Exciting new talents are constantly making splashes on the classical-music scene, and the question always is: Who will go on to become enduring stars and who will fade from the headlines?
In the case of 20-year-old violin sensation Nicola Benedetti, it was hard to make any solid predictions after hearing her Friday evening with the Colorado Symphony — her first appearance in the state.
The Scottish performer was named the BBC’s 2004 Young Musician of the Year, and she signed a six-album deal with Universal/Deutsche Grammophon almost immediately afterward. Her career is skyrocketing, and it’s not hard to understand why.
Taking on Max Bruch’s familiar Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, Benedetti went well beyond razzle-dazzle technique, bringing a sense of depth to her interpretation, especially in her introspective, soulful take on the slow second movement.
As was evident right from the first entrance, she can draw a big sound from her 1712 Stradivarius violin, with superb tone from the highest to lowest notes. In short, there was much to admire about her playing.
And yet, there was something lacking about this performance. Perhaps this work simply wasn’t the best fit for her. It’s hard to understand why the symphony didn’t ask her to perform one of the pieces that has helped build her reputation, such as Karol Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 1.
The evening concluded with “La Noche de los Mayas (The Night of the Mayas),” a little- known suite assembled in 1959 by Jose Yves Limantour from Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas’ score for a now-forgotten 1939 movie.
What to say about this work, which was placed on the program at the request of guest conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto of Mexico, who did his best to make a case for it? Was it worth hearing once? Yes. An entertaining diversion? Perhaps. Great music? Not at all.
As might be expected, it is showy and kinetic, with sometimes fascinating, folk-tinged harmonies and colors. But too often, it is just overwrought and clumsy.
The program opened with Haydn’s Symphony No. 60 in C major, “Il Distratto.”
The concert will be repeated at 2:30 p.m. today.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
