May 7, 2008

The following comments are by Maestro Brusilow (about the 5/3 performance and Olin Chism’s review in The Dallas Morning News):

Anshel Brusilow (03:30 pm May 7): The concert by the RSO held last Saturday at the Eisemann Center should be considered a treat not a treatment. It is an orchestra with great potential, but unfortunately it only plays six or seven concerts during the year and discrepancies occur that you would not find in an orchestra that is playing together almost all year long.

This orchestra performed better than anyone should expect, and nit picking the performance does the musicians and conductor an injustice. The entire evening was enthralling and musically intoxicating. It would be very difficult to find a better performance anywhere. If you want a perfect performance, listen to a CD. It will always be the same and perfect.

Olga Kern is an incredibly sensitive, musically astute pianist. She has complete control of her musical interpretation and is able to extend that to the audience. And the accompaniment was remarkable. As she herself said "Brusilow and I were as one". To me, this was a memorable evening,

AB

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From George Landis, RSO Executive Director (05:00 pm):

RSO concerts such as the one performed last Saturday evening featuring Olga Kern are the reason the symphony exists: to provide thrilling performances of beautiful, exciting and thought-provoking works to the highest artistic standards and featuring guest artists of the highest caliber. This isn’t a cheap thing to do! RSO concerts are expensive and we need your support NOW to meet our individual contribution goal for this year.

You might notice that the violin game piece on our goal board hasn’t moved yet. Call us now. Let’s get the campaign underway. We have $50,000 to raise between now and June 30th. We’ve done it in years past…we can do it this year if you act now and call the RSO at 972-234-4195.

Thelma Ball 09:57 am: I think Olin Chism's assessment of Olga Kern's performance was right on target, but his criticisms of the orchestra were not warranted. Unfortunately, critics are just what their name implies, and often they feel they must find something to criticize in a reviewing a concert or they have failed their calling. I'm wondering which section of the strings he found "not in tune"?..was it all the violins or the violas or the cellos or the basses...or all of them who had failed to tune their instruments to a perfect A440? Wow! What an incredible ear he has! And "unmellow"? No way! The audience was priviledged to hear a first rate performance of the Tschaikowsky symphony and they showed their obvious appreciation.

Thelma Ball

May 6, 2008

• Audio Samples from Richardson Symphony May 3rd Season Finale Concert:
1. Rachmaninoff/Piano Concerto #3: Third Movement (excerpt)/Olga Kern, pianist CLICK HERE
2. Tchaikovsky/Symphony #6: First Movement (excerpt) CLICK HERE

Comments on Bob and Georgia Nelson post:

Al Adams 07:45 am: I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend three of the Richardson Symphony's concerts this season. I attended the opening concert of all Richard Strauss pieces, the Christmas concert and last Saturday's all-Russian concert with Olga Kern playing the piano. As a former Plano Symphony goer, I thought I should respond to Bob and Georgia Nelson's post of yesterday.

I fully intend to subscribe to the Richardson concerts next year. I had no idea that there was an orchestra that was anything close to the Richardson orchestra. The quality of the pieces they perform and the players in the orchestra are so far above what I have experienced at other "suburb" orchestras, I could not believe it.

I promise, no other orchestra in the Dallas area, other than the Dallas Symphony, would dare attempt the Strauss pieces played at the October concert. The Christmas concert was fantastic: arrangements of popular carols and Christmas songs that I'd never heard before and the Bernstein "Chichester Psalms" was an inspired choice for a Holiday concert. Such a beautiful and poetic work does more to reinforce the real spirit and meaning of Christmas than a ton of tired old songs. Bravo to conductor Brusilow for choosing this beautiful piece and for leading the orchestra and chorus in such a perfect performance. Last Saturday's performances of the Tchaikovsky sixth symphony and Olga Kern's performance of the Rachmaninov concerto were fantastic. I wonder if the audience knows how priveledged they were to hear these really hard pieces performed so beautifully?

I know it takes all kinds of folks to make the world go around and I hope Mr. and Mrs. Nelson enjoy Plano as much as I enjoy the jewel in richardson. Honestly, though, if you compare the two seasons next year, Plano is a light weight compared to Richardson's season of masterworks. I hope the RSO keeps doing the hard pieces and doing them well. I'll try to get everyone I know to come hear them.

Thank you.

May 5, 2008

Comments on Saturday, 05/03/08 performance:

Bob and Georgia Nelson 06:32 pm: When we renewed our subscription for this past season, we were full of expectation for a great season.
What a disappointment it was !!! The program content was rather boring or inappropriate --The conductor has such good background and his comments regarding the musical background of the program is interesting, but his off-color remarks are not. We always came to the programs with expectation--the orchestra played wonderfully--but many selections were dull--the Christmas program was a real disappointment--the North Texas Choir was wonderful, but the selection did little to leave the audience in the Holiday mood.

We will not be renewing our subscription. Looking over the programs, we only found one or two or interest--we will be investigating the Plano Symphony, which has a very interesting season planned. We are sorry that this decision has been made, as we have been long time supporters of RSO, but now being semi retired, our dollars are going to be spent on things we really enjoy--perhaps a year from now some of our concerns will be answered and we will again be RSO supporters,

Best regards,

Bob & Georgia Nelson

Cynthia Noah 06:06 pm: It was wonderful----among the best we have ever had. Great soloist added to the evening. "...decent if not inspired"?????? Cannot understand music critics.

B. Brown from Hurst 03:44 pm: Here's what I think: Olin Chism's reviews are vapid if not uninspired, and he has no business receiving monetary compensation for making shallow, uneducated observations on a subject in which he demonstrates pathetically little expertise. His assessment of the performance shows how little attention he was actually paying to the events of the evening, and further reinforces my theory that any chimp with a laptop can be a music critic.

Frank Leftwich 02:48 pm: First, Bravo, it is great to attract a critical review, and to have it published in the Dallas Morning News. As I was there Saturday night, I heared and observed two "performances" that Chislom did not comment on. First, the depth and fullness of sound from the strings in the closing movement of the Rachmaninov was exceptional and moving. Second, the interaction between Maestro Brusilow and Olga Kern was electric, like two great opera singers playing off of one another, especially in the closing movement. I am a long time patron of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and have never seen Mata, Litton or a guest conductor interact with a guest soloist so powerfully and so profoundly. This includes all three Rachmaninov Concertos that I attended that were played and recorded to great aclaim by the DSO and pianist Stephen Hough. Brusilow and Kern were just better, period. But then what do I know, I am just a patron! Thanks for your blog and an opportunity to respond. Frank Leftwich

Shirley Latham 02:42 pm: Saturday evening was brilliant! I have heard more and more people expressing their joy at being in the audience that evening.

May 4, 2008:

Ex-Cliburn medalist gives first-rate performance with RSO

12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, May 4, 2008

By OLIN CHISM / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

RICHARDSON – Pianist Olga Kern, one of the surest crowd-pleasers in this area, performed her magic once again Saturday night. A large audience heard her play with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra and conductor Anshel Brusilow in the Eisemann Center.

The former Cliburn Competition gold medalist played a work long associated with that contest: Rachmaninoff's massive Third Piano Concerto. She gave another first-prize performance, easily conquering its bravura passages while creating a gripping musical drama. Equally as impressive as the power she produced was the clarity of her playing and its lyric beauty.

And three cheers to Ms. Kern for her avoidance of the histrionics that are so popular nowadays, particularly among young artists. She's never stiff, but there's no wild arm movements and soulful gazing at the ceiling. The drama comes from the music.

Mr. Brusilow and the orchestra gave her decent if not inspired support.

The first half of the program was given over to another Russian classic, Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony. This is an unusual concert-opener, because the work closes with such an air of finality. It would have been jarring had the Rachmaninoff begun immediately thereafter. But the intervening intermission softened the jolt.

The Pathetique got off to a bumpy start, with the strings slightly out of tune and unmellow. There was also the matter of the noisy audience member. He or she did something that sounded like the ripping loose of a giant Velcro strap. It must have been huge.

The remainder of the performance was serviceable, though my mind kept going back to a performance of the Pathetique led by Mr. Brusilow at the University of North Texas recently. Though the student orchestra lacked the polish of a professional ensemble, the performance and gripping marches were deeply involving.

Saturday night's march didn't match up to it. Still, many in the audience were caught up in it. They burst into applause, and Mr. Brusilow had the orchestra stand in acknowledgement before continuing with the final movement.

May 1, 2008:

• From George Landis, RSO Executive Director - Announcing the Richardson Symphony Audience Blog!

Over the past couple of years, we’ve been gratified by the number of our audience members who have taken the time to write us with their reactions to our performances. Audience comments have been incredibly helpful to the RSO staff and to maestro Brusilow in planning for the future of the orchestra and our concert seasons....
READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS POST BY CLICKING HERE

Post a response...click HERE.

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