By Linda D. Mann
Special to The Clarion-Ledger
Mississippi Symphony patrons were dressed-down in denim and more than
comfortable with the virtuoso performance of guest pianist Jeffrey Biegel
Tuesday night during the annual Beethoven in Blue Jeans concert at Thalia
Mara Hall.
Biegel found a vehicle for his talents in Beethoven's Piano Concerto
No. 5, aptly nicknamed Emperor for its majestic quality.
Forgiven for showing up in a full tux instead of the customary tails
and blue jeans, Biegel soared through sparkling passages with a clarity
and poise not often heard.
Maestro Colman Pearce and Biegel made the magic seem easy, balancing
the ethereal qualities of |
solo passages with the grandeur of full orchestra.
In the Adagio movement -- particularly expressive, tender and restrained
Biegel enchanted. The Rondo almost gave the full force of his technical
power, and he had plenty of opportunities to display his and expressive
trills.
As a encore for an audience on its feet -- and not because they were
rely for a stretch-- Biegel played an arrangement that might be called
Rhapsody on the Blue Danube. He could have stayed all night. Mississippi
Symphony set the stage for Biegel with Beethoven's beloved Leon ore Overture
No. 3. |
Pearce told the audience that th e composers opera Fidelie, for which
it was written, was "an opera about liberty." It served as a fitting dramatic
foil for the pas- sionate piano concerto and, after intermission, for the
uplifting Brahms Symphony No. 2.
The orchestra gave the audience lush, melodic Brahms with a rich- ness
of brass added after the break. And always, there were Pearce's learned
hands to guide them. He worked most of the evening without a score. Throughout
the concert he managed a good balance between the strings and small but
capable woodwind section and reached the highs and lows of romantic period
classics with very satisfying results. |