By Lyn Bronson
The Monterey Symphony under the direction of Music Director Max Bragado-Darman ended its 2009-201o season this weekend with a concert featuring two works by Spanish composers and two masterpieces by Maurice Ravel. The guest artist on this occasion was distinguished pianist Gary Graffman appearing as soloist in the Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. It was noted in the program that fifteen members of the Youth Music Monterey Honors Orchestra were joining the Monterey Symphony to participate in this concert.
Mr. Graffman, who will be 82 in October, has had several careers − first as a brilliant emerging young soloist in the 1950s, then, after his misfortune in the 1960s with his right hand (ultimately diagnosed as focal dystonia), a new career as a pianist performing works written for left hand alone, and finally beginning in the 1980s as a master teacher and administrator on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music. Looking every inch the distinguished senior citizen he is, he performed the Ravel Concerto with a solid, somewhat laid back graciousness that resulted in a mellow rather than a sparklingly brilliant performance.
Opening the afternoon’s program was Joaquín Rodrigo’s Per la flor del lliri blau, based on a legend of a quest for a magic flower having the power to cure all ills. This was dissonant work of considerable power performed at decibel levels that could shatter glass – and painful enough for a woman in front of me to feel the need to stuff tissue into her ears. There was some fine orchestra playing, and especially notable were solos by violist Vladimir Khalikulov and harpist Karen Thielen.
Considerably more listener friendly was the other Spanish work on the program, Sinfonia sevillana by Joaquín Turina, which was light fare of a popular nature that turned out to be quite entertaining and featured some excellent solos by members of the orchestra, particularly concertmaster L . P. How.
The real hit of the afternoon, however, turned out to be that old chestnut, Ravel’s Bolero. How is it that a work which is so familiar to listeners everywhere can be so effective? It should be an example of tedious minimalism, where for 15 minutes we hear basically the same theme and the same rhythm repeated endlessly. Well, the answer was in the performance. In addition to some fabulous solos by orchestra members, we heard a meticulously controlled range of dynamics from the very softest to the very loudest − and the incredibly long crescendo was carefully and beautifully graduated by Maestro Max and the orchestra to a tremendously effective ending. This was the only work on the afternoon’s program that elicited bravos and a spontaneous standing ovation. It was quite a sensation!
At the beginning of the afternoon’s program Joe Truskot, President and CEO of the Monterey Symphony paid tribute to Monterey Symphony Chairman of the Board, Janet McDaniel, specifically for her splendid fund raising efforts, but also indirectly paying tribute to the many generous donors, individual and institutional, who continue to support the Monterey Symphony each year.
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