Concert Review: A Local Premiere and Two Concertos

A local premiere in the IPO's Subscription Concert Nr. 6, was "Time's Other Beat," by Polish-born American Jan Radzynski, a one-time Israeli resident.

By URY EPPSTEIN
IPO A Local Premiere and Two Concertos Jerusalem ICC April 5 A local premiere in the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra's Subscription Concert Nr. 6, was "Time's Other Beat," by Polish-born American Jan Radzynski, a one-time Israeli resident. In this piece the composer explores contrast abundantly. A forceful, dissonant orchestral tutti, in opposition to a soft solo or unison melody, motoric passages versus melodic ones, relentless rhythms vis-a-vis lyric phrases, songful strings against powerful brass - simultaneously and consecutively - surprisingly become a closely knit structure, leading to a mercifully calm conclusion. The piece's 13-minute duration provides an intense listening experience. Nazareth-born Saleem Abboud Ashkar started Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with an appealingly soft touch, and displayed sensitivity to its lyric mood. In the first movement's fast passages, though, his attitude became too mechanical, at the expense of flexibility. In the slow movement he highlighted the piano's poetic utterances, contrasting them with the orchestra's dramatic ones. The final movement turned out to be an unjustifiable race that did not leave much of its charm and sparkle. The program's conclusion was a repeat performance of Pinhas Zukerman's rendition of Elgar's Violin Concerto, already played in Tel Aviv.