LINDSAY DEUTSCH
By HAROLD DUCKETT The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductor and music director Lucas Richman, concluded its 70th concert season in grand style Thursday night at the Tennessee Theatre. Wrapping the concert around music written for or featured in film, the program included both 19th and 20th century masterpieces. The concert began with Leonard Bernstein's stringent "Symphonic Suite from 'On the Waterfront,' " written in 1955, the year after he completed the score for the movie's soundtrack. Its bold dynamics include two sets of tympani and a gorgeous opening horn solo played by co-principal French horn Calvin Smith. That was followed by two works played by guest violinist Lindsay Deutsch. The first was John Corigliano's alternately gritty and sweetly romantic "Chaconne for Violin and Orchestra from 'The Red Violin,' " the 1997 film that told the story of the 400-year history of a violin and its many owners. Deutsch gave a chilling performance of Corigliano's demanding contemporary playing techniques, which began with ethereal harmonics on the violin that she executed flawlessly. Off setting Corigliano's fragmented sometimes screaming, sometimes singing work, was Deutsch's romantic performance of Camille Saint-Saens' "Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso," written in 1863. The second half of the concert was Richman's lush performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Symphony No. 2," written in 1907 but very much in the tradition of 19th century romantic music. |