South Florida Classical Review

Leonidas Kavakos performed Brahms’ Violin Concerto with Gerard Schwarz and the Palm Beach Symphony Tuesday night. Photo: Marco Borggreve

A superb American miniature, a classic violin concerto and a symphony written by a creative master at the peak of inspiration formed the highly satisfying bill of fare at the Palm Beach Symphony’s concert Tuesday night at the Kravis Center. Violinist Leonidas Kavakos made a belated South Florida debut in a masterful reading of Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major and conductor Gerard Schwarz was in top form, drawing fine playing from all sections of the ensemble.

Christopher Theofanidis has created a worthy output of scores in diverse genres. Rainbow Body is his most frequently played work. Based on a chant by Medieval abyss, mystic and pioneering woman composer Hildegard von Bingen, the 13-minute opus weaves a glowing instrumental tapestry around her austere, yet eloquent melody. Schwarz drew lustrous sonorities from the full orchestral contingent while bringing tense astringency to the dissonant central episode. A glowing brass chorale reprise of the main subject brought the miniature to a conclusion, eliciting cheers from the listeners. Principal cellist Claudio Jaffé’s opening solo was executed with incisive rigor.

Kavakos is a musician’s violinist. In his performance of the Brahms concerto, every bar was infused with expressive meaning and insight. Also a conductor in addition to his solo career, Kavakos faced the orchestra during the long introduction and successive interludes, clearly following every detail of the instrumental fabric. His sound is more silver than gold—clean, transparent and gleaming. 

The secondary subject in the first movement was given poignancy as well as romantic luster. During the lengthy Joachim cadenza, Kavakos displayed a myriad variety of dynamics and coloration as well as immaculate articulation of rapid passages. Schwarz wove and balanced the dark surge of orchestral textures around Kavakos’s solo line.

Following a beautifully stated oboe solo, Kavakos brought gleaming tone and a forward flowing line to the lyrical Adagio. He attacked the Hungarian melody of the Allegro giocoso finale at full power with more than a hint of gypsy fire.  The double stops were rendered with spot-on security. The last chord brought the audience simultaneously to its feet and Kavakos warmly acknowledged Schwarz and individual members of the orchestra during the prolonged ovation. 

As an encore, he offered a stylish and incisive performance of the Gigue from Bach’s Violin Partita No. 3. (Kavakos will play a Mozart concerto and conduct the New World Symphony this weekend.)

The Symphony No. 7 in D minor may be Antonin Dvořák’s finest work in the symphonic genre. Taking nothing away from the genial Eighth Symphony and the Ninth, which forged a path for the future of American music, Dvořák’s Seventh splendidly mixes Czech nationalism, romantic yearning and Brahmsian weight and sobriety in perfect proportion. 

Schwarz has given some outstanding performances of the Czech composers’ scores this fall. Last month he was joined by his son Julian Schwarz for a fresh and revelatory traversal of the Cello Concerto with the Palm Beach ensemble. He also led the University of Miami’s Frost Symphony Orchestra in a virile reading of the “New World” symphony.

Tuesday night’s insightful, shapely iteration of the Seventh Symphony surpassed even Schwarz’s previous outstanding Dvořák efforts. The high tension in the opening phrases of the Allegro maestoso set the stage for what was to come. Schwarz tautly controlled the movement’s structure and trajectory. The Czech folk rhythms were clearly present, balanced by minor key gravitas and solemnity. The warmth of the winds finely conveyed the nostalgia of the Poco adagio. Schwarz carefully calibrated the dramatic interjections in the second movement, with the big climaxes registering sonic impact. 

There was lilt and a sense of sadness in the Valse Scherzo with the main theme given dancing infectiousness. The dark opening of the finale resounded impressively, with the brisk tempo for the Allegro marking effective contrast. Spirit and lightness characterized the Czech dance aura of the following section. Schwarz consistently drew tonal glow from the ensemble’s individual choirs and the final full-throttle reprise of the finale’s opening motif resounded through the hall.

The evening opened with Suzanne Elizabeth Dansby conducting the orchestra in The Star Spangled Banner. Dansby had won the conducting spot for the National Anthem in a fund-raising auction at the orchestra’s annual gala.

Leonidas Kavakos plays Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 and conducts the New World Symphony in Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the New World Center in Miami Beach. nws.edu

Gerard Schwarz conducts the Palm Beach Symphony in Jennifer Higdon’s Blue Cathedral, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major with Jean-Yves Thibaudet 7:30 p.m. January 13, 2025 at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.   palmbeachsymphony.org

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