National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine plays Troy music hall
TROY — The applause had a unique character to it as the members of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine filed onstage for Thursday evening’s concert at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. It was their third appearance here in 7 years with music director Volodymyr Sirenko, and once again the turnout was considerable in size, numbering about 900. Yet that first loud and sustained applause wasn’t so much for the returning musicians alone. Rather, it felt like a communal tribute, both grieving and hopeful, to the soul of a nation.
That sentiment lingered unspoken throughout the night, which was otherwise about some fine music-making. The orchestra was at its best in the concert’s second half, dedicated to the Sibelius Third Symphony. Warm and focused playing gave a radiant glow to the unusual scoring, a combination of pastoral tunes and intergalactic messages. It’s as if the composer didn’t know which direction to go, so he went for a kind of stasis that in this performance had a sculptural quality, translucent yet still solid.
There was lots more happening earlier in the evening, though everything before intermission felt a little fatigued, an understandable situation to be sure. The opener was a repeat from three years ago, the Sinfonia Concertante by countryman Dmitry Bortniansky. It’s a light offering in three short movements that quickly lost its bounce.
Natalia Khoma was the excellent soloist in Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1. Her technique was agile and impressive, especially in the numerous quick leaps between registers. The slower central movement was entrancing.
Spirits were high during the last curtain calls of the night, which led to lively encores of two Ukrainian carols. The first was surprisingly familiar, “Carol of the Bells” in an arrangement that took some unexpected detours like a few strains of “We Three Kings.”
There was one more subtle gesture toward the war and an attitude of vigilance and perseverance. During his final rounds of bows to the cheering audience, Sirenko clasped hands with the concertmaster and the principal second violin and raised their arms toward the sky. It resembled a claim of victory, like that after an Olympic marathon.