The fall kickoff of the Colorado Symphony’s season always stirs anticipation among local classical-music fans eager to return to the pleasures of the concert hall after a summer break.
But this year’s opener Friday evening in Boettcher Concert Hall was particularly special for two reasons, beginning with the appearance of charismatic violinist Joshua Bell. He received long applause and a partial standing ovation after playing just one movement, an unusually enthusiastic response.
Even more important, it was the official debut of Jeffrey Kahane as the orchestra’s new music director. Judging by the audience’s warm reaction to him all evening long, the affable conductor has already managed to win over many of the orchestra’s followers.
Attendees got some tantalizing glimpses of what potentially lies ahead in the Kahane era during his thrilling, evocative version of Maurice Ravel’s “La Valse” and jaunty take on Richard Strauss’ popular “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks,” Op. 28.
If there was a knock against the evening, it was the program’s undue length, running two hours and 15 minutes. In his understandable eagerness to make a strong first impression, Kahane got a little too ambitious and over-packed the program.
Bell’s popularity seems to just keep growing right along with the quality of his playing. He brought bravado and extraordinary technical mastery to a sizzling performance of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35.
The work is supposed to be a dazzler, and Bell made sure it was, playing some of the fast passages at daredevil, almost superhuman speeds with total control. Only a few times in the first movement did one wonder if he wasn’t sacrificing musicality for showmanship.
If the technical fireworks were the main event, Bell was careful to balance them with moving playing in the slow sections, especially the soulful beginning of the second movement, evoking the Russian, sometimes folklike flavor of this music.
The second half was devoted to the waltz, with Johann Strauss Jr.’s famous “Blue Danube Waltz” sandwiched by two modern takes on the form, Steven Stucky’s atmospheric 1986 piece, “Dreamwaltzes,” and Ravel’s grand masterpiece.
It will take time to fully grasp what the Kahane era portends, but it already seems safe to say that it’s going to be a good one.
The concert will be repeated at 2:30 p.m. today.
