As is usual on at least one New Mexico Symphony concert during the season, the
excellent Albuquerque Youth Symphony made its appearance under the direction of
Gabriel Gordon Friday night at Popejoy Hall. Opening the program taking on
Joan Tower's thorny and difficult Made in America, they acquitted themselves
with admirable professional skill. Clearly this talented group of young men and
women has earned all the praise justly given them.

The NMSO then took the stage for the remainder of the concert featuring
Dvorak's Violin Concerto with guest violinist Erin Keefe, followed by the
Second Symphony of Sibelius.

I've always thought that the Dvorak Concertos have gotten short shrift. The
Cello Concerto is of course a staple of that repertoire, but his violin and
piano efforts are often ignored, the latter especially. Yet the Violin Concerto
is filled with big beautiful Romantic themes while providing plenty of bravura
opportunities for the soloist, and providing us a welcome relief from the
overplayed standards.

There could have been no more a persuasive case made for this concerto than
that by American violinist Erin Keefe. From the very first note I found myself
drawn to her tone, gloriously bright and focused. Adorned in a striking scarlet
gown, she was in full command of the music. She can elicit a sound sweet and
lyrical, but more importantly thrillingly wild and gutsy when the music warrants
it, which is much of the case in the outer movements. The Finale is
quintessential Dvorak with its Bohemian folk qualities, especially rhythms,
vigorously captured here.

Maestro Figueroa, himself a violinist, knows exactly the kind of freedom and
support necessary to bring out the best in the soloist. From this performance
alone Keefe should be considered among the top violinists of her generation.

Finland. Sibelius. The names conjured up an environment as different from our
Landscape of Enchantment as it is probable to be. I, for one, am happy to
visit the frigid north through artistic representation such as this splendid
symphony. The Symphony No. 2 in D major has long been the most often played of
the seven, though they are all quite idiosyncratic in form. The titles of the
movements may seem to indicate standard symphonic style, yet Sibelius' method of
working out themes is quite his own, causing many early writers to unjustly
dismiss his music.

The work as a whole becomes a massive movement accreting thematic fragments
until it builds into a glacial strength sweeping over all in its path with pure
force of inevitability. But along the way Figueroa brought forth the passages of
pastoral serenity which contribute to the overall effect. The beautiful final
theme sang forth with a sense of majesty and power achieved from the momentum
that had grown from the very opening notes.

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