No holding back blind soloist
Conductor-free orchestral music returned to the Troy Savings Bank Music on Friday night, thanks to the talents of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the aegis of the Troy Chromatics.
Since 1972, Orpheus has been negotiating its way through large-scale works by means of subtle nods, intensive rehearsals and a communal spirit. The playing on Friday evening was as impressive as ever, but much of the music felt curious, rather odd even, since it consisted mostly of contemporary arrangements of works by romantic masters.
You won’t find the Chamber Symphony No. 1, Op. 11b in any standard work list by Tchaikovsky. That title belongs to Christopher Theofanidis’ reworking of the String
Quartet No. 1, which was commissioned by Orpheus. Though he wrote three numbered quartets, it is the large-orchestra Tchaikovsky that’s ingrained in our ears. The force of his symphonies and the elan of his ballets did come through, but it was a still a quasi-tchaikovsky realized by 21 players instead of 60 or more.
Things felt most true to the writing in the popular Andante Cantabile, which began with just the string choir. Though the propulsive Menuetto held its own, something felt lacking in the outer movements. That may be less due to the rescoring, and more due to the absence of a conductor who could infuse the clean playing with some vision and spontaneity.
Where Tchaikovsky got swelled up, Chopin got scaled down. The Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 21 was presented in a reduced scale arrangement by Shuying Li. The scoring was less distracting here, though spiccato playing (bows bouncing on the strings) in the violins was unexpected and passages by the woodwinds regularly dominated the sound.
The key focus was on soloist Nobuyuki Tsujii. Though he was born blind and learns music mostly by ear, Tsujii nevertheless triumphed at age 20 with a gold medal at the 2009 Van Cliburn Competition. There was no holding him back in the Chopin, which requires his almost constant playing. He had brilliant liquid runs, glimmering cascades and heavy and arresting chords, all delivered with ease and aplomb.
Tsujii’s encore, Stephen Foster’s “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,” drew a sigh from the audience. His original arrangement soon puts aside the tune and revels in harmonic progressions that spread lavishly across the keyboard.
The night began with Arvo Part’s “Fratres,” in which a moderately paced melody is repeated in endless but reverent fashion. The shifting registers and varied pairing of instruments kept it interesting and engaging.