Valentine’s Day weekend provided local music lovers with an appropriately bright and romantic concert from the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, continuing its season at its temporary home at the First United Methodist Church. Jazzy dance numbers, a sweeping Russian symphony and a matched pair of soloists all contributed to a lushly burnished and enjoyable evening for the Feb. 13 “Love Notes” performance.
The music began with Leonard Bernstein’s “Three Dance Episodes” from the 1944 musical On the Town. In just over 10 minutes, each episode delivered a distinct flavor, moving from a jittery and jazzy opening to a darker, more sensual mood and ending with an ebullient Broadway-style blow out of a climax. The brief but impactful sequence acted as a fitting fanfare for a varied and accessible evening.
Next, the guest saxophone duo of Valentin Kovalev and Aiwen Zhang took the stage for a performance of English composer Paul Carr’s Double Concerto for Two Saxophones and Chamber Orchestra, described by ISO conductor and music director Taichi Fukumura as “one of the only double concertos for saxophone and orchestra in existence.” Putting a fine point on the evening’s Valentine’s Day theme, Kovalev and Zhang turned out to be not only a married couple but also expecting their second child. The easy rapport between the two horn virtuosi was both palpable and charming and the piece lived up to its composer’s description as “light romantic,” perfectly exemplifying the date-night vibe and resulted in a hearty standing ovation.
More whimsical and sonically unexpected was the duo’s short encore performance of a piece called “Slap Me” by composer Barry Cockcroft, which foregrounded Zhang’s percussive “slap” reed technique, a sound more frequently heard in progressive jazz settings than at a classical concert. The pair’s display of easygoing charisma and playful musicianship brought the first half of the concert to an enjoyable close.
The second half of the evening’s program consisted of a rousing rendition of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 (1888). Described by Maestro Fukumura as “one of the most passionate and heartfelt pieces in classical music,” it was the second-to-last symphony completed by the composer before his mysterious death in 1893 at age 53. As an artist in Russia in the late 19th century, Tchaikovsky found himself forced to balance his work between pressures from a prevalent Russian nationalism and his own European musical training. Regardless, the piece’s emotional resonance is undeniable, and the ISO’s alternately energetic and delicate performance brought a rapturous audience to its feet once again.
The next ISO concert is scheduled for March 3, featuring Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with renowned guest soloist Madison Leonard, soprano.
