In October 2003, I was able to witness the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center For The Performing Arts. Christoph Eschenbach, in his first season as music director often says that music is the core of his life, and it was evident during this program. Conducting was the great Yakov Kreizberg whose music is expressed in bold strokes. This Russian born guest conductor started piano lessons at the age of five and has an international reputation. Verizon Hall bounced with rich acoustics and dramatic lighting. The almost sold-out performance drew a standing ovation. .
The guest performer was Munich-born violinist Julia Fischer. For this concert she took on the Khachaturian Violin Concerto, and she easily conquered its emotional peaks and valleys without reading any music. Never missing a note, she seemed to be guided by her heart. This informal recital was more exciting than I anticipated.
The program had a few works consisting of Dvorak, Khachaturian, and Ravel. The first performance was that of Dvorak which was the Carnival, concert overture, Op.92. This piece was meant to be in one movement and to begin an opera or a play. It is played in A major but dances around keys before going back to where it starts. It was alive and colorful, with support from cymbals, the tambourine, and a triangle. The only apparent downtime was in the middle of the piece and came from the English horn. This ten-minute performance was simple, yet bright and cheery.
The second work was that of Khachturian featuring the Violin Concerto. It spotlighted the delightful violin soloist, Julia Fischer, who is all but 20 years old. The conductor escorted her to the stage in dramatic fashion. She played beautifully, conquering many technical difficulties including rapid and rhythmic passages. The first movement, Allegro con fermezza, had a semi fast, brisk pace. Miss Fischer was very intense and lyrical in all the right places.
