Springfield Symphony Orchestra Glinka, Barber & Tchaikovsky Saturday, November 21, 2009 Kevin Rhodes, Music Director and Conductor Janet Sung, Violin Review by Donna Bailey-Thompson What an evening! From the pre-concert talk through Tchaikovsky's mighty Third, Symphony Hall -- well, it rocked. Eric Benjamin's upbeat, entertaining and informative talk -- and quips -- held the attention of a large crowd. Conductor of the Mt. Holyoke College Orchestra, he focused on melody, how closely it resembles language, indeed, how effortlessly lyrics mated to a melody carry a story forward. Can anyone there ever listen to Tchaikovsky again without being aware of his affinity for four-note themes, a simple grouping of notes that move from the violins to the woodwinds to the French horns and crop up like jacks-in-a-box -- surprise! We're over here now. As forecasted by Professor Benjamin, the program's opener, Ruslan & Ludmilla Overture by Mikhail Glinka, was rambunctious. Under Maestro Kevin Rhodes precise direction, happy energy surged throughout the rowser-dowser. Finding the theme was easy; the melody picked up the strings, and switched briefly into a minor key. The musicians' sensitivity to Rhodes' direction charged the piece with vigor. He alerted sections of the orchestra to their upcoming special contributions split seconds ahead of their "turn;" meanwhile, without looking at the score, his left hand turned the pages. When the percussion section went nuts, fun reigned. The audience loved it. During violin soloist Janet Sung's days in Springfield, she conducted a Master Class with the students of the String City Ensemble at the Community Music School of Springfield. For her star turn with the SSO, she glided onto the stage, cradling her 400 years old Maggini violin, wearing a platinum Empire column, adorned by a vine of appliqued leaves. Her serenity complemented Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, Op 14; her musicianship released the ethereal beauty of the Allegro and Andante -- both lyrical movements, the latter slightly more animated. Even during the third movement with its breakneck speed, Rhodes kept the orchestra supportive, not dominant, a well-honed showcase for the soloist's dexterity as she met every fiendish challenge the composer devised. Ms. Sung's marathon flight (110 measures without interruption) left a blend of melodious energy in her musical slipstream. The audience cheered, stood, and cheered some more. Finally, Tchaikovsky. In his Reflections column, Rhodes wrote: "I have probably conducted more performances with Tchaikovsky on the program than any other composer. Yet there remain four of his most major works that rarely get played." The five movements of Symphony No. 3, Op 29, in D Major (The Polish) provided ample opportunity to recognize four-note themes for which the orchestra provided equal opportunity hiding places and did so from the get-go. Repeatedly. Suddenly, with the advent of another one of Tchaikovsky's signature maneuvers, a whirring crescendo, it was apparent that Peter Ilyich had landed. Balance prevailed. During a militant episode, Rhodes was on top of the score, instilling confidence in the musicians, willing them to go deeper. And they did. During the second movement, four notes chose a bassoon for a relationship. During the third movement, flute and woodwinds invited the orchestra to soar. The ending was tied in a ribbon, all tidy. During the fourth movement, flying insects - pretty ones -- swarmed in and around a meadow, And what four-notes became part of the scenery? The opening of the Volga Boat Song, "Yo ho heave ho!" The militant attitude returned during the final movement. Percussion shimmered up, down. And again. A hymn, perhaps a paean to the Polish people? A long full-bodied Peter Ilyich crescendo and the SSO was honored with an emotional outburst of appreciation. Yes, what an evening!

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