It can be disappointing to learn that an artist you truly wanted to hear has had to cancel, which is the case with violinist Philippe Quint, who was scheduled to appear with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra this week. But it can be equally exciting to learn that the artist who will take the stage for the Moxley Carmichael Masterworks Series is none other than Blake Pouliot, one of the fastest rising stars in the violin universe.
Pouliot (pronounced Pool-YACHT), a young violinist who has quickly made a name for himself in appearances with orchestras such as Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Montréal, will perform arguably one of the most popular violin concertos in the standard repertoire – Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, Opus 64.
The concerto has been widely and regularly recorded—the list of its performing artists is a “who’s who” of the greatest violinists of the past 60 years. Joseph Joachim, a name synonymous with the term violin virtuoso, once wrote, “The Germans have four violin concertos. The greatest, most uncompromising is Beethoven’s. The one by Brahms vies with it in seriousness. The richest, the most seductive, was written by Max Bruch. But the most inward, the heart’s jewel, is Mendelssohn’s.”
This “heart’s jewel” gives the soloist an opportunity to explore the full gamut of musical emotions and technical challenges. The concerto was revolutionary for its time by breaking several compositional rules. For starters, Mendelssohn departed from the tradition of writing a lengthy orchestral introduction. Rather, the violinist strikingly enters in the second bar of music.
The cadenza, which back-in-the-day would have been improvised by the violinist, is written out in full, making no mistake as to Mendelssohn’s intentions on form, development, and pacing.
Mendelssohn’s ricochet arpeggios—watch the violin’s bow traverse the instrument’s four strings back-and-forth in milliseconds—is a moment that people who know the concerto await with bated breath. Again, revolutionary at the time.
And forget about that pesky clapping between movements. Mendelssohn also seemingly cringed when overly-enthusiastic audience members broke the mood mid-concerto. Attempting to counter this faux pas, all three movements of the concerto seamlessly flow without break.
As for Pouliot, he is definitely up to the task of stepping in on this monumental work. Much more than a replacement, he is a star in his own right. Winner of the Grand Prize at the 2016 Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Manulife Competition, Pouliot is a Soloist-in-Residence at the Orchestre Métropolitain. As part of its digital series last year, Pouliot performed Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 under famed conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. His career is blossoming in the United States and abroad, with the Mendelssohn firmly baked into his repertoire.
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra audiences will get to hear the concerto performed on one of the world’s finest instruments, a stunning 1729 Guarneri del Gesù on generous loan to Pouliot from an anonymous donor.
In sharp contrast to Mendelssohn’s iconic concerto, the KSO will also offer up William Levi Dawson‘s Negro Folk Symphony. This concert is a wonderful opportunity to revel in a traditional favorite, while adding a symphony that is most likely new to many. The juxtaposition of these contrasting works has come to represent KSO Music Director Aram Demirjian’s innovative programming style – which is a mix of old and new, familiar and bold. Also on the program will be an audience favorite, Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture.
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Masterworks — “Mendelssohn Violin Concerto”
• Johannes Brahms: Academic Festival Overture
• Felix Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto In E Minor
• William L. Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony
Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Downtown Knoxville
Thursday and Friday, February 23 and 24, 2023 — 7:30 PM
Tickets and Information
