April 7, 2007 7:30 pm
Great Hall, GBPAC, Cedar Falls
Orion Weiss, piano
Bizet – Carmen Suite no. 1
Ravel – Concerto in G
Schumann – Symphony no. 2
Symphony, guest artist shine at latest concert
By George F. Day
Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
April 11, 2007
The April concert of the current Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony season took place last weekened in the Great Hall at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. Music director Jason Weinberger led the program, with pianist Orion Weiss as guest artist.
The splendid program, consisting of three works, was dedicated to Mary Jean Armstrong Clark of Waterloo, a longtime, widely-respected player in the WCFSO.
Carmen Suite No. 1 by Georges Bizet was a perfect starter for the evening. The suite could not help but be a crowd pleaser, but this was no ordinary performance. The WCFSO sounded more crisp and brilliant than usual. Precision and clarity were quite remarkable, resulting in a stellar performance of a very attractive piece of music.
Next came the the Concerto in G by Maurice Ravel, with Weiss at the keyboard. The youthful Weiss gave a splendid account. He played the breathtaking runs of the first and last movements with ease and grace. And, best of all, he performed the solemn, beautiful solo in the second movement with great delicacy of feeling. These well-played, meditative passages were among of the high points of the evening.
The Second Symphony of Robert Schumann triumphantly ended the concert. It too has a haunting, lovely movement – the third, aptly designated ‘Adagio espressivo,’ is an intense, lyrical and exceedingly romantic section. It – and the entire piece as well – was given a superb reading by Weinberger and the entire ensemble, with especially fine work provided by the strings.
Note: All reviews are edited for length and spelling.