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Friday, December 27, 2002

By Andrew Druckenbrod, Post-Gazette Classical Music Critic

We are all in this together. I have been asked occasionally why I don't split out a separate Top Ten of the year for Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concerts and one for the other groups in town. This probably indicates that some think the PSO stands far above the other ensembles in quality.

But I'll never do it. The best of the best should be just that. Perhaps surprisingly to some, but not to me, other groups in Pittsburgh can rival and even exceed the PSO on a single night. Matching the PSO's season-long quantity of offerings is impossible, but giving a superior single-night performance is definitely achievable. The PSO sets the standard high (on most nights), but it is reachable.

So here we go. Despite the economic problems felt by local groups (not just the PSO), the artistic offerings of this past year were again high. But, alas, only 10 (actually 11) can make this list of the top classical music performances of 2002.

1. PITTSBURGH OPERA, "LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR" BENEDUM CENTER, APRIL 20

With this production, the Pittsburgh Opera finally put together all the pieces of the puzzle it has been trying to assemble under new management. The set, dominated by hollow concrete mounds, brilliantly updated the opera as well as the visual look of the once-conservative company. It eschewed a Scottish landscape in favor of a more ambiguous, minimalist and dreamlike one -- ripe for self interpretation by the viewer. It also deftly used background colors to signify emotions. The singing, with Annick Massis as Lucia, James Westman as Enrico and Rolando Villazon as Edgardo, was emotionally invested and technically masterful, as was the acting. The orchestra, so improved these days, played well under John Mauceri. A superb all-around performance.

2. PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, JOSEPH SILVERSTEIN, VIOLINIST AND CONDUCTOR HEINZ HALL, JUNE 7

Pittsburgh got an old-school lesson the night that conductor and violinist Joseph Silverstein took the stage to lead the PSO for its Beethoven Festival last summer. The consummate orchestral musician (concertmaster of the Boston Symphony for 22 years), the musicians respected him and transmuted his knowledge into golden performances. On this night, Beethoven's Overture to "The Creatures of Prometheus" was bold and the composer's Piano Concerto No. 5, with Joseph Kalichstein, rich. But it was Silverstein's soloing in Beethoven's Violin Concerto that blew me away. Through his vast experience with the composer, he unveiled the essence of the work, re-introducing the war-horse sound to the ear. "Where most violinists rely on a wide dynamic range to be expressive, Silverstein altered tone and articulation to do the trick," I wrote in a review. The tremendous performance elevated the typically meager quality of a summertime concert to high art.

3. PITTSBURGH CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY, EMERSON STRING QUARTET WITH RICHARD STOLTZMAN, CLARINET CARNEGIE MUSIC HALL, OAKLAND, MARCH 18

PCMS had one heck of a year presenting groups. While it has a long history of booking top chamber musicians, 2002 was truly remarkable. Topping the list was a gem of a concert with famed clarinetist Richard Stoltzman joining the Emerson String Quartet for Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581. Stoltzman's warmth complemented the perfect ensemble of the Emerson. Earlier, the Emerson played Haydn's Quartet in F minor, Op. 20, No. 5, and Bartok's Quartet No. 3, both with intelligence, zest and ensemble. It was a dream team of performers and they didn't disappoint. Mention also must go to the Orion String Quartet, which brilliantly performed the complete cycle of Beethoven quartets over a weekend (April 5-7).

4. PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, MICHAEL HERSCH PREMIERE, MARISS JANSONS HEINZ HALL, APRIL 26

I simply loved this concert. Due to Mariss Jansons' support and nurturing of Hersch, we have been privy to his development as a major composer, and the premiere of his Symphony No. 2 showed great maturation. A performance of Christopher Rouse's "Rapture," premiered the year before by the PSO, showed Jansons understood the work better, and Mozart's "Requiem," with the Mendelssohn Choir and soloists, was performed well.

5. PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, CHRISTOPH VON DOHNANYI, CONDUCTOR; EMANUEL AX, PIANO HEINZ HALL, OCT. 18

It was a concert that our reviewer actually labeled as a highlight of the Heinz Hall season. Long-time leader of the Cleveland Orchestra Christoph von Dohnanyi created in the PSO some of that chamber-like ensemble for which his former orchestra is famous. With a program of Dvorak's Symphony No. 8, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20, Ax soloing, and Ades' "Asyla," "each and every player was completely involved," wrote Jane Vranish, Post-Gazette dance and music critic.

6. PITTSBURGH OPERA, "CENERENTOLA" BENEDUM CENTER, NOV. 16

Another smashing artistic success for the Pittsburgh Opera came with this spunky production of "La Cenerentola (Cinderella)." The production didn't use as a crutch the fact it was Pittsburgh resident and opera darling Vivica Genaux's debut here. She sang gloriously in the title role -- allowing Pittsburghers to hear here the agile voice that is making her name worldwide. But, in fact, every aspect of the show shined. The set mixed '50s camp and the traditional fairytale look to marvelous effect. Singers Kevin Glavin, Gino Quilico, Constance Hauman and Suzanna Guzman were as much comedians and their antics lifted every scene.

7. Y MUSIC SOCIETY, WILLIAM CABALLERO, SOLO HORN RECITAL JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER, MARCH 26

It's not every year you hear a solo horn recital, so it had better be good. William Caballero, the Pittsburgh Symphony's principal horn player, made sure of that. He brought prodigious technique and artistry to a repertory that is, by nature, less known to the concert public: Beethoven's Horn Sonata in F major, Messiaen's "Appel Interstellaire," Reza Vali's "Three Folk Songs" and Brahms' Trio in E-flat for horn, violin and piano (with pianist Orli Shaham, and violinist Adele Anthony). Caballero let out all the stops at this concert -- from virtuosity to color, from powerful to delicate.

8. MUSIC ON THE EDGE, RASCHER SAXOPHONE QUARTET BELLEFIELD HALL AUDITORIUM, FEB. 6

Validating its place at the top of its musical niche, the Rascher Saxophone Quartet performed works by Glass, Penderecki and Moe with remarkable precision. But the highlight of the evening came with the premiere of Mathew Rosenblum's work for saxophone quartet and chamber orchestra, "Mobius Loop." With richly layered themes and an intelligent use of color, it shimmered with vibrancy. Though conductor Roger Zahab masterfully meshed the disparate forces together, the musicians clearly felt a preternatural kinship with the work -- of the sort that comes from only well-constructed and deeply felt music. Given it remains so difficult to find good new music, this was a special evening.

9. PHILIP GLASS ENSEMBLE, "KOYAANISQATSI"BYHAM THEATER, OCT. 26

Not everyone likes his minimalist music, but this concert was a event to remember. With Philip Glass at one of the keyboards, his Ensemble provided the live music for a screening of Godfrey Reggio's eye-opening film "Koyaanisqatsi." The presence of the live music overshadowed the dated aspects of the score and the movie, though both still had much to offer. The audience, from all walks of artistic life, was treated to a musical experience of the type not likely to be seen again for some time.

10. (TIE) RENAISSANCE & BAROQUE SOCIETY, RED PRIEST SYNOD HALL, SEPT. 2

CHATHAM BAROQUE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, SEWICKLEY, MARCH 22

Two early music concerts tie here. The R&B concert was musical proof you can teach an old dog new tricks. I'd thought Vivaldi's nearly 300-year-old "The Four Seasons" had already seen every treatment possible. But this amazing concert by the period group Red Priest opened my ears to the piece all over again. With recorders, strings, harpsichord and acting out of the concerto's metaphors, Red Priest tapped into the essence of the work, even though they were actually performing an arrangement.

While most groups worried about the bottom line in 2002, Chatham Baroque exalted its -- well, its basso continuo, the instruments that provide the supporting musical line. The ensemble's season-long exploration of different types of continuo using guest performers peaked in an excellent concert featuring virtuoso lutenist Paul O'Dette. In both his solo sections and his flawless integration into the texture of the quartet, the audience was treated to thoughtful and animated interpretations.

Andrew Druckenbrod can be reached at adruckenbrod@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1750.