Modern Medley at Memminger

If you didn’t know otherwise, you would think that Sarasate’s Fantasy on Bizet’s Carmen was by Bizet. It is passionate, evocative, and bold—just like Carmen herself. But, then, Pablo de Sarasate was Spanish whereas Bizet was French.

French soprano Emma Calvé as Carmen

And is it possible that my non-musical ear detected a slight Russian lilt in the violin rendering of the dance movement? After all, violinist Yuriy Bekker hails from Belarus. It would be interesting to hear what he thinks about that. Regardless, it was a joy to watch his fingers dance with intrepid ease across the strings. He has seamless technique and a wonderfully fluid bow. I don’t know a lot of what he did in technical terms, but he sure made it look easy to play a showpiece composed by a virtuoso violinist.

Mr. Bekker also seemed to be a fraction of a second ahead of the orchestra, making me wonder if he was overly fast or the orchestra a tad slow. After the performance, I asked my music guru Lindsay Koob (see the link to his review below) and he said, yes, Yuriy was playing just ahead of the orchestra—by design, to ensure that the solo instrument’s voice remained audible.

That was just one tidbit of my furthering education at a Memminger Auditorium performance that began with conductor Scott Terrell explaining turn-of-the-century neoclassicism. Obviously well prepared, he had the eight wind players demonstrate passages they would be playing from Igor Stravinsky’s three-movement Octet. He did the same thing before the last piece of the night, Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 (with its hauntingly beautiful third movement that went into Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet ballet score).

Yuriy Bekker

Mr. Terrell’s instruction not only made the pieces more transparent, more approachable, and more enjoyable, it provided valuable insight into early twentieth-century musicology and made it a lot easier for listeners like me to hear modern pieces.

It was also refreshing to see the musicians in less formal, more colorful attire. Their open-collared pastel shirts and blouses were just right for the casual setting. The orchestra felt like a family and we, the audience, felt like welcome guests. And isn’t that the best way to enjoy playing and listening to good music? All too often, the large auditorium environment prevents musicians and audience from really connecting with each other. The “fourth wall”—as actors call the stage front—proves impenetrable, whereas Memminger is a horseshoe, almost in-the-round environment that makes the experience tactile and personal.

The atmosphere became even warmer when, after the concert, the audience mingled on stage with the musicians. Too bad this was the last performance of the 2008 season. I’m already looking forward to Professor Terrell’s ‘classes’ next year—and hopefully the chance to hear Yuriy Bekker up close again. ¶

Read Lindsay Koob’s review in the Charleston City Paper.

You might also enjoy George Hubbard’s review at PostandCourier.com.