Charm, Exuberance on Stage in Kremsmünster

CONCERT REVIEW
By R. A. Neumann
Critic at large

Österreichische Symphoniker began its 2012 Summer Concert Series with a charming and exuberant program that included Prokofiev's Symphony No. 1,Piazzolla's Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, and Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony. By all standards, this is an ambitious program. Indeed, the audience was in for a treat when the orchestra launched into Prokofiev's miniature symphony, short but difficult and brilliantly played. Mario Hossen, the Bulgarian virtuoso who calls Vienna his home, emerged as a finely suitable choice for Piazzolla's challenging piece -- both stylistically and technically. At the time, Piazzolla's tango music was revolutionary and even offensive to many in his native Argentina. He created his own style by fusing elements of jazz and avant-garde concert music with traditional tango. It is this fusion that makes his Four Seasons such a spectacular piece

Moving from color to color, contrasting moods and rhythmically charged episodes, the piece is a dazzling display of virtuoso string playing. In the version performed by Hossen (arranged by Russian conductor Leonid Disyatnikov)

one hears all of this great Piazzolla plus cleverly interspersed references to Vivaldi's own Four Seasons. All of these elements were brought to life by Hossen's brilliant playing and Hacko's exquisite sense of style.

All of these elements and more were brought to life by Hossen's brilliant playing and Hacko's exquisite sense of style...

The second part of the concert was dedicated to the well known Mendelssohn's masterwork, his Symphony No. 4. Conducting from memory, Maestro Hacko demonstrated great sensitivity to varied textures, ensemble nuances, balances between various pairing of voices and the dynamic contrasts. Hacko is a buoyant spirit, constrained yet demonstrative, eliciting a great deal from his ensemble with the smallest of motions. The concert was a fine opener to the Symphoniker's summer series in Upper Austria.

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June 10, 2012
Kremsmünster, Austria