February 1, 2010

I got a chance to see the incomparable Leon Fleisher live in concert at Strathmore Music Center (www.strathmore.org) yesterday afternoon playing Prokofiev's Concerto for Piano (Left Hand) and Orchestra No. 4 with the National Philharmonic (www.nationalphilharmonic.org) and what an amazing performance it was.  The 81 year-old Kennedy Center Honoree (2007) is still going strong.  From my eighth-row aisle seat, I had a great view of the stage, and watched Mr. Fleisher's wondrous dexterity unfold over the course of the 4-movement work.  It is quite a sight to see the unfettered left hand bounding across the keyboard, while the normally active right one takes a break - or goes into action periodically to change a page. Musically, one is struck with the vibrancy and youthfulness of the pianist's sound.  Starting with a dissonant Vivace opening, in which modernism is on full display, the remaining 3 movements sounded like multiple flashbacks, with themes and ideas from Prokofiev's (and other composers') earlier work given a reprise.  Mr. Fleisher and the Philharmonic, conducted by Piotr Gajewski (pronounced guy-YEFF-ski), were in sync throughout.  After 3 curtain calls, Mr. Fleisher graciously consented to play an encore - a rarity in the middle of a concert - a Bach cantata "Sheep May Safely Graze," a heavenly send-off he performed with two hands.

Maestro Gajewski and the NP began the concert with Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain.  The piece is characterized by abundant use of ostinato - screeching sound of stringed instruments - which Bernard Herrmann was fond of using in Hitchcock movies (see: Psycho).  They played Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique) after intermission.  Both pieces feature extensive string passages which the well-equipped orchestra, under the Maestro's spirited direction, played with fervor and emotion, particularly in the dirge-like finale, which ends on a fermata or full rest, concluding this most pleasant of Sundays.  If you haven't yet seen the NP in action, you're in for a treat.