January 15, 2022

I knew Suren would be great, especially in Shostakovich, but what he unleashed from his instrument in last night’s concert with the Lansing Symphony left all of us a bit breathless. Suren Bagratuni’s ability to create a white-hot intensity in his sound made me think the instrument would spontaneously combust at any moment. It is rare to hear this kind of playing, playing that is not afraid to push the instrument to it’s limits. This is not to say he doesn’t also find the rich, warm and tender sides when needed, or the hollow, cold, and desolate character called for at the end of the slow movement of this masterpiece, the Concerto No. 1. It was a spectacular reading of this work from beginning to end. I just wish we could do it again.
 
We opened the program with a very evocative work of LSO’s Composer-in-Residence Patrick Harlin. The work is called “River of Doubt” and was inspired by Teddy Roosevelt’s ill-fated trek down the Amazon after losing a presidential re-election bid. The work incorporates soundscapes that Patrick himself recorded on his own trip down the Amazon, this one not ill-fated fortunately, but one full of wonderful stories and resulted in a very engaging piece of music. The audience loved it.
 
Speaking of the audience, thanks to those of you who braved a very chilly night and Omicron fears to share in this night of music making with us. We appreciated your enthusiastic support!
 
The concert closed with Dvorak’s Symphony No. 6. It was a welcome immersion in pure beauty and joy after what was a very intense 1st half. It felt like the works balanced each other nicely that way. More often than not, Dvorak’s music is deceptively challenging, sometimes not even deceptively so, just plain challenging. Kudos to the LSO players for bringing this difficult work to life with such grace and style.
 
Next for me is a trip back to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Although I left my position as Music Director there a few years ago, they keep asking me back and I am very grateful for that! It is always a pleasure to see my friends and colleagues and visit a city and state that I love. We have Emanuel Ax on the program, the Pennington Great Performers in Concert Gala, so that will be a wonderful experience for sure. Rumor has it, the concert will be in the newly-renovated concert hall. Time will tell on that one.
 
NEXT UP
 
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra
Emanuel Ax, piano
River Center Theater for the Performing Arts?
February 12, 2022
8:00 p.m.
 
TORKE             Javelin
BERNSTEIN      On the Town: Three Dance Episodes
GERSHWIN      An American In Paris
CHOPIN           Piano Concerto No. 2


#lansingsymphony #surenbagratuni #patrickharlin #teddyroosevelt #emanuelax