LSO Review of April 16, 2005 Concert Kelly Dean Hansen

Symphony orchestras typically program so-called "warhorses" along with works that might not be as familiar to their audiences. The "warhorse," usually a piece with a great many "hit tunes" and--in the case of concerted works for soloist and orchestra--overt displays of muscular virtuosity, is used as a hook for the audience. Then the conductor, assuring that there is something that the people probably want to hear, is free to program something more adventurous, hoping that it will make a strong impression.

The effectiveness of this programming formula has been proven, but the results are not always what was bargained for. What happens, for example, when the "warhorse" is given a reading so fresh, so revealing, that the more familiar piece ends up as the true discovery of the concert?

Longmont Symphony Orchestra music director Robert Olson did everything right with this formula in his assembly of the program for Saturday's [NB: April 16] final classical concert of the season at Skyline High school. He chose a modern symphonic masterpiece whose melodic inventiveness and continuously fresh orchestration were sure to make an impression. Paul Hindemith's three-movement symphony "Mathis der Maler," extracted from his opera of the same name, belies its composer's frequent reputation as a writer of abstruse, utilitarian, academic music. Although classical concerts typically end with a symphony, Olson placed the Hindemith work before the intermission to counter a possible exodus after the familiar concerto.

As they always do when Olson programs a challenging work, the orchestra responded with an admirable performance of the work. The lengthy and somewhat disjunct third movement held together coherently, and the climax of the radiant first movement shimmered with the perfect intensity. The symphony made the impression that Olson was hoping for.

But then came the warhorse. Few concertos have been ridden into battle with more frequent success than Tchaikovsky's First for piano and orchestra in B-flat minor. A vehicle used by countless legendary pianists as a means to catapult them into the spotlight, the piece also contains some of classical music's greatest tunes, none more familiar than the grand opening melody. All Olson needed was an adequate performance of the concerto to call his concert a success.

Pianist Richard Kogan, M. D., who has made his name as a prominent psychiatrist and musician, was so far beyond being merely "adequate," however, that Olson's decision to place the concerto last, rather than before intermission, had far greater consequences than merely assuring that people stayed to hear the Hindemith. It also assured that the audience left in the throes of a transcendent experience. Kogan's intelligent musicianship revealed layers of the concerto that are not immediately apparent in many a performance focusing on brilliant display. The huge cadenzas in the first movement served Tchaikovsky's themes as well as Kogan's virtuosity, which is all too rare from pianists.

It was apparent that the experience would be special from the outset, when Kogan rendered the huge block chords accompanying the timeless opening theme in such a manner that they did not take attention from the orchestra's presentation of that theme. The chords were powerful and accurate, but not attention-grabbing, and this seemed to push the LSO strings players to put their souls into the melody.

This continued into the second movement, where Kogan's entry was subtle enough to allow the memory of the lovely opening flute solo from Kay Lloyd to linger a little longer. Throughout the concerto, Kogan refrained from overt showmanship, letting the music and the composer's psyche speak for themselves. The fact that he was technically flawless was only a bonus.

PIANIST'S TCHAIKOVSKY WITH LSO A REVELATION By Kelly Dean Hansen Special to the Times-Call Symphony orchestras typically program so-called "warhorses" along with works that might not be as familiar to their audiences. The "warhorse," usually a piece with a great many "hit tunes" and--in the case of concerted works for soloist and orchestra--overt displays of muscular virtuosity, is used as a hook for the audience. Then the conductor, assuring that there is something that the people probably want to hear, is free to program something more adventurous, hoping that it will make a strong impression. The effectiveness of this programming formula has been proven, but the results are not always what was bargained for. What happens, for example, when the "warhorse" is given a reading so fresh, so revealing, that the more familiar piece ends up as the true discovery of the concert? Longmont Symphony Orchestra music director Robert Olson did everything right with this formula in his assembly of the program for Saturday's [NB: April 16] final classical concert of the season at Skyline High school. He chose a modern symphonic masterpiece whose melodic inventiveness and continuously fresh orchestration were sure to make an impression. Paul Hindemith's three-movement symphony "Mathis der Maler," extracted from his opera of the same name, belies its composer's frequent reputation as a writer of abstruse, utilitarian, academic music. Although classical concerts typically end with a symphony, Olson placed the Hindemith work before the intermission to counter a possible exodus after the familiar concerto. As they always do when Olson programs a challenging work, the orchestra responded with an admirable performance of the work. The lengthy and somewhat disjunct third movement held together coherently, and the climax of the radiant first movement shimmered with the perfect intensity. The symphony made the impression that Olson was hoping for. But then came the warhorse. Few concertos have been ridden into battle with more frequent success than Tchaikovsky's First for piano and orchestra in B-flat minor. A vehicle used by countless legendary pianists as a means to catapult them into the spotlight, the piece also contains some of classical music's greatest tunes, none more familiar than the grand opening melody. All Olson needed was an adequate performance of the concerto to call his concert a success. Pianist Richard Kogan, M. D., who has made his name as a prominent psychiatrist and musician, was so far beyond being merely "adequate," however, that Olson's decision to place the concerto last, rather than before intermission, had far greater consequences than merely assuring that people stayed to hear the Hindemith. It also assured that the audience left in the throes of a transcendent experience. Kogan's intelligent musicianship revealed layers of the concerto that are not immediately apparent in many a performance focusing on brilliant display. The huge cadenzas in the first movement served Tchaikovsky's themes as well as Kogan's virtuosity, which is all too rare from pianists. It was apparent that the experience would be special from the outset, when Kogan rendered the huge block chords accompanying the timeless opening theme in such a manner that they did not take attention from the orchestra's presentation of that theme. The chords were powerful and accurate, but not attention-grabbing, and this seemed to push the LSO strings players to put their souls into the melody. This continued into the second movement, where Kogan's entry was subtle enough to allow the memory of the lovely opening flute solo from Kay Lloyd to linger a little longer. Throughout the concerto, Kogan refrained from overt showmanship, letting the music and the composer's psyche speak for themselves. The fact that he was technically flawless was only a bonus. While taking nothing from the performance of Hindemith's symphony, Kogan's Tchaikovsky proved that the warhorse can serve a much higher purpose than an audience hook. And Olson is probably not going to complain about that. The LSO concludes its season with a pops concert on May 14. For tickets and information, call (303) 772-5796 or visit www.longmontsymphony.org.