PSO performs backward program
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Thou shalt play the symphony last” is an unwritten rule at most orchestra concerts, but the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra abandoned this tradition at Friday’s Heinz Hall performance, first delivering a spectacular performance of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 and rounding out the program with a Beethoven piano concerto and Janacek’s “Sinfonietta” following after intermission.
The concerto in question — Beethoven’s Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major — marks the second installment of a complete Beethoven concerto cycle, which kicked off last week with pianist Yefim Bronfman playing the Third Concerto. British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor delivered a pyrotechnic interpretation of that second concerto (actually the composer’s first, although it was published second after extensive revisions) in his PSO debut, maintaining an engaging, conversational rapport with the orchestra and making hay of the more humorous quirks of the piece.
Although his musical characters and rhythms were flawless, Mr. Grosvenor occasionally overemphasized the first note of a run, giving some of the more virtuosic passages a rigid feeling.
The Janacek “Sinfonietta” involves a massive orchestra, with extra winds and brass. The additional brass players stood in the back of the orchestra, amplifying the PSO’s sound with a sense of majesty. Although an overall enjoyable performance, some of the movements didn’t have a solid pulse, lending a slightly messy feel to some of the quicker melodies or motifs.
Clearly the standout of the night, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 provided a vehicle for PSO music director Manfred Honeck and the orchestra to display their best qualities. The performance crackled with energy throughout, particularly in the allegro second movement, which juxtaposes nimble, quick melodies over frenetic, staccato accompaniments throughout. The adagio, too, was noteworthy, as the PSO conjured an ominous rumbling while maintaining an effortless elegance. The concert would have felt stronger had it ended with the Prokofiev, but it’s good to have things shaken up every now and again, if nothing else to remind us of why the tradition exists in the first place.
DavidRadzynski, concertmaster of the Israel Philharmonic, performed as guest concertmaster.