South Florida Classical Review

Xian Zhang conducted  the New World Symphony in Gustav Holst’s The Planets Saturday night at the Arsht Center. Photo: Alex Markow

Gustav Holst’s The Planets is the original film score. 

Although conceived before motion pictures became an integral part of the world’s cultural landscape, one can hardly imagine the music of John Williams and any number of cinematic composers without Holst’s technicolor orchestral showpiece. When given a top-notch performance, this seven-movement work can be a thrilling experience.

That is exactly how it sounded on Saturday night in a performance by the New World Symphony under guest conductor Xian Zhang at the Arsht Center. Zhang has been music director of the New Jersey Symphony for nearly a decade and has recently been appointed music director of the Seattle Symphony. She is a skilled orchestral colorist, which was totally evident in Holst’s depictions of Earth’s sister planets.

In the opening section, “Mars, the Bringer of War,” Zhang maintained tension while crafting the widest dynamic spectrum from the soft initial rumbles to multiple crashing fortes. Vivacious winds and harps conjured up the British-accented impressionism of “Venus, the Bringer of Peace,” Violin and cello solos were especially distinguished amid lustrous string playing. 

Scurrying figures glided through “Mercury, the Winged Messinger” with Zhang keeping the aura light. Stellar brass proclaimed the fanfares of “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity.” Zhang’s sense of balance and proportion in this heavily scored portrait was exceptional. The strings soared in the famous central hymn melody, here broadly paced.

The conductor superbly controlled the layered textures of “Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age,” pervaded by a sense of stillness. ”Uranus, the Magician” is a fierce scherzo which was rendered with quick, fiery panache. The six-member percussion contingent displayed crisp rhythmic dexterity in Holst’s busy creation. 

Following this blazing symphonic showpiece, Holst’s writing reaches a different level. “Neptune, the Mystic” suggests an otherworldly realm. Calming wind lines, strings, harps and celesta produced almost magical sounds. The offstage voices of the women of the Master Chorale of South Florida under Brett Karlin emerged ethereal, with Zhang beautifully integrating the vocals into the broader sound palette. The conductor shared the prolonged ovation with Karlin.

Alexander Malofeev performed Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Xian Zhang and the New World Symphony Saturday night. Photo: Alex Markow

The concert’s pre-intermission half brought its own share of excitement. Russian pianist Alexander Malofeev soloed in a powerhouse reading of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Malofeev won top prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 2014 at 13 years of age, and he commands a monster technique with assured speed and accuracy. 

Malofeev gave each of the 24 variations individual character and accent throughout his wild pianistic ride. The Dies irae motif, sounded eerie and frightening indeed. He began the famous 18^th variation in a leisurely manner, the articulation soft before expanding the keyboard’s sonority as Zhang pushed the tempo forward. The repeat of the Paganini caprice theme was taken at a rapid-fire clip. Zhang brought total clarity to Rachmaninoff’s orchestral fabric with every detail clearly audible.

After repeated curtain calls, Malofeev offered a barn-burning performance of Prokofiev’s Toccata as an encore. One would like to hear more of this individual artist, perhaps in less flashy repertoire.

Conducting fellow Molly Turner led Wagner’s Prelude to Act I of Tristan and Isolde to open the concert. She captured the mystery of the opening chords and kept a natural, organic flow throughout the romantic curtain raiser. Horns were steady and well controlled and the violins’ sonority was large and vibrant. Throughout the concert, the level of ensemble performance was consistently high.

Lidiya Yankovskaya conducts the New World Symphony in works by Copland, Pavel Haas, Shostakovich, William Grant Still and John Williams with soprano Emily Magee as soloist in Strauss’ Four Last Songs and commentary by historian James Holland  7:30 p.m. November 9 and 2 p.m. November 10 at the New World Center in Miami Beach. nws.edu

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