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Sept 25
Symphony’s concert starts late but is worth the wait
BY LEE TEPLY CORRESPONDENT
Even though Saturday night’s Virginia Symphony Orchestra concert didn’t end until 10:40 – very late for the symphony – few, if any, in the large audience left the Ferguson Center for the Arts before it was over. The concert was just that good.
Most of the audience had arrived well before 8, but many of the musicians were caught by a wreck that plugged up the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel, delaying the concert’s start by 40 minutes. Even then, there were a few empty seats on stage because of missing players.
Tension built during the long period of uncertain expectation, and the program’s first piece benefited from it. After a quiet opening, winds and a large percussion contingent gradually added volume as the persistent dance rhythms of Miguel del Aguila’s “Conga” grew to a thunderous conclusion.
Born nearly 50 years ago in Uruguay and trained in San Francisco and Vienna, Aguila has composed quite a large body of work, and Latin American dances are frequently a part of his style.
The piece, composed in 1994, does not venture far beyond the harmonic language of Leonard Bernstein, whose “West Side Story” is quoted in it. For all of its energy, it was not the scary view of hell promised by Aguila’s program notes but rather an exciting and sometimes fun trip through familiar territory.
Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto was the right vehicle for the extremely gifted Andrew von Oeyen. Only 26 , he has a substantial repertoire that he performs with great success around the world.
The piece displayed his clear finger-work at great speed, as well as his ability to spin out long, slow melodies with beautiful tone.
Obviously sharing his approach to the work, conductor JoAnn Falletta brought out the score’s romantic excesses with generous rubato and grand, sweeping gestures.
The orchestra sounded particularly rich in the low registers that this piece emphasizes.
Although brilliant technique is a significant part of this piece, the slow movement’s journey through the depths of the Russian soul is its emotional foundation. It began as a dream that unfolded slowly on the way to a powerful climax, all so naturally paced in this excellent performance.
After intermission, a move from the back of the first balcony to the open space of the Ferguson’s main floor revealed a surprising acoustic contrast. While the orchestral sound had seemed covered or somewhat muffled in the balcony, it now sounded full and more present. The cellos and basses seemed much stronger from this position.
Antonin Dvorak’s Seventh Symphony was wonderful heard from the uncovered space on the floor. The players gave a very satisfying reading of a score they know well. Falletta took advantage of their security and got some delightful nuance at many points.
The slight hesitation in the third movement’s rhythmic pattern is just one example.
The melodic and rhythmic basis of the piece was always clear, and Dvorak’s development of the material seemed as fresh as ever. Instead of sounding tired, as well it might have after 10 p.m., it was invigorating and thoroughly uplifting.
Reach Lee Teply at lteply@odu.edu.
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The Virginia Symphony Orchestra with a complement of 79 professional musicians under the direction of Grammy-nominated Music Director JoAnn Falletta performs 140 concerts annually, reaching 200,000 concert goers every season in venues throughout the region. Our education and outreach programs reach 53,000 students and adult learners every year. The Virginia Symphony Orchestra is the cultural cornerstone of the performing arts in Hampton Roads.
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