Usher in the holidays with Bach, Tchaikovsky and the Solano Symphony
Annual Holiday Celebration concert begins at 3 p.m. Dec. 4 in the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre
Who would guess that the Solano Symphony would include a Bach violin concerto among selections for the annual Holiday Celebration concert?
But there it is on the program, along with the Prelude to Humperdinck's “Hansel and Gretel” opera, a medley of Christmas carols and songs, and selections from Tchaikovsky's “Nutcracker” ballet — the latter pieces more or less all the usual musical suspects for the popular event that begins at 3 p.m. Dec. 4 in the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre.
The concerto will cast a spotlight on the orchestra's own concertmaster, violinist Maxim Baluyev, a St. Petersburg, Russia, native who is an active soloist, concertmaster, chamber musician and teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. Max, as he's called for short, received his training in violin performance at San Francisco Conservatory of Music as well as the Rimsky-Korsakov College of Music in St. Petersburg. He was named the symphony's concertmaster, regarded as the most important violinist in an orchestra, in 2007.
A tall, lean man in his late 40s, Baluyev is not given to the flash of, say, celebrity violinist Joshua Bell. On the contrary, he stands and delivers music with a refreshingly straightforward, workman-like attitude, as he did when he performed Bruch's Violin Concerto in 2008 at VPAT.
The Reporter's review of that performance put it this way: “While other violinists may be given more to histrionics than solid technical performance, Baluyev approached his job with a steady hand on his bow, allowing the tempi enough space for intricacies to make an impact. His account of the Bruch was formidable, emotionally complex and sensitive, qualities that bode well for his stewardship as concertmaster and the orchestra's future.”
That future arrived long ago, and Baluyev likely will bring all those personal and professional qualities on the Bach, in A minor and the German composer's first violin concerto.
Clocking in at about 13 minutes, the 1730 concerto is in three movements: Quick, slow, quick, modeled on the Italian baroque concertos of Vivaldi, indirectly Bach's mentor. However, the German composer generally transcended the earlier styles.
The concerto's central movement is an aria without words — lyrical, warm, gentle and undeniably melancholic, in accord with the somber A minor key. On either side, the initial allegro marches in 2/4 time and a jig in 3/8 time concludes the piece, which is marked throughout by balances between the soloist and the orchestra.
Humperdinck's 1893 opera “Hansel and Gretel” was first performed in Weimar and conducted by Richard Strauss. It has been associated with Christmas since its earliest performances and today is still most often performed at Christmas time. The idea for the opera was proposed to Humperdinck by his sister, Adelheid Wette, who approached him about writing music for songs that she had written for her children for Christmas based on the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel.”
“Nutcracker” is the beloved 1892 two-act ballet by the Russian master of melody, often performed by countless ballet companies, primarily during the Christmas season. Among its wellknown sections are the “Sugar Plum Fairy,” “Spanish,” “Arabian,” “Mirliton” and the “Sugar Plum Fairy's Cavalier.”
From Bach to Tchaikovsky, with familiar carols, it's a holiday celebration, indeed.
IF YOU GO Solano Symphony Holiday Celebration 3 p.m. Dec. 4 Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre 1010 Ulatis Drive, Vacaville Tickets: $15 to $35 www.vpat.net 469-4013