By Daniel Buckwalter
(#commonmanatthesymphony)
Symphony patrons got a chance to go “home” on Thursday, Feb. 13, as did guest conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane.
Under artistic director Francesco Lecce-Chong, the Eugene Symphony Orchestra has made great strides in introducing 21st century composers to audiences at the Hult Center’s Silva Concert Hall.
I salute that, but the Symphony in February, under the leadership of Kahane, put that on the shelf before a loving full house at Silva Concert Hall. They came to hear Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann and Gioachino Rossini.
The new is beautiful, yes, but the old is inspiring even today.
Kahane, sitting before a Steinway in front of the orchestra, led the Eugene Symphony through Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, composed in 1804 and 1805. It was the highlight of the night.
It was a spirited performance, mostly light with some dense sprints on the keyboard by Kahane. In the piece’s many lighter moments, I had the sense of children at play, be it in a park or a field.
What was wonderful, too, was the synchronicity the orchestra had with Kahane the pianist and Kahane the conductor, performed just as Beethoven did it for the premier of the piece. Everyone looked energized during the piece and throughout the night.
After a deserved standing ovation, Kahane came back for an encore, instantly recognizable as “America the Beautiful.” This rendition was soulful, perhaps mournful. Patrons near me commented on how pretty Kahane’s rendition was. Yes, it was lovely, but a part me wondered if it was more requiem-like. I’ll leave that for others to sort out.
After intermission came Schumann’s Symphony No. 4 in D minor (composed in 1841)and Rossini’s overture to the opera Semiramide (composed in 1823).
In listening to the orchestra — and more importantly, watching Kahane at work from the podium — I was struck by the “been-there-done-that” skill-set of the 64-year-old master.
Kahane made his conducting debut with the Oregon Bach Festival in 1988. Since then he has been music director for the Colorado Symphony and, for 20 highly successful years, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
He’s been with high-profile orchestras throughout the United States and the world. He is now a professor at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music.
The full house at Silva Concert Hall thanks Kahane. We hope to see him again.
Next up: The Eugene Symphony Orchestra, with guest pianist Daniel Hsu, performs Sergei Rachmaninoff and more at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 19 in the Hult Center’s Silva Concert Hall.
