Admittedly, Valentine’s Day is one of our stranger holidays. Having been commercialized into a merchandizing platform for chocolate, roses, jewelry, and anything pink, the day also impacts the programming of events in February. Classical music falls into this category, a situation where organizations must either embrace the romantic gravity of Valentine’s Day, or explore other marketing opportunities. While either course is valid, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra chose the former path this year, offering “Valentine’s Romance: Star-Crossed Lovers” as their their mid-February Masterworks concert. Now which star-cross’d lovers might that be?
Maestro Aram Demirjian chose three works for the occasion, two of which involve Shakespeare’s classic tale of tragic romance, Romeo and Juliet. Practically mandatory, of course, was Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy. The orchestra also explored another angle of the well-known story with a Suite constructed from Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet and the composer’s own suites. Before the Prokofiev, however, Demirjian and the orchestra took an alternate journey of musically infused romance, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Given a very memorable take by guest pianist Zlata Chochieva, it had no problem exhibiting the expected lushness, color, and drama that practically defines Romanticism.
Beginning with the Tchaikovsky, Demirjian let the foreboding opening creep in quietly, only to eventually be overtaken by the violent clashes that symbolize the families at war with one another. Of course, the theme here is romance so we were rewarded with a lovely performance by the English horn (Jessica Smithorn) filled in with the luscious violas and later the flute and oboe restating it. With heartache no doubt in mind, Demirjian signaled the tragedy, doom, and death of the young lovers with the unrelentingly harsh chords in the final statement.
The internationally well-traveled Chochieva, now in the midst of establishing a solid reputation in the U.S., was something of a revelation in the Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Her mastery of the thornier moments of the composer’s technique-demanding moments, either delicate or dynamic ones, was surprising and impressive for their agility—perceptively neither too light or too heavy. She seemed innately tuned in to Demirjian and the orchestra, even in moments of softness, communicating a feeling of ensemble-ness that was intensely satisfying. Importantly for the Valentine occasion, the romantic lushness was full-bodied, musical ice and heat existing simultaneously.
After intermission, Demirjian returned to the star-cross’d lovers of the Bard via selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. As required in the maestro’s energetic stylebook, dynamics punctuated the drama while orchestral colors, notably of the KSO woodwinds, were the storytellers. The luscious strings and woodwinds each had turns in describing romance, love, and tragedy through moments of captivating dark wit and seething emotions. Interestingly, after the tumult of “The Death of Tybalt”, the energy and bite of the storytelling seemed to fall off, perhaps an indication that the compilation needed some additional editing. By the final bars of “The Death of Juliet,” though, the audience had come to terms with the tragic story and was ready to show their appreciation in no uncertain terms. And, that they did with an extended ovation.
