| Colaianni was honored to have played a part in the piano performance and visit to Little Rock by Steinway Artist Horacio Gutierrez |
Music REVIEW : Spooky stories
told through music
BY LAURA LYNN BROWN
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
They say every picture tells a story. They don't
say that about music, but they could, especially
if talking about the Arkansas Symphony
Orchestra's concert Saturday.
Each work on the bill told a story, in a collection
of spooky or mischievous pieces appropriate
for a pre-Halloween concert.
told through music
BY LAURA LYNN BROWN
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
They say every picture tells a story. They don't
say that about music, but they could, especially
if talking about the Arkansas Symphony
Orchestra's concert Saturday.
Each work on the bill told a story, in a collection
of spooky or mischievous pieces appropriate
for a pre-Halloween concert.
| "He displayed the range of emotion and tone a piano (Steinway model D) is capable of, from lyrical sweetness to rough insistence to closing notes of light humor." |
And while passion isn't as physically visible in orchestra musicians as it is in players of other types of music, it was
abundant in every piece of the evening.
The orchestra may have been fueled by the emotion of losing Executive Director Bill Vickery, 57, who died of a heart
attack Friday. Music Director David Itkin told the audience that Vickery was largely responsible for the orchestra's
success in the past decade. In his memory, Itkin opened the evening with a portion of La Boheme by Vickery's
favorite composer, Giocomo Puccini, with vocals sung flawlessly by soprano Mary Ann Robinson.
The first scheduled piece, Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgksy, evoked a nighttime witches' sabbath. Its
assertive, thrilling brass themes should be familiar to anyone who's seen Disney's Fantasia.
Guest musician Horacio Gutierrez was one with the piano in the demanding Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
by Rachmaninoff, which is 24 variation on a Paganini theme with no breaks in between. He displayed the range of
emotion and tone a piano is capable of, from lyrical sweetness to rough insistence to closing notes of
light humor. While Little Rock audiences can be generous with standing ovations, Gutierrez deserved the one he
got.
Another Fantasia selection posed a question: Is it possible to hear Paul Dukas' lively The Sorcerer's Apprentice
without having mental images of Mickey Mouse and a broom gone bad?
The answer: Probably not -- not that there's anything wrong with that. (And a gold star to the wicked-good bassoon
section in the role of the broom.)
Itkin introduced the last piece, Richard Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, by conducting and explaining
various snippets before playing the entire piece. That move both entertained and added depth to the audience's
understanding, even for those audience members who faithfully read the program notes.
This story was published October 22, 2006
abundant in every piece of the evening.
The orchestra may have been fueled by the emotion of losing Executive Director Bill Vickery, 57, who died of a heart
attack Friday. Music Director David Itkin told the audience that Vickery was largely responsible for the orchestra's
success in the past decade. In his memory, Itkin opened the evening with a portion of La Boheme by Vickery's
favorite composer, Giocomo Puccini, with vocals sung flawlessly by soprano Mary Ann Robinson.
The first scheduled piece, Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgksy, evoked a nighttime witches' sabbath. Its
assertive, thrilling brass themes should be familiar to anyone who's seen Disney's Fantasia.
Guest musician Horacio Gutierrez was one with the piano in the demanding Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
by Rachmaninoff, which is 24 variation on a Paganini theme with no breaks in between. He displayed the range of
emotion and tone a piano is capable of, from lyrical sweetness to rough insistence to closing notes of
light humor. While Little Rock audiences can be generous with standing ovations, Gutierrez deserved the one he
got.
Another Fantasia selection posed a question: Is it possible to hear Paul Dukas' lively The Sorcerer's Apprentice
without having mental images of Mickey Mouse and a broom gone bad?
The answer: Probably not -- not that there's anything wrong with that. (And a gold star to the wicked-good bassoon
section in the role of the broom.)
Itkin introduced the last piece, Richard Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, by conducting and explaining
various snippets before playing the entire piece. That move both entertained and added depth to the audience's
understanding, even for those audience members who faithfully read the program notes.
This story was published October 22, 2006
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Horacio Gutiérrez is consistently
praised by critics and audiences alike for the poetic insight and technical
mastery he brings to a diverse repertoire.
praised by critics and audiences alike for the poetic insight and technical
mastery he brings to a diverse repertoire.
