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Solo Violinist Glows in Glazunov Concerto

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By KURT LOFT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 1, 2007

TAMPA - Jennifer Frautschi earned every penny of her pay Friday night with The Florida Orchestra, turning a sumptuous, nonstop concerto into a post-Thanksgiving feast for the ears at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

As soloist in this weekend's all-Russian masterworks program, Frautschi resurrected Alexander Glazunov's romantic, cascading "Violin Concerto," its third appearance here since 1994 but a piece many other orchestras ignore. The work fit snugly between Modest Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" and Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Symphonic Dances," all given committed performances under the baton of music director Stefan Sanderling.

The night opened with a treat: the original version of Mussorgsky's descriptive poem about a witch's Sabbath. Rather than the popular orchestration by Rimsky Korsakov, listeners heard Mussorgsky's sketch - skeletal and raw, but visceral. Instrumentalists played their parts with an innocent quality, at the same time alluding to the sinister and macabre atmosphere of the more polished version. Although composed in 1867, Mussorgsky's original score wasn't published until 1968, followed by a first recording in 1981.

Looking sleek and agile in a full-length dress, Frautschi took center stage and dove into the Glazunov, playing its three movements without pause. Armed with a Stradivarius made in 1722 (when Bach was still a young man), Frautschi captured the sweetly lyrical qualities of the first movement and the insistent, elegant tunes that form the arch of the middle section and finale.

"It's a good option for a concerto, especially if it's a romantic-leaning program," Frautschi said in an interview. "It's straightforward and lush, and it's fun because there are all these rich melodies to play."

Her views in the cadenza were incisive and inquisitive, as if probing beyond the sugar-coated notes. Frautschi brought a true voice to her approach as well as a formidable technique, negotiating the thicket of two-part tremolos, double stops and pizzicatos for the left hand.

After intermission, the full orchestra filled the Ferguson Hall stage in Rachmaninoff's "Dances," turning out a performance ripe in mood and dynamic shade, and featuring exquisite solo fragments from principal players, such as oboist Katherine Young.

Performances continue tonight at 8 at Mahaffey Theater, 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg; and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater.

Reporter Kurt Loft can be reached at (813) 259-7570 or kloft@tampatrib.com.

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