Maxim Vengerov,
conductor
Beersheba Arts Complex, May 8 Internationally renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov is following in the footsteps of Russian cellist Rostropovich and making the transition from soloist to conductor. Vengerov’s stick technique is still rudimentary, but he carries within himself the sound that he wants the orchestra to project, and communicates its round elegance, by way of telepathy, to the players and the audience. He conducts with instinctive responses and visceral gestures, as if he were stroking the Sinfonietta, but it is the sense of discipline, concentration, focus, timing, artistic vision and commitment that he brings to the podium and imparts to his players that made his performances memorable.The program opened with a mellow and stylized presentation of Max Bruch’s Romance for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 85 by Israel violist Gilad Karni. He was joined by Sinfonietta concertmaster Yaron Prensky in a smooth,flowing and expressive presentation of W.A. Mozart’s SinfoniaConcertante, K. 364. Their coordination was near-perfect andtheir sheer joy in performing together was obvious from the first note.Particularly impressive were the imaginative and piquant bowings bothPrensky and Karni used to articulate the character of motifs and themes– stroking multiple up-bow staccatos, quick down-bow ricochets,spiccato in the fast passages, now at the tip, then slowly easing thetone legato towards the frog; a remarkably rich vocabulary of masterfulmotions that delighted the ear and the eye.Vengerov then led a persuasive and spacious performance of Beethoven’sFifth Symphony. It was a traditional interpretation that impressed forits intensity, incisive tempi, breadth of architecture, and emphasis ondetail.A special number, the warmly loving cavatina from Beethoven’sLate String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 130, wasadded to the program in memory of the late Mendi Rodan (1929-2009), whoas music director led the Sinfonietta with ferocious vigor from 1975 to1991.