FSO delivers exciting performance with cellist Sergey Antonov
Sergey Antonov performed Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra conducted by Christopher Zimmerman Saturday night. Photo: Daniel Mears
The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra gave a performance of orchestral classics Saturday evening at the George Mason University Center for the Arts. The program included Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances, Elgar’s Cello Concerto, featuring guest cellist Sergey Antonov, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The performance, while not perfect, was exciting and moving.
The FSO came out of the gate sprinting in the first movement of Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances. The orchestra moved with conductor Christopher Zimmerman at a clipped pace, playing well, but with a slight feeling of unsteadiness. This was made manifest in an accelerando section where the strings pulled apart from one another, some accelerating more than others. But the orchestra quickly recovered, finishing the movement with a flourish.
The second movement, a much calmer waltz, allowed the group to settle. They really came into their sound then, particularly the first violins, playing with yearning. With the example set by the violins, the theme was then passed from section to section, each following the violins’ lead and accomplishing some lovely playing.
In the third movement, the orchestra redeemed themselves of the faults heard in the first movement. The Allegro vivace movement felt assured, the quick lines polished. The accelerando at the end of this movement in no way mimicked the one from the first and was strictly together.
For Elgar’s Cello Concerto, the FSO brought in Sergey Antonov as the soloist. The concerto was devastatingly mournful, and Antonov brought out those feelings to great effect right from the start. The energy with which he pressed his bow to the strings brought a growl out of his instrument. Even in lighter moments, Antonov conveyed the evocative emotions of the piece.
Antonov deepened his emotional expression with his breathing. Antonov took huge, audible inhales before his entrances, and would let out rasping exhales at the end of difficult passages, as if he were removing a weight off his back. The intensity of his breathing, while potentially off-putting to some listeners, added heft to his already rich performance.
The orchestra excelled in its support for Antonov, really soaring when given their moment, but quickly retreating when he reentered. There were moments when the orchestra could have eclipsed Antonov, but Zimmerman effectively hushed the ensemble, allowing the soloist to ring through.
The program was rounded out by Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The work allowed the ensemble to show off its range, switching from mood to mood, which it did well, pivoting from quick to languid, bubbly to stately.
The brass section was the star of the Mussorgsky, starting the piece with an impressive wall of sound. The best moments of the piece were when the brass returned in force, each time impressing with their rich tone and swelling sound.
The woodwinds also deserve special mention, specifically for their performance in the “Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks.” Their touch was light and quick, and their ensemble playing was tight.
What otherwise would have been a very well polished performance was occasionally interrupted by the unfortunate mistake – a bow bouncing off a string in a moment of silence, a flute overblowing into the next register at a climactic moment, a horn scooping to the high note in its solo section. The mistakes were never egregious, but they were enough to bring down the overall quality of the performance Despite these occasional falters, the orchestra played with conviction.
What was possibly the most impressive feat of the evening was the number of young people in the audience. The children and teens present far surpassed the typical percentage one would find at an orchestral event. While many orchestras stress community outreach as one of their main priorities, the FSO seems to be outshining most in that arena. Not only were young people there, but the FSO put on a program that held their attention and imagination for almost two hours, and for this they should be commended.
Violinists Chee-Yun and Kit Zimmerman join the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra in music by Elgar, Leshnoff, and Shostakovich 8 p.m. May 31. fairfaxsymphony.org
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