Bychkov explores power of CSO; Guest conductor captures emotion of hefty piece

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Recommended

When: 8 tonight and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan

Tickets: $19-$199

Phone: (312) 294-3000

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One of the many attractions of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra'sinternational appeal is the unique artistic collaborations itoffers. If that's a euphemism for "strange bedfellows," then so beit.

The Russian-born conductor Semyon Bychkov and the reservedChinese pianist Yundi Li seemed a potential mismatch for theirThursday night subscription concert at Symphony Center. Yet wheneach asserted his own artistic voice, the two very differentpersonalities came together for a refreshing departure on familiarrepertoire.

In Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, the artists appeared to be atodds with each other: Bychkov's knack for leading a powerfulorchestra sometimes left Li's delicate pianism buried beneath theclamor, particularly early in the first movement.

If anything, though, this slightly unbalanced dynamic onlyreinforced how textural and brilliant Ravel's orchestration is. Andsince the CSO does not tend to play much French music, thisexceptional performance made us wonder why.

Unlike his popular compatriot and rival Lang Lang, Li offers fewphysical distractions, keeping his music in focus. His tone glowedin the doleful slow movement, and Li never flinched over a marathonstretch of rapidly delicate runs. His feathery touch may not haverisen above Bychkov's orchestral thunder, but given Ravel's oftencalming and liquid lines for the piano, this wasn't a bad thing.

After intermission, Bychkov led the CSO in Shostakovich'sSymphony No. 7, "Leningrad," a gargantuan work so soaked in thebloodbath of World War II that few brave conductors take it on. Thefirst movement featured solos galore: notably concertmaster RobertChen's violin, Mathieu Dufour's flute and William Buchman's bassoon,all, of course, meticulously delivered.

The symphony leaves no region of the orchestra untapped, andeveryone from the xylophone to the bass clarinet got extendedattention. The prospect of Bychkov's heft mixing with the explosiveCSO brass was exciting, and the finale's raucous fanfare upheld allexpectations.

After the concert, a friend, apparently drained after the 75-minute work, remarked that he felt as if World War II had just beennarrated to him. If Shostakovich did intend for this work to captureall the emotions of battle, then Bychkov and the CSO deserve highpraise.

Bryant Manning is a locally based free-lance writer and reviewer.