news-record.com

GREENSBORO — The Eastern Music Festival is officially underway, as the faculty orchestra, the Eastern Festival Orchestra, gave its opening performance Saturday in Dana Auditorium at Guilford College.

In a concert that was distinguished by variety, brilliance and color, the EFO has never sounded better on opening night. The guest artist for the evening was American pianist Peter Serkin. On the podium, EMF music director Gerard Schwarz.

Serkin is a hard musician to pigeonhole. He is very individualistic, bringing his personal stamp of intellect, technique, and emotional depth to all his undertakings. He is especially known for his work with knotty modern music, but his concerto for the evening was a stalwart of the romantic era, Brahms’ First in D Minor. Although the concerto fell flat on its face at the premiere in 1859, it has become a favorite for those interested in the dramatic Brahms. Indeed, the opening theme has always reminded me of a suitable summons for banshees from hell.

Serkin seized all the drama he could get in the first movement, but he was in no rush to get it. The tempo marking is “Maestoso” (“Majestic”) and Maestro Schwarz and Serkin emphasized the grand sweep of the music. This somewhat slower tempo helped give the impression that the pianist had thought through every musical motion in order to make the most out of each powerful climax. Accuracy of notes was not the pianist’s primary focus; rather he seemed to be more interested in making the immense tension of the score palpable.

The slow second movement corroborated Serkin’s distinctive approach to the score. Here, his intimate playing conveyed the sense that the listener was peering into the very soul of the music.

The lively finale features a returning tune that joyously bounds forward, and, with a couple of contrasting melodies along the way, the orchestra and soloist dance together in a headlong rush to the exhilarating conclusion. The full house, understandably, erupted with its own energy, demanding the pianist’s return to the stage innumerable times amid shouts of “Bravo!”

The first half of the evening comprised two very different works, each known for its individual style.

Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Russian Easter Overture” is a sectional progression that reflects the ceremonies of the Russian church, complete with ancient chants. From the get-go, it was clear that the brilliance and clarity of the score were high priorities in Schwarz’s reading. The orchestra explored hues from dark brown to brilliant oranges and red-hot brass climaxes.

A very different score, albeit equally colorful, is found in Scriabin’s visionary “The Poem of Ecstasy.” This is a wild, single-movement symphony that continually juxtaposes languid exploration of sound with impassioned sections that never quite attain the expected climaxes. The result is a no-holds-barred expression that often sounds like Debussy on steroids. The orchestra gladly and energetically threw itself in this quasischizoid romp.

There’s a lot more great music on tap over the course of the month.

The international stars include Sarah Chang playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto on Saturday, Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg playing Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto on July 25 and Horacio Guttiérrez at the bench for Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto on July 18.

Chinese American composer Bright Sheng, a hot conductor/chamber musician, will conduct his own works, “Tibetan Swing,” on July 18 and “Flute Moon” on July 16, and also play chamber music on July 14.

Then, there’s the organ extravaganza Wednesday and four Brandenburg concerti July 15 and, of course, the student concerto competition winners July 30 and 31.

Tim Lindeman is a freelance contributor.