The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Pops
Conductor Jeff Tyzik on Thursday gave their audience
an evening of hybrids — an ear-catching fusion of classical, jazz, and Latin
American music styles — with strong dance overtones in each composition. The
success of that mixture depended entirely on which piece was being played.
For Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla’s
“Tangazo,” during which the orchestra was joined by
four Rochester City Ballet soloists, the performance was exceedingly
well-balanced. Piazzolla’s melodic phrases, subtle
ornamentation, and coy tango allure require a distinct finesse — and Tyzik’s
approach combined classical gravitas and suave Latin style to great effect.
Equipped with the elegant and acrobatic choreography of Jamey Leverettn — a frequent Tyzik
collaborator — the connection between music and movement felt natural.
“Danzón No. 2” by Mexican composer
Arturo Márquez was characterized by a palpable
buoyancy. The collective orchestral sound was an indication that the musicians
hadn’t simply gotten Márquez’s vital rhythms into
their fingers, but really it was in their entire bodies. It gave the music a
true “dance essence.”
The same, though, cannot be said of every work on the
program. Where the RPO hit the mark in the previously mentioned pieces, it fell
short on beloved American composer Leonard Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances” from “West
Side Story.”
The orchestra’s dynamics were vivid and captivating, and its
articulations appropriately pungent when necessary, but overall, the
interpretation lacked the swing and playful groove that was so prevalent in the
music’s film version. The vibrancy of Bernstein’s sweeping, cinematic gestures
were diminished by a safe, “museum piece” interpretation. At times, the tempo
needed more urgency, and Tyzik’s conducting emphasized the straight beat rather
than leaning into the piece’s juicy syncopations. The “Mambo” section was
the performance’s saving grace, as the players laid into the rhythms with fiery
gusto.
The evening closed with the world premiere performance of
Tyzik’s “Jazz Concerto for Violin and Orchestra,” written for RPO Concertmaster
Juliana Athayde. When it comes to wedding jazz and classical, the violin was
the ideal solo instrument. Of course, the violin’s rich timbre is already a
cornerstone of an orchestra, but it is also versatile enough to convincingly communicate
different stylistic moods.
Athayde’s exquisite expressiveness on the violin was tailor-made
for Tyzik’s mercurial music — and vice versa. Through fluid transitions from
blues scale slides and “cool jazz” phrases to exacting, late-Romantic runs, the
Athayde made them sound effortless. The composer and performer clearly have an
excellent creative rapport. Tyzik’s writing for the violin was intelligent, and
had a homespun Americana vibe — at times, delightful bits of country and
bluegrass fit right into the bluesy jazz accompaniment (provided by a quartet: bassist
Jeff Campbell, drummer Eric Metzgar, pianist John Nyerges, and guitarist Bob Sneider).
The cleverness of the Tyzik’s writing was particularly
evident in the beginning of the last movement, “Burn.” Athayde’s extensive solo
introduction wouldn’t have been out of place in a concerto by Paganini or even Dvořák, but when the violinist was joined by the
quartet and orchestra, the musical context suddenly shifted to a brisk, lively New
Orleans jazz style. The compatibility of the solo and the orchestration
demonstrated the kindred spirits of classical and jazz, and made for a fitting
conclusion to the concert.
This article appears in May 4-10, 2016.
