AI Artists - Ian Hobson Seattle Review

Concert Review
Hobson works magic on keys and from podium
By Emily Russin
Special to The Seattle Times

Talk about multitasking. British-born conductor and pianist Ian Hobson pulled double duty over the weekend. Not only did he guest conduct the Northwest Chamber Orchestra from the podium with great care and deliberateness on Saturday evening, he had plenty of energy left over to interpret Beethoven's stately Piano Concerto No. 2 from the piano bench.

As his right hand deployed masterful scales and embellishments, his left flew above the keyboard and continued conducting with as much grace and command as before. In between cadenzas, Hobson even managed to cue the winds and inner strings at precisely the right moments. Also a treat for the audience was the opportunity to see Hobson's fingers on the keys from his position facing the orchestra. His deft playing, combined with his ongoing attention to the ensemble, brought the crowd to its feet.

Even before the conductor turned pianist, the Northwest Chamber Orchestra proved that its strings are increasingly more solid. Opening the program with Benjamin Britten's "Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge," the string sections luxuriated in tonal shape-shifting.

From strumming their instruments like banjos to wispy harmonics, frenzied scales and sonorous passages, the nearly 20 players inhabited many moods in 10 short movements. At different times, however, their collective effort teetered, with some running passages sounding mushy rather than crisp and in unison.

David Diamond's "Rounds for Strings," another all-string piece after intermission, came up brilliantly. Devilishly fast conversational passages between the sections flew by cleanly and with more confidence and joviality.

The quality and richness of this string sound bodes well for an orchestra that has seen key personnel additions and administrative changes in the past year, especially in the appointment of a new music director, Ralf Gothoni, and interim executive director, Deborah Daost.

The second piece of the night was in its day as much a political statement as a musical composition. Haydn's "Farewell" Symphony No. 45 received its name from the final movement, in which Haydn staged an appeal to his patron on behalf of his disgruntled musicians to receive more family leave.

The players exit the stage until all but two violins remain, playing only by the light of their music stands. In 1772, the patron relented. At Saturday's performance, the work still caused a sensation, as much for the theatrical walkout as for the orchestra's perfectly calibrated delivery.

Copyright © 2002 The Seattle Times Company