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CSO concert shows off orchestra's wide talents

By William Furtwangler

The Charleston Symphony Orchestra's Saturday night Masterworks concert offered three unrelated pieces, displaying the color and versatility of the orchestra.

Music Director David Stahl directed the orchestra with superb control as it shifted from French impressionism to Hungarian modernity and then back to early German romanticism.

Claude Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" (1894), with its somewhat lurid poetic origins, nonetheless is a prime example of languorous yet erotic musical impressionism. Stahl captured the perfumed essence of this tone poem, with its strong Wagnerian influence.

Bela Bartok's "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta" (1937) is a strange and challenging work, with two divided strings orchestras, a wide range of percussion instruments and the celeste (a keyboard instrument with hammers hitting steel plates). Stahl and the orchestra executed this seemingly rambunctious creation with unbridled energy and a scrupulous attention to Bartok's score.

The Bartok is not to everyone's taste, being somewhat akin to a musical acid bath in this case, appropriate Halloween music. He usually grows on you after several hearings.

The highlight of the evening was a brilliantly performed reading of Ludwig van Beethoven's unique "Concerto for Violin, Cello, Piano and Orchestra." Three professors at the College of Charleston were the soloists: Enrique Graf, piano; Lee Chin Siow, violin; and Natalia Khoma, cello.

Since all three are internationally recognized, highly acclaimed soloists, they demonstrated keen insight and unmatched ensemble. Stahl and the orchestra provided the suitable musical counterpoint, with a standing ovation following.