October 6, 2007 7:30 pm
Great Hall, GBPAC, Cedar Falls
Matt Haimovitz, cello
Shostakovich – Festive Overture
Barber – Cello Concerto
Tchaikovsky – Symphony no. 2, 'Little Russian'
Photos – Know the Score LIVE! with Matt Haimovitz
WCFSO's first subscription concert delights audience
by Harvey Hess
Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
October 12, 2007
The opening 'Festive Overture, Op. 22,' by Shostakovich, boasts the kind of score which leads one to think, 'Where have I heard this before?' It carries one off in 'sure-fire' music, with a flair for fanfares [start and finish], daring orchestration and an imperial power one might call, these days, 'Czarist' --- but not during the composer's lifetime. Any score, however fiery, will not ignite without the rigorous precision given it, such as Music Director Jason Weinberger led the musicians to, in realizing it. The crescendo of cheering and spirited applause of an emerging youthful following also lifts one's heart.
Second on the program, Samuel Barber's 'Concert for Cello in C Minor, Op. 17,' gave metro-area audiences a perfect occasion to hear viva voce the superb achievements of cello soloist Matt Haimovitz. This artist's reach up and down his instrument astounds the eye as much as his range of timbres does the ear. Among living cellists, one can find in him a supreme lyricist of the cello's 'tenor' vocality.
Barber's score gave Haimovitz, the orchestra and Weinberger [whose uncannily canny way with programming brought it about] an incomparable opportunity to enjoy genuine modernism enriched with real tunes and sure tonality. The musicians' ability to pick up bits and pieces of a theme and then give it a voice typified the sound musicianship that characterized the entire concert.
The close of the third movement, following a magisterial Haimovitz cadenza, built up a momentum that catapaulted the cadence, and the audience, into a virtual explosion.
Tchaikovsky's 'Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 17, Little Russian,' new to most ears and fresh to all, seems to have delighted the house. And the third movement's effervescence is Dom Perignon all the way. If for no other reason than the orchestration --- from the platinum-pinked piccolo's shrill, to the amber strings --- one must admire Tchaikovsky. And the orchestra let us hear why, just as audience applause let the orchestra hear their appreciation.
Note: All reviews are edited for length and spelling.