• WILLIAM NESMITH CORRESPONDENT
• Posted January 24, 2010 at 12:44 a.m.

EVANSVILLE - The vast repertoire of the Western concert music tradition includes some of the most profound and expressive works of art ever created by man. An evening with a modern symphony orchestra in full cry can elicit emotional responses and depths of feeling to the other arts.

But once in a while, it's good to just have some fun with your pals, and Saturday night's concert by the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra was just that - a night of great music and high spirits on stage and in the auditorium. With the return of former EPO Music Director Stewart Kershaw and four former concertmasters - John McFarland, Michael Jinsoo Linn, Brennan Sweet and Delmar Pettys - the night was full of fine music and warm feelings.

Here, in the spirit of full disclosure, is everything I know about virtuoso violin technique: Nothing.

So for me to comment on the subtle distinctions in the playing of the four former concertmasters would be not just pretentious, but a shade dishonest. These gentlemen have all gone on to great things, and they all play at the highest level of virtuosity.

On Saturday evening, each of them played one of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" (the famous violin concertos which are about as well-recognized as the "William Tell Overture") and I have to admit, I found myself with a whole new understanding and appreciation of these pieces.

The first of the set, " Spring," featured John McFarland, who is now a member of the orchestra of the Lyric Opera in Chicago. This particular concerto does not give the soloist an opportunity to really show off, but weaves his playing into the fabric of the orchestra. I recall McFarland's performance of a Prokofiev concerto a couple of years back, so I know he can pull off that kind of display, but it wasn't called for in "Spring." The opening of the second movement was very fine, light and feathery and just delicious.

"Spring," of course, is followed by "Summer," and in this case, by Michael Jinsoo Lin. This is a flashier piece for the soloist and Lin gave it plenty of flash and swagger.

Unsurprisingly, "Autumn" followed "Summer." With soloist Delmar Pettys and Kershaw at the helm, the high point of the piece was the atmospheric second movement, the music seeming to slowly emerge from fog and mist.

"Winter," played by Brennan Sweet, is the most dramatic of the four concertos, the one closest to our usual conception of a concerto as a showpiece for a virtuoso. Again, the second movement of the concerto was notable.

To Vivaldi's contemporaries, his use of pizzicato to paint a picture of a cold, rainy winter's day must have been as startling as anything in the history of music. It is still a perfect depiction of those gray days when the drizzle won't stop, there's a permanent chill in your spine, and there's nothing to look forward to except spring.

But also of note was the sound of Sweet's instrument. I'm not sure if I have ever heard a genuine Stradivarius in person before, but now I have and it was one of those "AHA!" moments. Now I get it.

From the moment Sweet put his bow to the strings, it was like a huge bouquet bloomed on stage, or like someone turned up the lights. I'm not sure I can characterize what I heard, or how much of it was the Strad and how much was Sweet, but it was stunning.

Bruno Walter, the great Austrian conductor, once noted that it is not enough to be a fine musician to be a conductor - there is also a specific manual talent needed to manage a baton in such a way as to communicate with an orchestra. And I have it on the authority of a very fine conductor of my acquaintance that, in that conductor's opinion, Stewart Kershaw has the best baton technique of anyone. Anywhere.

Well, I'm no judge of such things, but Kershaw certainly is possessed of an elegance and charm unlike many conductors. Only Kershaw could give us a perfect reading of Delius' "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring," followed by a Vivaldi concerto, and then pick up his baton, put his music under his arm and turn to the audience and give not a bow but a little "bye-bye" wave.

It would be unjust not to mention that the Philharmonic also has a current concertmaster, Gared Crawford, who was given the opportunity to show off just a little in the Dvorak "Romance for Violin and Orchestra."

This is typical Dvorak, lyrical to the core, a chance for the violinist to make the instrument sing, an opportunity not wasted by Crawford, who brought great depth and warmth to this music. Other than the occasional solo in larger pieces, I have not heard Crawford as a soloist before, and this convinced me that I would like to hear him again.

The evening was capped off with Kodaly's "Galanta Dances" and "The Flight of the Bumblebee" by Rimsky-Korsakov.

And in a night devoted to soloists, it would be unfair not to mention clarinetist Thomas Josenhans. Josenhans is probably not a Hungarian, but if his playing of the "Galanta Dances" is any indication, there is some paprika in his background somewhere.

The full house loved it all. The concertmasters came back for a Paganini encore which delighted everyone, and there were smiles galore heading into the January evening.

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/jan/24/former-philharmonic-concertmasters-shine-on-four/