Sometimes the best things are unplanned.
So it was
Friday night at Music Hall. Making his debut with the Cincinnati Symphony on a
week's notice was violinist Henning Kraggerud
To say that Kraggerud made
music in Beethoven's Violin Concerto would be an understatement. The
32-year-old, mop-haired Norwegian, who stepped in for ailing Akiko Suwanai,
performed with rare stylistic command. It is a safe
prediction that he will soon be knocking on the door of stardom, not only for
his daunting virtuosity and strapping good looks, but for his distinctive
artistry.
Kraggerud did not attempt to make the Beethoven a showpiece, or
inject anachronistic, late romantic touches, but gave it a profoundly musical
interpretation, true to its time and date of composition (1806). CSO music
director Paavo Järvi led an accompaniment to fit, which often meant holding the
musicians to a very soft dynamic and eliciting chamber music-like
textures.
Kraggerud spun a pure, sweet tone from his "Kreisler" Bergonzi
violin, never heavy with vibrato, and he shaped phrases with keen focus and
economy of bowing. The result was enchanting, never more so than in the
Larghetto, where he spoke in a whisper against muted strings (the orchestra's
fortissimo outburst at the end was downright rude by comparison). The cadenzas,
Kraggerud's own, blended Bachian polyphony with passages in octaves and
occasional virtuosic touches.
The only mishap, but a well-timed one, was
a broken string at the end of the first movement, when Kraggerud exited briefly
to switch violins. Called back for repeated bows, he played an encore, his own
arrangement of the second movement of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5, where he
undertook both solo and accompanimental roles.
The concert, Järvi and the
CSO's last before fall, also included Bartok's 1923 Dance Suite and
Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 ("Scottish"). The Bartok had many fine moments,
though it needs more performance to be totally assured. Still it was a real trip
with its exotic woodwind colors, kicky trombone slides and raucous, folk-like
melodies.
The Mendelssohn showcased the CSO beautifully. Flutist Molly
Barth and French hornist Elizabeth Freimuth, both visitors, made their presence
heard (though the horns were occasionally overbearing, especially in the final
chorale). The lower strings were robust and full, and the unfailingly
characterful CSO winds were all spit and polish.
The program repeats at 8
tonight at Music Hall.
(first published in The Cincinnati Post May 6,
2006)
From Music in Cincinnati
What a Fiddler!
Posted in:
2006
By Mary Ellyn Hutton
May 6, 2006 - 12:00:00 AM
May 6, 2006 - 12:00:00 AM
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