Orlando Sentinel (Florida) — 09.11.2004

PERFORMANCE WAS UNDERSTATED YET POWERFUL, Scott Warfield

When powerhouse orchestras tour, they often program powerhouse symphonies by Bruckner, Mahler and their ilk just so no one misses the point. Late on Sunday afternoon at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic showed that it belongs to the first rank of international orchestras by opening the Festival of Orchestras' 21st season with a program that made the same point but in an elegantly understated manner. Artistic Director Yuri Temirkanov led his visiting Russian ensemble in three outstanding performances of works by Sergei Prokofiev and Antonin Dvorak.

None of these is usually considered a "showpiece" for orchestra, but under Temirkanov, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic gave performances that could have served as definitive recordings for the most discriminating collectors.

The program opened with Prokofiev's Symphony No. 1, nicknamed the "Classical Symphony" for its reduced forces, clear formal outlines and a melodic style that imitates Mozart and Haydn, albeit with a slightly modern accent. To the casual listener, the work might have sounded as if it was simply being tossed off by the Russians, but that was only because this orchestra was in such technical command of the work.

Temirkanov set fairly brisk tempos for the outer movements and also didn't dawdle in the inner pair, yet there was never a hint of muddiness in the orchestra's sound. The textures were exceptionally clear, and even with only six basses, the bottom line -- a constant problem in the Bob Carr -- was always solidly present.

The following Concerto No. 1 for Violin, also by Prokofiev, offered more transparent textures, which made it possible to appreciate the many layers, each with its own color. Prokofiev's soaring melodies, which can sound screechy in the hands of a lesser ensemble, were ethereal, and at times in the slow first movement the orchestra sounded magically like a celesta.

The soloist for this work, Sayaka Shoji, who replaced the previously announced Vadim Repin, is barely into her 20s, but she gave no musical hint of either her youth or her status as a substitute. The Shoji played with a warm tone that projected nicely and also blended well with the orchestra. One might have guessed that she and Temirkanov had performed together for years, if not for the information on the program insert.

Dvorak's Symphony No. 8 formed the second half of the concert, and again it was the orchestra's sound that impressed the most.

The tone of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic displayed a presence and vibrancy that most other orchestras lack in this difficult hall, and a few brief passages with the brass at the end of the fourth movement hinted at the sound that this ensemble could have given, had the work demanded more.

Two encores, the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" and the "Russian Dance," both from Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker, which premiered in St. Petersburg in 1892, brought this outstanding concert to its close.