New Jersey Symphony Orchestra – Xian Zhang, conductor; Kirill Gerstein, piano. February 25, 2017.

Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, NJ.  Balcony (Seat E109, $38).

Program

Nabucco Overture (1840-42) by Verdi (1813-1901).

Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 (1900-01) by Rachmaninoff (1873-1943).

Variations on an Original Theme, “Enigma,” Op. 36 (1898-99) by Elgar (1857-1934).

Let me state at the beginning that I found this concert enjoyable, exceeding my expectations.  It also must be said that given the popularity of the first two pieces, my expectations were quite high.

Nabucco Overture was a great way to open the concert.  It is a popular piece, with several well-known tunes, and is rather straightforward to perform.  Overall the orchestra played well.  My only issue would be the famous Hebrew Chorus tune was a bit too rigid for my taste – and that is a matter of interpretation.

The Program Notes talks about how the Rachmaninoff concerto begins with a chord in F minor, followed by a low F note.  In each of the eight repetitions there is a slight variation, and the volume increases for each measure.  I was wondering whether the eight degrees of loudness would be noticeable, and Gerstein managed to start with (what I would call) an mp and got to a very loud fff by the time he was done.

The piano sounded quite loud throughout the performance, which was surprising as we usually sit in the same seats for this series.  That was about the only complaint about the performance, as both Gerstein and the NJSO put in a beautiful performance of this piece.

I took some time to read over the score, and had a few observations.  First, the piano part looked much simpler than it sounded.  There are many arpeggio lines played one note at a time, and they sure sounded complicated.  The challenge is more how free the tempo is, and the consequent difficulty to keep the soloist and the orchestra in sync.  That Zhang managed very well.  If I were a member of the orchestra, I would certainly appreciate how she often counted out the beats clearly.  The concerto often has the orchestra doing the melody with the piano providing the obbligato line, and the orchestra sounded great.

Conclusion of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto.  It is difficult to not notice the difference in stature between Gerstein and Zhang; both were standing.

After the intermission, Zhang spoke to the audience a bit about the Elgar piece, supplementing what is in the Program Notes.  She drew attention to Variation XI (G.R.S.) as a dog falling into the water and then got rescued, and Variation XIII (***) which she joked was labelled as such because no one wanted to be called No. 13.  She then described this describes Elgar’s first love who sailed off to New Zealand.  The timpani for this variation was played “snare drum” style with the stick.  In asking the timpanist (whom she referred to as David) to demonstrate the sound she also cleared up one puzzle.  I have always wondered why the roster lists the timpanist as vacant while the same person has been doing it for several years.  David Fein is actually the principal percussionist of the orchestra.

The Program Notes says IX (Nimrod) recalls Beethoven’s Pathetique sonata’s slow movement, which I could detect.  Zhang added that XIII has elements of Mendelssohn’s “Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage.”  I wish I knew what that theme sounded like.

I was sure I had heard this before, but found no record of it in this blog, so I am either mistaken, or it was before my blogging days.  For completeness, the variations are: I “C.A.E.” (L’istesso tempo); II “H.D.S.-P.” (Allegro); III “R.B.T.” (Allegretto); IV “W.M.B.” (Allegro di molto); V “R.P.A.” (Moderato); VI “Ysobel” (Andantino); VII “Troyte” (Presto); VIII “W.N.” (Allegretto); IX “Nimrod” (Moderato); X “Dorabella” – Intermezzo (Allegretto); XI “G.R.S.” (Allegro di molto); XII “B.G.N.” (Andante); XIII “***” – Romanza (Moderato); and XIV “E.D.U.” – Finale.  Actually, since most of the characters are unknown to most audiences, deciphering them may not be all that critical.  I was happy that I could tell them apart, at least for the most part.

Tonight’s program was part of the Red Bank series.  Attendance was okay, again with many empty seats in the balcony.  Again we ran into the Ferngs, which we also did recently at NJPAC.