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Mozart Ó la Radu
Ama Deus Ensemble at the Perelman
Tom Purdom
Valentin Radu has scheduled an ambitious agenda for the four Vox Ama Deus programs at the Perelman this season. The first concert in the series ended with Mozart's Requiem, and Radu will conclude the season with Verdi's Requiem (April 16) and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (May 11). By comparison, the Philadelphia Orchestra has scheduled only one comparable major choral work this season— the Brahms Requiem— and rarely schedules more than three.
For the first concert on Friday's roster, Radu presented a predictably intense rendering of the Mozart. Radu shares the beliefs expressed in the great Christian religious works, and his personal convictions are reflected in his conducting.
Breathless
The concert opened with a rare chance to hear a major concerto performed by the Vox Amadeus principal flute, Edward Schultz— a widely respected figure in the Philadelphia music community (he's also the principal flute of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Ballet) who doesn't do much solo work.
The first time I heard Schultz perform in a chamber concert 25 years ago, I was impressed by the fact that he never seemed to breathe. He still commands the ability to put together long unbroken lines. His Friday performance of Mozart's second flute concerto reflected, in addition, the mature, balanced outlook of a seasoned artist.
Mozart stayed seated
The program's most interesting item, for me, was Radu's stint as soloist in Mozart's 23rd Piano Concerto. It was the first time I've heard Radu play an extended piano solo, and he delivered the same combination of historical insight and unpredictable personal flair that he brings to his work as conductor.
The Ama Deus orchestra performs with period instruments when it plays early music, and you could hear Radu's experience with historical instruments in the way he suggested the lighter, faster, more staccato sound of the pianos that were actually used in Mozart's time.
Radu conducted from the piano, as Mozart himself would have. Conductors who do this nowadays usually remain seated behind the piano when they lead passages in which the piano takes a break. Radu opted for a less restrained approach: He frequently jumped up and moved several steps away from the piano before hurrying back to the bench and resuming his soloist persona.
Radu's intense, uninhibited involvement produced one of the liveliest performances of a Mozart piano concerto I've heard, with a final rondo that ended the concert's first half in a high-spirited drive to the finish line.
For the first concert on Friday's roster, Radu presented a predictably intense rendering of the Mozart. Radu shares the beliefs expressed in the great Christian religious works, and his personal convictions are reflected in his conducting.
Breathless
The concert opened with a rare chance to hear a major concerto performed by the Vox Amadeus principal flute, Edward Schultz— a widely respected figure in the Philadelphia music community (he's also the principal flute of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Ballet) who doesn't do much solo work.
The first time I heard Schultz perform in a chamber concert 25 years ago, I was impressed by the fact that he never seemed to breathe. He still commands the ability to put together long unbroken lines. His Friday performance of Mozart's second flute concerto reflected, in addition, the mature, balanced outlook of a seasoned artist.
Mozart stayed seated
The program's most interesting item, for me, was Radu's stint as soloist in Mozart's 23rd Piano Concerto. It was the first time I've heard Radu play an extended piano solo, and he delivered the same combination of historical insight and unpredictable personal flair that he brings to his work as conductor.
The Ama Deus orchestra performs with period instruments when it plays early music, and you could hear Radu's experience with historical instruments in the way he suggested the lighter, faster, more staccato sound of the pianos that were actually used in Mozart's time.
Radu conducted from the piano, as Mozart himself would have. Conductors who do this nowadays usually remain seated behind the piano when they lead passages in which the piano takes a break. Radu opted for a less restrained approach: He frequently jumped up and moved several steps away from the piano before hurrying back to the bench and resuming his soloist persona.
Radu's intense, uninhibited involvement produced one of the liveliest performances of a Mozart piano concerto I've heard, with a final rondo that ended the concert's first half in a high-spirited drive to the finish line.
What, When, Where
Ama Deus Ensemble: Mozart: Concerto for Flute No. 2 in D); Concerto for Piano No. 23 in A; Requiem. Valentin Radu, piano; Edward Schultz, flute; Andrea Lauren Brown, soprano; Jody Kidwell, mezzo-soprano; Kenneth Garner, tenor; Ed Bara, bass; Valentin Radu conducted. October 14, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (610) 688-2800 or www.VoxAmaDeus.org.
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