For anyone wanting to get a sense of what the Colorado Symphony’s future is going to be like under its new music director, Jeffrey Kahane, this weekend’s program offers a perfect guide.
Kahane made it clear at the time of his appointment that being a pianist – in fact, an internationally renowned one – was an integral part of his persona, and he wanted it to be an important part of his tenure in Denver.
And so it was Thursday evening in Boettcher Concert Hall. Following “Timepiece,” a compact 2000 piece by Cindy McTee, he joined guest soloist Jon Kimura Parker for a spirited, crowd-pleasing performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Concerto in E flat major for Two Pianos, K. 365 (316a).
Audiences don’t often get to a hear a work like this because of the artist fees involved in hiring two guest soloists. But, now, with the orchestra having a ready virtuoso on staff, it no longer faces that problem.
Kahane’s dual talent adds another dimension to his conducting and gives his appearances added appeal. At the same time, it allows him to interact in a different and perhaps more direct way with the orchestra than if he were on the podium all the time.
Parker, a first-rate pianist in his own right, and Kahane seemed well-matched and at ease with each other, offering suitably buoyant, up-tempo and nicely balanced interpretations that blended well with the orchestra.
To top off their collaboration, the two dashed through a delightfully jazzy, lightning-fast version of George Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” as an encore.
Although all that already gave the audience plenty to enjoy, the evening’s star attraction was yet to come: Carl Orff’s massive 20th-century choral masterpiece “Carmina Burana,” featuring the terrific Colorado Symphony Chorus and Colorado Children’s Chorale.
It has become hugely popular, but, oddly enough, most people only know its five-minute opening, “Fortune, Empress of the World,” which possesses a primal drive and visceral percussiveness.
The work served as something of a test for Kahane. Could he handle a big chorus? And could he successfully negotiate a work of such size, scale and complexity? The answer to both questions was a resounding yes.
This was a fresh, wonderfully appealing interpretation with suitable punch and power and due attention to both its overall sweep and tiniest details.
The program will be repeated at 7:30 tonight and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
