Pittsburgh Symphony concert with Pikachu hat, anvil is just plain fun
The Pittsburgh Symphony’s Thanksgiving Tradition concert couldn’t quite decide what it wanted to be.
There were serious elements, like Richard Strauss Suite from “Der Rosenkavalier,” Vivaldi’s Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in B-flat Major and Florence Price’s “Andante moderato.” Then lighter elements like a couple of polkas by other Strausses (brothers Johann Jr. and Josef) and a pair of encores that had the audience — a bit thin on Friday — clapping in rhythm.
Add in some banter from the orchestra’s music director, Manfred Honeck, kids with noisemakers, an anvil (for Josef Strauss “Feurfest”) and a Pikachu hoodie (for a Black Friday joke) and you’ve got a variety show-like muddle of elements. Mostly, it was good fun. Honeck, who grew up in Austria, announced that this was his 15th Thanksgiving in the U.S. He led with customary flair, infectious enthusiasm radiating from the podium. And the orchestra played with customary aplomb and suaveness. “Rosenkavalier” had some especially nice touches.
Violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley returned to the Steel City to perform his own “Fidl-Fantazye:” A Klezmer Concerto, a collection of original, klezmer-inspired tunes, with orchestrations by Samuel Adler. (Bendix-Balgley wrote the solo part and a piano score, Adler helped amp up the piano score into a full orchestral work with all the bells and whistles.)
His playing remains captivating and lively, a treat to witness. There are a few balance issues in the first
movement where the violin disappears, and overall the work sounds more like a frenetic collection of melodic ideas that don’t quite finish developing.
Principal cellist Anne Martindale Williams joined him for the Vivaldi. With all due respect to her experience and tenure, her playing was simply out of tune. Not to be a grinch.
Having Honeck conduct lighter programs endears him to listeners. It’s a grand idea. The orchestra’s largest cash cow of the year is the upcoming Highmark Holiday Pops series, so it’s possible that another holiday concert could cannibalize that audience. Then again, embracing the spirit of the concert and throwing in some regular fare like the “Peanuts Theme” or the like every year alongside the Strauss could help the Thanksgiving programs to develop their own niche.
This concert repeats Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets begin at $20 at pittsburghsymphony. org.
Jeremy Reynolds: jreynolds@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1634; Twitter @Reynolds_PG. His work at the Post-Gazette is supported in part by a grant from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Getty Foundation and Rubin Institute.