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Anthony Elliott, cello.
Professor, University of Michigan; Conductor, Michigan Youth Symphony Orchestra; winner, Emanuel Feuermann International Cello Competition and top-ranked American cellist in Concours Cassado, Italy; soloist with New York Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra
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I spent
my Saturday evening at the Bowie Center
for the Performing Arts with the Prince
George's Philharmonic . Arriving just minutes before the starting time, seats
were hard to find among the clearly excited audience. But we found seats row
four center and sat down to hear a concert of two grand compositions of the
'classical' music canon.
With
Charles Ellis, conductor, the concert began with the Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90 of
Johannes Brahms. While I initially thought the pairing of the Brahms with the
Prokofiev was a strange choice, I have to say that the contrast between the two
pieces worked better than any other substitute
for the 3rd Symphony that I could come up with.
I did momentarily think of a mid to late Haydn symphony or an early
Schubert, even Beethoven's Eighth, but as it turns out Mr. Ellis had the matter well in hand.
The Brahms's
3rd is a difficult piece to pull off. It shares the same performance challenge with
piano Sonata's of Mozart - deceptively simple until you try to play them. And it
is not the technical requirements of the performance, which are significant, that creates the biggest
problem, but rather the difficulty of making the 'simplicity' of the organic
whole stick together.
The first movement
seemed to take a little while to come together, but once the orchestra found
its musical soul, the conductor was able to showcase the quiet grandeur of the
symphony's structure. I thought the performances of the 2nd and 3rd movements
were exquisitely wrought. The early problems of various section's attack were
by then a faded memory and the listener could revel in the complex simplicities
of Brahms. I was impressed by the balance between the sections that Mr. Ellis
coaxed from the orchestra and the resulting timbres that he was able to exploit
in the performance especially in the final movement.
And then, after the quiet ending of the Brahms 3rd, it was intermission, and a
retrenchment to the back row which for me allows for a more cohesive aural experience.
I like to tell myself that the sounds of the orchestra of time to blend and age
a bit, even if this is more or less non-sensical idea.
The
Prokofiev is a major performance challenge for any orchestra and for the
soloist. And I suspect that the Sinfonia
Concertante for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 125 can be a challenge for the unsuspecting
first-time listener, too. However difficult
for the new comer, the required technical proficiency and skill on the part of
the soloist is staggering. Anthony
Elliott rocked the room. A winner of the Emanuel Feuermann International
Cello Competition in 1987, Strad Magazine wrote of him "His emotional
communication is often profound, and his glittering, silvery tone captivates
the ear". And how true that was last night. The Philharmonic was in full
accord and up to its role of not-over-powering the soloist, but rather being an equal performance
partner and artistic collaborator.
Without
a question I was bowled over by an extraordinary rendition of this late work of
the great Russian composer. The intellect, wit, humor and sarcasm were brought
forth, and the skill of the soloist and the orchestra at times were such as
to become hidden by the full brilliance of the music - which is as it should be.
As with
many things in Prince George's County, the Philharmonic deserves to be more
widely recognized. Hopefully, I can attend the last concert of the season in May. Thank you Philharmonic for a wonderful evening of great music.
Saturday, May 12, 2012 - 8:00pm
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, College Park, MD
Charles Ellis Conductor - Awadagin Pratt, Piano
Gershwin
Rhapsody in Blue
Gershwin “I
Got Rhythm” Variations for Piano and Orchestra Shostakovich Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93
Tickets for the Clarice Smith Center are included with a season
subscription. Single tickets will be available through the Clarice Smith Center
box office only. Click here to purchase tickets for this concert online.
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