Orli Shaham shines with the VSO in Beethoven's Second Piano Concerto

Orli Shaham really knows Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto inside and out. She delivered a thoroughly marvelous performance of the concerto with the Vancouver Symphony at Skyview Concert Hall and Saturday afternoon (April 24) as part of the orchestra’s online-only season.

Shaham’s mastery of this concerto cannot be overstated. Her playing was graceful and effortless, aided by impeccable technical skill that added to the high artistry and made the music a tremendous joy to hear. I loved the cadenza at the end of the first movement where her fingers were flying to opposite ends of the keyboard with bass notes briefly rumbling underneath an opposing series of treble notes before it all comes to a rest and then regenerates enthusiastically to sweep in the orchestra.

In the second movement, Shaham’s playing evoked a sense of unhurried suspension of time. She delivered wonderful delicate passages that were elegant and sort of melted into your ears.

That slow movement perfectly set up the joyful exuberance of the final movement with its slightly off kilter style that seemed to spring forward. Shaham’s pianism and sense of fun teased us along right through the transition to the key that unifies with the orchestra.

The video closeups of Shaham’s fingers on the keyboard showed her terrific command. She would switch from loud to soft from one note to the next, demonstrating incredible agility that made the piece absolutely fresh. She also communicated especially well with conductor Ken Selden and the orchestra, often turning to the violins w’s henever there was a gap after finishing a passage

This was the largest ensemble that the Vancouver Symphony has placed on stage this season. The strings were augmented with a flute, two French horns, two oboes, and two bassoons. It was almost like a normal orchestra setting even though all of the musicians were spread out across the stage six feet apart from one another.

To signal his directions, Selden may have used larger gestures than normal. Towards the end of the third movement, it looked like he jumped with enthusiasm. That was inspiring to see, and with the encouragement of Shaham, the orchestra played better than ever, making the concerto a highlight of its online season.

After the concerto, Shaham and the orchestra collaborated for an encore, Mozart’s “Rondo Alla Turca” (Turkish March) with Shaham using her head and shoulders to conduct from the keyboard. Again, Shaham demonstrated excellent phrasing and dynamics, increasing and decreasing the tempo within a phrase, and the piece was just a whole lot of fun to hear.

The concert opened with Sibelius’ “Andante Festivo,” a solemn and brief piece that he wrote for the 1939 World’s Fair. The orchestra’s sound, guided expertly by Selden, showed an excellent blend from top to bottom giving the music a slightly sweet but not not too sentimental feeling.

Dvořák’s “Serenade for Strings” received a spirited performance from the orchestra but suffered at times from problems with intonation. I thought that the fourth movement, “Larghetto,” and fifth, “Finale: Allegro vivace,” benefited from the best ensemble playing. Accents were crisp, the dynamics more pronounced, plus Selden and company made sure that the piece ended with an uplifting surge.