Concert Review
Passionate Rostropovich elevates Seattle Symphony

By Melinda Bargreen
Seattle Times music critic

	Mstislav Rostropovich, who's been called "the world's greatest living musician," conducted the Seattle Symphony Thursday and Friday.
	E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Related stories Rostropovich: a gracious, genuine living legend

This week, the Seattle Symphony has been taking the Fifth — two Fifths, to be exact — in the stellar company of Russian conductor Mstislav Rostropovich.

He led the orchestra in the Fifth Symphonies of Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, but these were not just any performances. On Thursday night, the audience was standing and shouting by intermission, when audiences are usually filing out of the auditorium toward their next latte.

Not this time. Rostropovich may be 77, but he still conducts with a searing intensity that brought tears to the eyes and a lump to the throat of many a concertgoer. Rostropovich encouraged (and sometimes demanded) the symphony to outplay itself, imparting the true Russian passion to these deeply emotional works. The players were on their mettle for a man so distinguished he has been called "the world's greatest living musician."

Rostropovich rearranged the orchestra to a more conventional format, with the cellos and double basses on the right, and the first and second violins together on the left. Maybe an occasional change like this is salutary, or maybe the orchestra was just excited to play for Rostropovich, but in either case, the string sound was unusually rich and unified — especially in the opening passages of the Tchaikovsky finale.

Rostropovich conducted with small, precise movements of his hands (and occasionally the baton), but the big crescendos were accompanied by great shaking of fists and impassioned stabs at the relevant sections. Both the Tchaikovsky and the Shostakovich rang with power and authenticity.

Concert review Seattle Symphony Orchestra, with Mstislav Rostropovich, guest conductor. Benaroya Hall, Thursday night (repeated yesterday). Rostropovich appears tonight at 8 p.m. as cello soloist with the orchestra and assistant conductor Christian Knapp, 200 University St., Seattle; $35-$95 (206-215-4747 or www.seattlesymphony.org).

The solo work was impressive, with clarinets, bassoon, oboe, flute and piccolo solos of real distinction; the brass section, encouraged to rock the house, did so with tremendous flair. Best of all was the noble horn solo of John Cerminaro in the Tchaikovsky's Andante movement. During the ovation that followed that work, Rostropovich made a beeline to the rear of the stage to congratulate Cerminaro personally.

The Shostakovich was all drama and intensity, from the big opening statement and the savage energy of the second movement to the hushed third movement and a finale of almost desperate urgency. Rostropovich and Shostakovich were close friends; it's hard not to imagine that the latter would have been moved and delighted by such an expertly committed reading of this masterpiece.

Melinda Bargreen: mbargreen@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company