RUSSIAN SOUL

09/22/03
By THOMAS B. HARRISON
Arts & Entertainment Editor


If the Mobile Symphony Orchestra gets around to appointing a permanent guest soloist, Yuri Rozum will be the obvious choice.

The Russian pianist made an impressive and long-awaited return to Mobile on Saturday for a celebration of music from his mother country. He wasted no time in reminding Mobilians why he was invited back.

Rozum's laser-like technique and the passion he brings to the works of Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky translate easily to the Gulf Coast. This concert, the first in the MSO classical series, was a universal experience in every sense.

"Midnight in Moscow" was the theme of the evening (...) Walk-up sales swelled attendance to almost 1,900, a shade under a sellout.

Saturday night certainly was a happier occasion than Rozum's previous visit to Mobile in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 tragedy. The pianist is regarded as one of his country's finest musicians, and he delivered pinpoint performances of the Rhapsody On A Theme of Paganini for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 43, by Rachmaninoff, in the first half; and Tchaikovsky's tour de force, the Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat minor, Op. 23, in the second.

Those who managed to find their seats by 8:07 p.m. were treated to an exuberant Prelude to Act III of "Lohengrin," by Richard Wagner (1813-83), a brisk setup for the Russian fireworks to come. More propulsive than impulsive, the brief but jubilant overture revealed that orchestra is adept at short, energetic musical bursts as well as longer pieces that require technique and stamina.

With Rozum waiting in the wings, the "Lo hengrin" could have been subtitled "Fanfare for An Uncommon Talent."

After the Wagnerian intro, Rozum strolled onstage clad in black, but there was nothing mournful about his playing. The Rachmaninoff, written seven decades ago and sometimes referred to as a "quasi-concerto," is about 25 minutes long -- roughly one minute per variation -- and incorporates the "Dies Irae" from the Latin Mass for the Dead in Variation No. 7.

Alternating with bassoon and cello, Rozum played with precision that never blunted his obvious affection for the work. That quality was evident in variations 12 through 14, which shifted from a waltz to a march, then yielded to a fuller symphonic radiance in the next three variations.

However, it is the enchanting Variation No. 18, a lush love theme often used in movies and advertising, that audiences find intoxicatingly romantic. Rozum played it beautifully, with no trace of the treacly flourishes favored by other pianists.

The final half-dozen variations were a showcase for Rozum's nimble fingers, which flew through the energetic scherzos leading into a fluttery denouement that would have withstood the stern judgment of Paganini and Rachmaninoff.

What is left to say about the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto, except that Rozum somehow found additional layers of emotion in this already-supercharged piece.

The lengthy opening Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso, one of the most famous in the canon, allowed Rozum and the Mobile Symphony musicians -- strings and winds, most notably -- to exercise their chops in a series of grand romantic flourishes that suggest the majesty of Tchaikovsky's genius.

Speaking of which, anyone who watched closely had to be impressed with Rozum's dynamic range in the opening movement, which shifted from up-tempo bombast to a meditative tranquillity. His tone and clarity were extraordinary.

The Andante semplice was an effective mix of fast and slow tempos and suggested a pastoral quality in contrast to the huge first movement. The finale, Allegro con fuoco, provided the orchestra another opportunity to shine as the strings rose for the climactic rush like a wave breaking over Rozum's rock-ribbed virtuosity.

The Saenger audience erupted in cheers and wild applause that did not abate for more than a minute. Perhaps because Scott Speck planned it that way, the house lights did not go up and the patrons clapped until Rozum returned for his encores: another Rachmaninoff, the Prelude in G minor; and Tchaikovsky's Grand pas de deux from "Nutcracker."

A fitting conclusion would have been Stoli martinis on the house.