Concert Review Toronto 7/10/09

by Colin Eatock

From Toronto Globe and Mail, Published on Friday, Oct. 09, 2009

Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Maxim Vengerov, conductor
Alexander Toradze, piano
• At Roy Thomson Hall
• in Toronto on Wednesday 7th October 2009

There are basically two ways to become an orchestral conductor. One is to decide at a young age on conducting, enroll in a formal training program at a music school and then launch a career as soon as possible. The other is to first become a successful performing musician, while waiting for a suitable time to step up to the podium.

Maxim Vengerov has chosen the second path. Already famous as a virtuoso violinist, the 35-year-old Siberian decided last year to exchange his bow for a baton after a shoulder injury forced a halt to his playing. (He insists, however, that his days as a concert violinist are not over.) On Wednesday evening at Roy Thomson Hall, he made his Toronto Symphony Orchestra debut as a guest conductor. The results were mixed but, happily, he saved the best for last.
Opening his all-Russian program with Shostakovich's exuberant Festive Overture Op. 96 , Vengerov put the TSO to a daunting test, driving his musicians forward at breakneck speed. This approach was impressive, in a way – if only because the orchestra managed somehow to keep up with him – but it gave short shrift to the work and glossed over details.

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor Op. 23 , which followed, was more satisfying. The soloist was Alexander Toradze, born in the Republic of Georgia but for many years a resident of the United States. Vengerov's senior by 22 years, Toradze brought decades of musical experience to the task of taming this musical warhorse.
It came as no surprise to hear this big man with big hands man pound out the opening chords with formidable power. More remarkable was the subtlety and delicacy that Toradze brought to his performance. In the second movement, especially, his playing was introspective, at times even dream-like. Wisely, Vengerov deferred to his soloist in interpretive issues and concentrated on drawing well-balanced and supportive playing from the TSO.

However, the last work of the program, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 Op. 74 , the “Pathétique,” belonged entirely to Vengerov. From the solemnity of the symphony's opening to the quiet resignation of its ending, the conductor made use of a broad stick technique and an expressive body language. Throughout, his direction was taut and purposeful, with impressive attention to the inner parts of the score.

The TSO responded with a colourful opening movement: well shaped lines from the strings, outbursts of brass, bright woodwinds and dramatic percussion. The second movement was suave and elegant, with Vengerov making light work of its unusual five-beat rhythm. And the lively third movement drew a spontaneous ovation from the audience (cut short with a wave of the maestro's arm).

But it was in the poignant final movement that Vengerov made the deepest impression, deftly steering the orchestra through Tchaikovsky's complex musical syntax. At the movement's conclusion, he held his hands aloft in profound silence for a full 10 seconds before he permitted applause.

Clearly, Vengerov knows what he wants and how to get it. Judging by his reading of the “Pathétique,” there's cause to believe that he'll enjoy a successful career as a conductor.