Schenectady Gazette, NY

Tchaikovsky night proves rich and lovely

Sunday, August 17, 2008
GERALDINE FREEDMAN

SARATOGA SPRINGS ‘ Saturday night was Tchaikovsky night at the
Saratoga Performing Arts Center and the huge crowd couldn’t wait for
all the hoopla to begin. But conductor Charles Dutoit made sure
everyone sat through some great music before the cannons and fireworks
arrived.

Since the traditional `Solemn Overture, 1812’ was last on the program,
Dutoit chose to present some ballet music the crowd might not know ‘
the overture from `Romeo and Juliet’ and three excerpts orchestrated
by Stravinsky from `The Sleeping Beauty’ that the orchestra had never
performed. Best of all, he slipped in the debut of 33-year old
Armenian violinist Sergey Khachatryan, who turned out to be a real
powerhouse in the Violin Concerto.

In the `Romeo and Juliet,’ Dutoit took a langourous tempo and allowed
the lush melodies and colorful agitated sections to linger longer than
most ballet orchestras do. It made for a warm homogenous sound that
ebbed and flowed around Dutoit’s lovely phrasing. It was gorgeous
stuff and the orchestra sounded wonderful.

Khachatryan was spectacular. He’s a very intelligent and musical
player. He didn’t rush through anything. Instead, he applied
interesting dynamics and rubato to the romantic melodies. Dutoit
watched him closely and provided expert support and superb balances.

Khachatryan’s tone was rich and his technique was amazingly clear,
clean and effortless. Even the double stops and harmonics were
perfectly in tune. When he wasn’t playing, which wasn’t often, he
exuded a calm stillness. He didn’t move about much or bend his
knees. But his face was expressive.

The crowd exploded after the long first movement with huge
applause. After Khachatryan whizzed through the final movement without
dropping a note, it erupted into great cheers and gave him a standing
ovation and many curtain calls.

After intermission, concertmaster David Kim played an almost concerto
level solo in the `Lilac Fairy Variation’ from `The Sleeping Beauty,’
which had been cut when the ballet premiered. Kim played with rich
tones, sculpted phrases and much sensitivity. The excerpt didn’t sound
too ballet-like, but the Entr’acte and the `Bluebird Pas-de-Deux’ did.

As for the warhorse `1812,’ the orchestra gave it as much attention to
detail and passion as anything else. The crowd loved it.