The Topeka Symphony Orchestra began its 23rd and final season with Conductor John Strickler on Saturday night with a strong performance of the program “Czech Mates”.
Strickler’s program paired two well-known romantic composers – Antonin Dvorak and Piotr Illyich Tchaikovsky – with Tchaikovky’s work featuring world-famous Czech violinist Ivan Zenaty. The performance was an opportunity for listeners to experience the romantic and nationalistic style both composers were known for.
Although Strickler’s incredible musical program was responsible in part for the success of the performance, another factor would be the new players who have joined the orchestra for the musical season.
Among those is the new concertmaster, Zsolt Eder. Eder’s young looks might have fooled the audience as to his expertise at first, but by the end of the concert his unmistakable aura of leadership was evident.
Under Eder’s guidance the first violin section showcased an impressive musical unity along with the rest of the string sections. This is something difficult for many ensembles to achieve, no matter how experienced or talented the conductor is. No less than a qualified concertmaster working with Strickler could have pulled it off, and Eder showed listeners he was definitely qualified.
Dvorak’s Symphony No. 6 in D major started the evening off with an impressive show of sound. The balance of the winds and the strings teetered on the fine line of one overwhelming the other, but Strickler’s talent for balance left the audience with nothing but an appreciation for Dvorak’s style of taking sound from one extreme to another.
But the real treat came when Ivan Zenaty took center stage. Zenaty took complicated musical lines and unpacked them with cleanly and distinctively no matter how quickly the tempo.
By the end of the first movement it was clear that Zenaty was a master of technique. He used an incredible energy to drive the music forward and performed each movement with a passionate, rich musicality. It was obvious that Zenaty knew how to handle Tchaikovsky’s stylistic fury, but his encore performance made it obvious that he was also a master of incredibly sweet and lyrical sonorities.
Altogether the Topeka Symphony Orchestra did not disappoint and “Czech Mates” was a pleasing way to experience Dvorak and Tchaikovsky all over again. But Zenaty’s performance was the best part of the evening. Strickler’s brilliance in programming music for the evening and his conducting technique just proved again why he’s been in Topeka for so long – and why we’ve been so lucky to have him.
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