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Saturday, June 08, 2002

By Andrew Druckenbrod, Post-Gazette Classical Music Critic

Compared to the ton of bricks Mariss Jansons dropped on the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, even the weightiness of last night's Beethoven Festival at Heinz Hall felt light. With nothing more than a letter, the music director announced Thursday he would make the PSO's 2003-04 season his last.

Though it's definitely not the end of the world for this fine orchestra, the news about tomorrow could have been a serious downer on the business of today, namely the second of three concerts exploring the most popular of Beethoven's orchestral works. Led expertly by Joseph Silverstein, however, the PSO transformed raw emotions into radiant art.

The only negative part was that few people heard the concert, as Heinz Hall was far from capacity. Scheduling gets most of the blame here, with an abundance of events putting Pittsburgh in gridlock.

A colorful, yet economical, reading of the Overture to "The Creatures of Prometheus" set the tone for the concert. The short work is built to have fire in the belly, but the PSO definitely let some steam off with bold playing.

This gave way to the gem of the evening, Silverstein's soloing in the Violin Concerto, which he also conducted.

The bogus perception about classical music being old has always frustrated me because every time a musician plays a piece, it is given an up-to-the-minute interpretation. The piece may be 200 years old, but the reading, especially a great one, is relevant to today. These aren't slavish covers of pop songs, but living art. I have heard Beethoven's Violin Concerto more times than I can remember, and Silverstein has played it more times than he can remember, yet his version cut through the memories.

With a tone that was light, but not slight, he deliberately built up a case for the music, rather than just played it. Once you got over the fact that he wasn't going to electrify you with flashiness, you discerned sagacious playing that told more about what Beethoven meant than what we often hear. Where most violinists rely on a wide dynamic range to be expressive, Silverstein altered tone and articulation to do the trick. It was a masterly performance that almost needed a "don't try this at home" label for those who aren't quite ready for such subtle expertise in phrasing.

Conducting by only raising eyebrows and nodding, Silverstein got a great sound out of the group, which gave him a resounding applause with feet stomping on the ground. The musicians don't offer this kind of sincere appreciation of a guest conductor often. Come to think of it, not even Jansons gets it, and even subconsciously the reaction was probably linked to understandable frustration with him, as much as amazement at Silverstein's ability.

The concert concluded with Joseph Kalichstein's joining the group for Piano Concerto No. 5, "Emperor." A robust performance was slightly marred by Kalichstein's tendency to clip phrases, almost abandoning them as they gave way to the orchestra. His playing was also a bit noisy at points, but for the most part expounded upon the pure vitality at the heart of the work.

The festival -- showing itself to be well worth the time -- wraps up at 8 tonight with the Eroica Trio and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Call 412-392-4900 for tickets.