October 5, 2013
by Michael J. Moran
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra opened its 70th
anniversary season with a program of three works that had “optimism and
excitement bursting from every seam,” as Music Director Kevin Rhodes described
his goal for opening night in a program note.
After a stirring performance of The Star-Spangled Banner to
mark the start of a new season and brief introductory remarks from new SSO
President John Chandler and new SSO Executive Director Audrey Szychulski, the
formal concert began with an exuberant romp through Shostakovich’s
uncharacteristically upbeat Festive Overture. Brass and percussion members
especially relished their featured roles, but everyone played with polish and
good cheer.
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| Gilles Vonsattel |
The orchestra and soloist Gilles Vonsattel next tore into
the jazzy start of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major with gusto. The high
energy level continued through the Gershwinesque first movement and the fleet
closing Presto. But the heart of
the concerto is the central Adagio, in which a dreamy waltz is introduced by
the solo piano and later picked up by the woodwinds and eventually the whole
orchestra. With a flowing and flexible tempo, soloist and ensemble fully realized
the hushed radiance of this sublime movement. The Swiss-born Vonsattel, winner of several international
piano competitions, Juilliard School graduate, and now an Assistant Professor
of Piano at the University of Massachusetts, earned an instant standing ovation
from the enthusiastic audience.
Intermission was followed by a dramatic account of a piece
that Rhodes first played with the SSO when he was a candidate for his current
position in November 2000, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F Minor. After a
blazing brass fanfare denoting “fate,” a broader than usual tempo heightened
the contrasts among the multiple themes of the long first movement. The
Andantino second movement was poignant and reflective, while the Pizzicato
scherzo was delicate and playful.
Maestro and orchestra pulled out all the stops for a thrilling finale,
and every section played brilliantly throughout the evening.
Along with the welcome return of the “Rhodes’ Reflections”
column to the program book, this notable opening concert promised an exciting
season ahead.
