Bravo!
In the Colorado Symphony Orchestra’s brilliant program of varied works by Haydn, Janacek, Schoenfield and Brahms on Friday night, another name stood out: Alisa Weilerstein.
The Raphaelesque beauty is a cellist of the finest order, her ardent musicianship a rarity among soloists too often concentrated on technical dexterity at the expense of meaningful musical interpretation.
Make no mistake, Weilerstein is a virtuoso among the best of them. But what sets the 23-year-old apart is how obviously music moves her, and how she seems to hold and caress her instrument in a passionate embrace, drawing from it a deep, burning soulfulness beyond her years.
Alongside guest violinist Chee-Yun and CSO music director Jeffrey Kahane at the piano, Weilerstein’s resonant tone and bold, self-assured approach radiated warmth in Paul Schoen field’s delightfully rhythmic “Café Music.”
Never mind that the hollow, echoing effects of Boettcher Concert Hall are ill-suited to chamber music. Kahane’s programming – and solid, heartfelt delivery – of the flashy and flirtatious trio is a refreshing break from tradition for CSO concertgoers.
Weilerstein and Chee-Yun put bows to strings again in Johannes Brahms’ magnificent, inward-looking Double Concerto in A minor.
Although the two soloists create a compelling musical force, propelled by Kahane’s terrific sense of timing and tempi, it was Weilerstein who again stole the show with her natural, unabashed sensuality and instinctive elucidation of the composer’s emotional motifs.
Chee-Yun, too, deserves high praise for her poised and consistently concrete performance. But she lacked the larger-than-life romantic temperament demanded by the Schoenfield and Brahms scores.
The first half of the program was no less impressive, featuring superb playing by the CSO, which seems to be blossoming under the new maestro’s baton. In Franz Josef Haydn’s Symphony No. 99 in E-flat major, Ka hane coaxed forth every nuanced mood change of the arguably melodramatic work.
And in Leos Janacek’s suite from the opera “The Cunning Little Vixen,” Kahane’s delicate phrasings of the fanciful musical themes quietly cast a dreamlike spell over the audience. In addition to harpist Courtney Hershey Bress’ clarion tone, other standout performances abounded in the string and woodwind sections.
So run, don’t walk, to buy your ticket to an exceptional musical experience. The concert repeats at 2:30 p.m. today.
