Click here to subscribe today or Login.
By ROBERT MINER; Special to The Times Leader
Sunday, February 16, 1997 Page: 2A
SCRANTON — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony highlighted a program
of all-Russian music performed by the Bolshoi Symphony on Thursday night at
the Scranton Cultural Center.
The orchestra, under the direction of Peter Feranec, performed as part of
the Scranton Community Concerts series.
According to notes written by Tchaikovsky, the Fifth Symphony had a
program: “complete resignation before fate… A wonderful program, if I could
only carry it out.”
After conducting the work the second time, Tchaikovsky thought that the
symphony was a failure. But today, 109 years after it was composed, the Fifth
is one of the most popular symphonies in the entire repertory.
The Bolshoi quickly showed why the work is such a favorite with concert
audiences. The orchestra’s rich string section with its lush sounds got the
symphony off on the right foot with a driving and absolute tune in E minor,
supposedly derived from a Polish folk song. The movement was highlighted by
outstanding solo work by clarinetist Vladimir Ferapontov and bassoonist Andrei
Lokalenkov.
Anton Bakholdin’s French horn solo at the start of the second movement was
absolutely fantastic. Playing one of the most famous themes Tchaikovsky ever
conceived, Bakholdin proved he is a true virtuoso. His solo — on probably the
toughest instrument in the orchestra to play — was flawless. Bakholdin never
once showed even the slightest hint of intonation problems.
In the third movement Tchaikovsky used a waltz instead of a scherzo, which
the orchestra played elegantly. And while the delightful waltz dominated the
movement, there were scherzo-like passages similar to those made famous by
Mendelssohn and the pizzicato scherzo Tchaikovsky himself used in his famous
Fourth Symphony. These light, snappy passages — played by the string section
— intertwined with the waltz adding lots of snap.
There was plenty of excitement in the final movement, a movement that began
with a proud march and ended with a victory over fate in a blaze of triumph
from the brass.
The program began with Anatol Liadov’s “Kikimora,” a delightful miniature
piece that celebrates a witch of Russian folklore. The animated piece was
loaded with difficult passages for strings. Listeners were, no doubt, reminded
of Paul Dukas’ famous “Sorcerer’s Apprentice.”
Guest cellist Alexander Rudin proved a true virtuoso tackling the very
difficult solo passages in Sergei Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante for Cello
and Orchestra. This work is rarely performed because of its difficulties. But
Rudin handled the extremely swift passages like a master technician.
It was a real treat to hear these two rarely played works followed by the
often-performed Fifth Symphony of Tchaikovsky. As I was leaving the Cultural
Center after the Tchaikovsky, I overheard one man — who obviously thought
about not attending — say, “Well! I’m glad we came.”
So were a lot of other people.