Dual piano performance wins the race
By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, October 14, 2007
If you had made it a battle between tortoises, the one featuring two great pianists would have won.
Lively, exciting and moving, the dual piano performance of Saint-Saens "Carnival of the Animals" triumphed by a hair (sorry) over the Iowa premiere of "The Tortoise and the Hare" at the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra's Homecoming Concert Saturday night.
Sparked by the return of Iowa Piano Competition winners Michael Mizrahi and Assaff Weisman, the Saint-Saens piece didn't have illustrations or narration (which the other one did) but its animals jumped to life. From the lumbering elephant to the elegant swan, it was easy for anyone to grasp the composer's intention. Thanks to fine supporting work from Tom Miller on bass and Joe Shufro on cello, a scaled-back orchestra made Mizrahi and Weisman sound great.
Performing on twin grand pianos, they were highly animated (Mizrahi in particular) as they rolled through a zoo full of animals. While Weisman was probably more technically proficient (and conductor Jungho Kim's secret weapon), Mizrahi had the kind of emotion that must make him a favorite on the orchestra circuit.
Their second-act performance didn't need a follow, but another configuration of the orchestra offered one -- Stravinski's "Pulcinella: Suite." It was serviceable but a bit of overkill.
Two main courses didn't need a dessert.
Written by Dorian Rence, a longtime member of the New York Philharmonic, the adaptation of Aesop's "Tortoise and the Hare" was a charming effort, sparked by Raimundo Penaforte's original music.
Compared to "Carnival of the Animals'" impressionism, it was modern art.
Rence narrated the update while illustrations by Anna Kiraly were projected on a large screen behind the orchestra. The artwork, unfortunately, was out of focus, which made the performance a battle of senses: Listen to the music or strain to see the pictures.
Frequently, Rence's words had to paint the pictures the audience couldn't see. She had a sprightly manner that matched Penaforte's rather obtuse music. Slow to start (just like the tortoise), it didn't quite grab the way "Peter and the Wolf" does. Plenty of exposition (about the ugly tortoise and the rather conceited hare) could have been pared. Once the race was on, the piece popped to life, giving a piccolo player and a percussionist plenty to savor. Alan Arnold on trombone and Bob Gibson on trumpet got some of Penaforte's best work. They managed to shine later in the evening, too.
But it was hard to steal the spotlight from the two returning pianists. Had there been a place for them in "Pulcinella," we probably would have enjoyed it. Instead, it seemed like the 30-minute delay that kept us from raving about the two who got their first big boosts on the Orpheum Theatre stage.
Lively, exciting and moving, the dual piano performance of Saint-Saens "Carnival of the Animals" triumphed by a hair (sorry) over the Iowa premiere of "The Tortoise and the Hare" at the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra's Homecoming Concert Saturday night.
Sparked by the return of Iowa Piano Competition winners Michael Mizrahi and Assaff Weisman, the Saint-Saens piece didn't have illustrations or narration (which the other one did) but its animals jumped to life. From the lumbering elephant to the elegant swan, it was easy for anyone to grasp the composer's intention. Thanks to fine supporting work from Tom Miller on bass and Joe Shufro on cello, a scaled-back orchestra made Mizrahi and Weisman sound great.
Performing on twin grand pianos, they were highly animated (Mizrahi in particular) as they rolled through a zoo full of animals. While Weisman was probably more technically proficient (and conductor Jungho Kim's secret weapon), Mizrahi had the kind of emotion that must make him a favorite on the orchestra circuit.
Their second-act performance didn't need a follow, but another configuration of the orchestra offered one -- Stravinski's "Pulcinella: Suite." It was serviceable but a bit of overkill.
Two main courses didn't need a dessert.
Written by Dorian Rence, a longtime member of the New York Philharmonic, the adaptation of Aesop's "Tortoise and the Hare" was a charming effort, sparked by Raimundo Penaforte's original music.
Compared to "Carnival of the Animals'" impressionism, it was modern art.
Rence narrated the update while illustrations by Anna Kiraly were projected on a large screen behind the orchestra. The artwork, unfortunately, was out of focus, which made the performance a battle of senses: Listen to the music or strain to see the pictures.
Frequently, Rence's words had to paint the pictures the audience couldn't see. She had a sprightly manner that matched Penaforte's rather obtuse music. Slow to start (just like the tortoise), it didn't quite grab the way "Peter and the Wolf" does. Plenty of exposition (about the ugly tortoise and the rather conceited hare) could have been pared. Once the race was on, the piece popped to life, giving a piccolo player and a percussionist plenty to savor. Alan Arnold on trombone and Bob Gibson on trumpet got some of Penaforte's best work. They managed to shine later in the evening, too.
But it was hard to steal the spotlight from the two returning pianists. Had there been a place for them in "Pulcinella," we probably would have enjoyed it. Instead, it seemed like the 30-minute delay that kept us from raving about the two who got their first big boosts on the Orpheum Theatre stage.
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Enjoyed the Concert wrote on Oct 14, 2007 5:07 PM:
Upset symphony patron! wrote on Oct 14, 2007 10:05 AM: