmonic’s conductorial sweepstakes is Sarah Hatsuko Hicks, who made her debut with the orchestra Sunday (1/11/09) at Reno’s Pioneer Center. Hicks makes choosing a new conductor even more difficult. All three finalists who conducted here before her impressive debut would be outstanding choices. So much for making choosing easy.

Musically gifted and unassuming, Hicks’s glowing musicianship sculpts a program without displaying outward physical fuss but with lots of inner passion. Stravinsky’s “Fire-Bird” Suite, circa 1945, Stravinsky’s arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Bluebird Pas de Deux from “The Sleeping Beauty,” Robert Schumann’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor featuring pianist Frederick Moyer, and American composer John Corigliano’s Gazebo Dances are all splendidly managed.

Disjointed, fun, often mildly calliope sounding, the Corigliano is an appealing and virtuosic tour de force brought off with dash and flair by both conductor and orchestra. Hicks has an affinity with these dances (Hicks and Corigliano have written music inspired by the AIDS crisis) that bodes well for placing the Reno Philharmonic on the cutting edge of what’s in and with-it in American music.

As interpreted by Hicks, the music of Stravinsky - while no longer exactly contemporary - still sounds fresh and new. With tricky, beautifully played solo passages by Mary Miller (flute) and Chris Money (clarinet) the Tchaikovsky, as orchestrated by Stravinsky, is given a precise presentation with just the right dramatic push. With its bold harmonic language, distinctive melodic lines and rhythmic urgency “The Fire-Bird” remains nothing less than magical. It’s a magic re-created by an orchestra inspired by Hicks’s strikingly musical, controlled approach to Stravinsky’s strikingly inventive, accessible score.

With a tightly knit collaboration between conductor and the superb pianist Frederick Moyer, the poetic allusions of the Schumann concerto are never in doubt. Moyer’s playing can best be described as unbridled lyricism amid a virtuosity that exudes elegance from every pore. It is a rich presentation that epitomizes the Romantic piano concertos so loved by Hollywood or any warm-blooded listener with soul. For fun and a lovely soundtrack see MGM’s campy 1947 “Song of Love” with Katharine Hepburn and Paul Henreid as Clara and Robert Schumann faking virtuosity to a soundtrack recorded by the late, great pianist Artur Rubinstein.

Sunday’s near-capacity audience responded with well-deserved standing ovations for the Schumann and “The Fire-Bird.”

The concert will be repeated Tuesday (1/13/09) 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. For information about Reno Philharmonic concerts and events call 775-323-6393.