Latvian-born violinist Gidon Kremer is not only an esteemed virtuoso but also a musical adventurer — a dogged champion of the new and unusual, no matter its source.
In addition, the world-class performer has gained considerable acclaim as the founder and artistic leader of the 13-year-old Kremerata Baltica, which is composed of top musicians from the three Baltic republics — Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
This leadership role unexpectedly took precedence Tuesday evening as Kremer joined the 24-piece string orchestra for a concert in Gates Concert Hall under the auspices of Friends of Chamber Music.
Although he was the star attraction, serving as soloist for five of the program’s seven works, he was repeatedly overshadowed by the first-rate young musicians that shared the stage with him. Kremer’s playing seemed restrained, even a bit tentative at times, especially in his listless take on Franz Schubert’s Minuet in D minor from Five Minuets and Six Trios, D. 89.
His longest solo turn of the evening came in a version of Robert Schumann’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 129, recast for violin and strings by French composer Rene Koering.
Although it was possible to savor elements of Kremer’s interpretation, such as his lovely, burnished tone, his performance overall was oddly turned in and understated, and ultimately underwhelming.
He didn’t really catch fire until late in the program with incisive, assertive playing in Arvo Pärt’s crystalline Passacaglia for Violin Solo and String Orchestra (2007), and fiery, soulful takes on two short works by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, long a favorite of his.
Kremerata Baltica plays with uncommon directness, muscularity and precision, qualities that were all abundantly in evidence during its laser-focused performance of Lithuanian composer Raminta erk nyte’s “De Profundis” (1997).
The group dexterously negotiated the work’s complex, interwoven mass of intricate polyrhythms, quivering slides, shrill cries and slashing passages, channeling the work’s surging, manic emotions and drawing maximum impact from this alien yet alluring music.
The evening’s high point, though, came right at the beginning, with the string orchestra’s spellbinding, sharp-edged take on Bela Bartok’s folk- tinged modern masterpiece, Divertimento for String Orchestra, Sz. 113 (1939).
It brought a kind of compressed intensity to the slow, second movement with its agitated trills, unsettling rumbles and etched dissonances, achieving a haunting effect that in its own understated, insidious way was every bit as unnerving as the slashing strings in the score to “Psycho.” A stupendous performance in every way.
Kremer and Kremerata Baltica ended its appearance with two audience-pleasing encores — a witty excerpt from the score for the movie, “La Dolce Vita” and Piazzolla’s “Michelangelo 70.”
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
