CONCERT REVIEW
Pianist brings 19th-century music to life
By Ruth O. Bingham
Pianist Stanislav Ioudenitch, acclaimed winner of the Van Cliburn competition, is even better than his hype. His performance of Saint-Sa‘ns' Concerto No. 2 with the Honolulu Symphony was, in a word, marvelous.
Photo courtesy Honolulu Symphony
With his lightning-fast fingers, delicate trills and powerful fortissimos, Ioudenitch certainly has the requisite technique, but what made the performance Friday night so wonderful were his wide range of expressions, his sense of musical direction and line, and his sensitivity to the ebb and flow of 19th-century French music.
Pianist Stanislav Ioudenitch made listening pure pleasure during his performance Friday with the Honolulu Symphony.
Ioudenitch played with assurance and a clear sense of what he wanted to convey. His music was alive with both feeling and intellect, which made listening pure pleasure. His reading of the gingerbread second movement elicited chuckles of delight, and his performance, a heartfelt standing ovation.
Especially gratifying was the strong rapport and collaboration between Ioudenitch and guest conductor Maestro Scott Yoo. The two transformed the concerto into a duet, listening carefully, integrating their parts, and responding to each other.
Maestro Yoo did not set out to be a conductor. He was a virtuoso violinist until he broke a finger on his left hand while a senior in high school. The surgeon could make no promises, and there was, as Yoo put it, "no point going to a conservatory when you don't know whether you'll be able to bend your finger."
Yoo eventually recovered about 85 percent movement in his finger, but in the meantime, he went to Harvard and majored in physics.
The physics degree did nothing to deter Yoo from music. He and a friend started an orchestra, and Yoo returned to music as a conductor.
Concert today
Young and talented, Yoo takes an athletic approach, working to cue virtually every entrance, a trait that tends to subside with age. More importantly, he added numerous effective touches, from sudden dynamic changes to innovative balancing of parts.
One of the trickiest and most crucial jobs of a conductor is to set tempi. The character of a piece is affected more by tempo than by almost any other factor, and debates rage over minute differences.
Yoo's tempi in Schubert's Symphony No. 9 "The Great" varied, the tad-too-slow opening slipping into pedantry, the allegro-on-adrenaline losing its mystery, the second movement becoming more sprightly than stately. But by the third movement, Yoo's tempi settled in, and both final movements were excellent.
When Schubert composed this symphony, trombones were a new addition to the orchestra, and he took the opportunity to showcase them. Trombonists James Decker, Eric Mathis and Michael Szabo shone, delivering virile, well-modulated passages.
Oboist Scott Janusch and clarinetist James Moffitt often paired for notable solos, and the viola and cello sections contributed several outstanding melodies.
Friday night's concert opened with Dan Coleman's 2002 "Focoso," which means fiery, or ardently, a reference to the passionate string music of Baroque concerti.
When asked what inspired him, Coleman responded, "I am inspired most often by other music. Most of my colleagues have something they want to say (through their music). I just love music."
That love infuses "Focoso": it is music for the sake of music, with singing melodies, rich colors, exciting effects (such as the brass "echoes"), and even an oohiwow! final chord. It is that rare piece of new music that is first and foremost truly wonderful music.
Although the performance Friday night was probably not the work's best reading, it nonetheless conveyed the work's beauty and impact. Coleman's "Focoso" will undoubtedly be embraced for years to come. We will all look forward to a recording.
