Music Reviews

Aug 21, 1999 - Russian National Orchestra Children's Concert Charms

By Jack Neal

The Russian National Orchestra unbottled several genies Saturday morning (8/21/99) for a mostly kids audience that came close to filling the Eldorado Showroom in downtown Reno.

The orchestra's magic carpet ride for kids and genies was designed to amuse as much as teach. The trick is to convince youngsters the former is the only thing that's happening while great gobs of the latter are taking place. The Russians proved they're no slouches when it comes to charming children.

With RNO CEO Sergei Markov as narrator, RNO associate conductor Dmitri Liss on the podium, a shrewdly packaged young person's program on board and the excellent Russian National Orchestra playing in a first-rate fashion, Saturday's program floated merrily from "once upon a time," to "they lived happily ever after" without missing a beat, nor a chance to tickle a funny bone.

Markov's initial shtick was to open the program as though he were speaking to Russian children in their native tongue. When that didn't work (a "Doesn't he know?" air pervaded the house), he tried Spanish with a bit more success and lots of mock satisfaction. Then it was on to English and the triumph of understanding. "It's harder to understand music," Markov pointed out, "if you can't understand me."

The fun of music is that it paints sound pictures. "Skormorkh Dance," from Tchaikovsky's "The Snow Maiden," illustrated "jester" music. The bassoon theme from Liadov's "Baba-Yaga" was the kind of slow music an "old" witch might use. The dance of the "Sugar Plum Fairy" was a super illustration of the flute. And so it went, for a dazzling array of music, including Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumble Bee" and several sections each from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake," that were exciting, colorful, wonderfully in touch with childhood curiosity; all played with virtuosity and with-it musicality.

Unlike most casino showrooms, the steeply raked Eldorado Theatre has excellent sightlines and sharp acoustics. Although the stage is on the smallish side it seemed to house enough of the RNO's 90-plus musicians to keep the orchestra's bright sound in burnished good shape.

Markov's narration was sensitive to children's needs without being condescending. Liss's conducting was always true to the music and showy enough to enchant. The concert, which lasted just short of one hour, was a terrific outing for the younger set and just as thrilling for older types.

This program was videotaped for use in Nevada schools. The tape should be an excellent teaching tool, but there's nothing like the real thing. The real thing is something everyone who attended this delightful program got with the concert's every moment. There wasn't an unmagical one in the lot.