Thorny Rachmaninoff Anticipates Russian Festival
Canadian Pianist Executes Concerto With Clarity, Force

by Diane Peterson 

The Press Democrat, May 16, 2005

SANTA ROSA--In anticipation of next season's Russian Titans Festival, Jeffrey Kahane led the Santa Rosa Symphony on Saturday night in a program dominated by Rachmaninoff's thorny Piano Concerto No. 3, regarded as the most difficult keyboard concerto ever written. 

Executed with clarity and force by Canadian pianist Jon Kimura Parker, the concerto, which will be played in a repeat performance tonight, closes the symphony's 2004-2005 season on a high note. Saturday's audience rose to its feet in thunderous appreciation for Parker's poetic, sweaty efforts. 

The concerts this weekend mark the end of Kahane's 10-year tenure as the symphony's music director, but he will continue to conduct next season when he leads the Russian festival in March and the final two subscription concerts in April and May 2006. 

Kahane's legacy as a tireless proponent of new works and new talent was not fully reflected by Saturday's program, which after all, featured a mature artist performing a well-known warhorse. 

However, the program -- which opened with Rachmaninoff's symphonic poem "Isle of the Dead," followed by Ravel's "Alborada del Gracioso" and "La Valse" -- did reflect Kahane's interest in collaboration. 

While the Rachmaninoff concerto highlighted Parker's virtuosity, the first half of the program showcased the virtuosity of the orchestra itself, with Kahane himself taking a back seat. 

Ravel and Rachmaninoff -- the insomniac Basque and the brooding Russian -- make for an interesting pair, because both composers are celebrated equally for their piano works and orchestral fare. 

Of the three opening works, the gently rocking "Isle of the Dead" by Rachmaninoff was the most alluring. This siren song was inspired by a painting by Arnold Bocklin depicting a black sea, an island of granite and a boat leaving a tiny, white figure on the shore. 

The orchestra brought this highly textured work alive with crisp and sensitive solos from the principal players, including concertmaster Joseph Edelberg. The waves of sound built into a passionate climax, then ebbed away, like life itself. 

Likewise, Ravel's rhythmic ode to Iberia, "Alborado del Gracioso," featured fine solo work from the principal bassoon and trumpet players. And under Kahane's baton, the orchestra underscored the cartoonish satire of "La Valse," which came across as confident and convincing, if a bit predictable. 

After intermission, it was all about Rachmaninoff, as Parker made an impressive argument for the concerto universally feared for its length as much as for the sheer number of notes. 

I have to confess that I've always been partial to the perennially popular Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninoff, and from my seat in the balcony behind the pianist's back, I was worried that the thick texture of the "Rach 3," as it is known, would turn to mush in the hall. 

But the broad-shouldered Parker, dressed in a casual black shirt and vest with red tie, brought sparkle and clarity to the work, especially in the left-hand rhythms and the legato line of the melodies. 

There were no affected stage mannerisms distracting him from his task -- only drops of sweat dripping from his brow. And in the end, when he leapt from his piano stool like a cheerleader about to execute a split, who could blame him? 

For an encore, Parker teamed up with his piano pal, Kahane, for a four-handed piano addition, hamming it up with Brahms' beloved "Hungarian Dance No. 5." 

The Santa Rosa Symphony will repeat the Saturday program at 8 tonight at the Burbank Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. Tickets: $26-$47. Phone: 546-8742.