Flavors of Czech Republic and Poland fill Saroyan Theatre.

By George Warren - October 24, 2010

Those who left Saroyan Theatre at intermission of the Fresno Philharmonic concert Saturday missed one of the most dramatic performances of the orchestra in recent memory in Smetana’s Ma Vlast (“My Fatherland”). The drama of the music itself combined with the tension between orchestra and conductor created a riveting show.

The concert, under the baton of Theodore Kuchar, began with Dvorak’s Overture, My Home, Op. 62, and the Eastern European mood was set. The orchestra presented this work with a sense of excitement—the rhythms popped and the colorful timbres proved delightful.

Pianist Orli Shaham took the stage and Kuchar launched Chopin’s Piano Concerto in F minor, Op. 21. Something went wrong right at the start. The violins begin with a delicate figure, an upbeat that becomes a thematic rhythm, but it seemed that the section was not entirely ready, and they limped in. This figure was not missed again, but it threw the listener off balance for some time.

After the orchestral introduction, the soloist has her turn with the themes. Shaham has a wonderful way with Chopin. The piano part is very heady, filled with intricate melodic decorations that soar over the foundational harmony. The melodic element often requires a very delicate touch in order to create the desired texture, yet the accompanying bass line or chords must be strong enough to drive the harmony forward. The blend of the delicate and the determined was the hallmark of Shaham’s performance. The delicate touch provided clarity while the determined touch led the ear from point A to point B.

The interaction between soloist and orchestra worked very well. In particular, several times pianist and bassoonist played off of each other, and Shaham actually watched the bassoonist in order to put the rhythmic interaction into the best possible light.

Finally, Chopin’s second concerto has an ebb and flow of tense emotion, as if the musical argument is less about what color the frosting should be and more about whether war will be required if the cake is overdone. One may think of Chopin as showy, or light, in terms of emotional impact, but this work shows another side of the composer and both pianist and orchestra made the most of this urgent character. String players leaned into their tremolos, woodwinds darkened the tone, and the overall character of the performance succeeded in portraying Chopin’s darker side.

During the intermission, Feast of Fools, the drama club from Bullard High School, performed several selections from “Into the Woods” in the lobby in support of their upcoming performance of that musical. The show plays at Bullard High School October 28-29, and November 4-6. Information is available here.

Finally, all showing off and delighting put aside, it was time for Kuchar to lead his orchestra through the treacherous twists and turns of the Smetana. Theodore Kuchar has been the conductor of the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra in Ostrava, Czech Republic, for a number of years, and he is intimately connected with the music of that region, including perhaps its most beloved music, Ma Vlast by Bedrich Smetana. One imagines that conducting Czech musicians with their own music would be a reasonably simple task—they grew up with the music and have played it hundreds of times, perhaps. Now, bring that conductor to Fresno and place him in front of musicians for whom Smetana is much lower on the list of favorite composers, and one might get an idea of the challenge.

This music was intended by the composer to evoke images of what is now the Czech Republic, including the city of Prague, the river that runs through it, and the castle that dominates its skyline. This program presented four selections of the six tone poems that comprise this work.

The first selection, titled in English “The High Castle” went off smoothly after a very rough start. At the opening, the harp plays the main chordal theme and then the horns join in with a counter rhythm. The harpist played very well, but the junction with the horns did not mesh at all. It took a couple of measures for the group to pull the texture together. Once all this was worked out, the rest of the movement captured the spirit, and those who have been to Prague might have envisioned the cobblestone streets, open-air vendors in the main square, and the castle looming in the distance.

The second selection, The Moldau, begins with very fast motion in the woodwinds with accents plucked by the strings, and once again, the orchestra got off to a rough start. The effect was created just fine, but the pulse was not in agreement between winds and strings. Nonetheless, once the beloved theme began, there was a collective gasp of recognition in the audience, as if people suddenly remembered just how much they love this music.

Here and in the other selections, there are tempo changes, and this is where the leadership of the conductor was most apparent. Kuchar leaned into his conducting with a fierce effort to ensure that the whole orchestra moved with him. At times, he vocalized the rhythm, and several times he even counted out loud. For some, this style might be distracting, but for others, the unusual sight and sound of a conductor who cares deeply about the outcome of the rhythm is refreshing and entertaining.

In the end, the Smetana packed a huge punch, and the final trombone blast sealed the fact that even an uneven performance of good music can stir the soul and elevate the spirit.