For its first regular concert on the season, the Oregon Symphony delivered a remarkably strong concert (September 27) at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, blending two evergreens with a new piece by a local composer who is making his mark in the classical music world. The well-known gems that received polished and exciting performances from the orchestra were Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto with the young Russian sensation Alexander Malofeev and Richard Strauss’s monumental “Also sprach Zarathustra.” They were preceded by the joyous sounds of Giancarlo Castro D’Addona’s “Encuentro Obertura Festiva,” which opened the concert.
Malofeev, a 24-year-old piano phenom who is based in Berlin, did wonders with the Tchaikovsky. He displayed an impressive explosiveness at the keyboard, combining power and finesse. He also knew how to dial it back for the lyrical passages, which allowed the music to expand. He played the cadenzas immaculately and made them sound absolutely fresh and inviting. Overall, Malofeev perfectly balanced the intimate and the extroverted moods of the piece. That resulted in an immediate standing ovation from concertgoers.
Strauss’s massive tone poem, “Also sprach Zarathustra,” which is a musical interpretation of Friedrich Nietzsche’s eponymous philosophical treatise, received a full-throated performance from the orchestra under Music Director David Danzmayr. If sound of the organ during the initial measures could just be louder, then it would have been even more glorious.
The large orchestral forces, including eight double basses, two tubas, seven horns, three bassoons, and a contrabassoon, filled the stage from corner to corner. Among the many highlights was the mysterious, low sound of the double basses that gradually spread into the orchestra like flowing lava. The orchestra also captured the leisurely warmth of the waltz and the brass volleys that triggered the entire ensemble to erupt was marvelous. Outstanding contributions from the woodwinds, horns, Principal Timpanist Jonathan Greeney, and Concertmaster Sarah Kwak in the many exposed passages added to the vibrancy of the music – until the very end, when it all just quietly expires into the ether.
The opening number “Encuentro Obertura Festiva” lit up the hall with bright fanfares drawn from Venezulea, the birthplace of Portland composer D’Addona. In his introduction to the piece, which was written in 2022, Danzmayr mentioned a percussion cadenza in which audience members would be invited to clap. Believe me, the audience was pumped up for that chance, and it came after a series of brassy, upbeat themes. The percussion battery had a field day, creating lively rhythmic patterns on everything within an arm’s length, including cowbells. The raucous-y finale drew thunderous applause which erupted a second time when D’Addona returned to his seat in the balcony of the Schnitz. He responded with a brief bow and a big smile. It will be terrific to hear another one of his works.
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