Music

Artistry sweeps crowd off feet

By SEAN DALY
Published January 21, 2007

TAMPA - There is really no great difference between watching Derek Jeter hit and Martha Stewart cook and virtuoso violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg play. From a fan's perspective, the giddy anticipation of greatness and eventual breathtaking payoff are the same. They are all show-offs. They are all deft masters of their art. They are all money in the bank.

At the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center on Friday, the 46-year-old Nadja she's earned first-name-only rights joined the Florida Orchestra, directed by the charismatic Stefan Sanderling, for a robust rendition of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto. The piece is a notoriously tricky barrage of notes- especially the yowza third movement - that calls for a musical gunslinger.

Written in 1878 for, and initially rejected by, the concertmaster of the Imperial Orchestra of St. Petersburg, Russia, the concerto was eventually embraced by modern-day artists, perhaps because of its showboat potential.

The Italian-born Nadja recorded the piece on a new album (released on her own NSS Music label), but truth be told, her interpretation must be seen to be believed, if only for her facial expressions that signal the oft-violent emotional swells.

Dressed in loose gray slacks and sleeveless white top, Nadja was all parts actor and archer, exuberantly shooting a quiverful of notes from all angles in all directions. (This music makes for serious exercise. Nadja should release an accompanying workout video.) The piece is a hybrid of mournful gypsy violin and royal pomp, an outsider trying to play her way into a different world. The music builds to a furious climax, when finally the outsider (the violin turning joyous) and insiders (the orchestra's jaunty bombast embracing the soloist) are one.

At the concerto's furious finish- Nadja attacking her instrument with a superheroic speed, the Flash playing a Guarneri - the crowd leapt to its feet, unleashing an ovation that didn't want to end. Wow.

As a bonus, the orchestra is also showcasing the world premiere of David Ross Manson's And Jade Gorges Echo Unbroken. Manson is a music teacher at St. Petersburg College (and a member of Frank Zappa cover band Bogus Pomp). His short, booming composition sounds like Aaron Copland interpreted by a Twilight Zone fan, Rodeo meets Rod Serling. It's a trip.

Sean Daly can be reached at sdaly@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8467. His blog is at blogs.tampabay.com/popmusic.

REVIEW

Florida Orchestra

This program will repeat at 7:30 tonight at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. $17-$52. (727) 791-7400.

[Last modified January 21, 2007, 05:40:12]