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From Russia With Flair

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By BUDDY JAUDON ljaudon@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 25, 2009

TAMPA - Russian giants were at work in local concert halls this weekend.

On Friday night Stefan Sanderling and The Florida Orchestra performed a concert of works, both familiar and less so, by Russian composers at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

The less familiar came first, with a suite of music from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya." This work should be better known as it is both tuneful and dramatic, with a proper Russian apotheosis worthy of Tchaikovsky at the end.

The playing was sharp throughout, with the strings providing a fine hushed atmosphere at the opening, and the winds providing exceptional moments in each section.

Next up was the "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" by Rachmaninoff. This work's familiarity never dulls its impact, and the performance by pianist Peter Rösel, while a bit less flamboyant than some, still brought loud cheers from the audience.

Sanderling's forces played the quiet foil to Rösel, and took up the full-throated mantle on their own with equal success.

Rösel handled the more rigorous of the 24 variations deftly, and infused the amazing 18th variation with all the longing it requires. He also provided an encore, something not at all par for the course any more.

The second half of the program was given over to the "Pictures at an Exhibition" of Modeste Mussorgsky. This is usually performed in an orchestration by Maurice Ravel, but in this case those duties were provided by Russian pianist and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy.

The orchestral colors are certainly darker in many places than those of Ravel, and the basses did a fine job, providing much of the additional flavor. The percussion also got an exceptional workout in the final "Gate of Kiev" portion, with gongs crashing and chimes clanging. The brass playing also was excellent, which is a must for this version as much as Ravel's.

The performance repeats at 7:30 tonight at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. Tickets are $19, $29, $40, $50 and $65.

News research supervisor Buddy Jaudon can be reached at (813) 259-7965.

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