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Reviews
The Cincinnati Enquirer
By Janelle Gelfand
Conductor Gisèle Ben-Dor confirms the growing belief
that a woman's place is on the podium.
The guest conductor galvanized Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra
in its season-opening concert Sunday afternoon in Memorial
Hall. Her program of Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Haydn
resulted in a memorable debut that twice brought the
crowd of 521 to its feet.
Ms. Ben-Dor, music director of the Santa Barbara Symphony
and Boston Pro Arte Chamber Orhcestra, is authoritative,
intelligent and dynamic, but what is most striking about
her conducting is her musicality. With her clear, precise
beat and immense arsenal of interpretative gestures,
nothing was left to the imagination Sunday, and the
CCO responded with inspired playing.
For instance, in the first theme of Tchaikovsky's Serenade
for Strings, she favored big, bold gestures, resulting
in a dark timbre and firm ensemble. The waltzes of the
second movment were full of charm and spontaneity; phrases
were lilting and elegant, yet they always had momentum.
In the impassioned Elegie, one could see the
influence of Ms. Ben-Dor's mentor, Leonard Bernstein.
Several times in the ensuing Beethoven concert and Haydn's
Symphony No. 104, she leapt into the air to punctuate
a phrase. Nothing was predictable or contrived about
her direction, and that made it all the more riveting.
That rare musical alchemy continued with pianist James
Tocco, eminent scholar/artist-in-residence at the University
of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, who was
soloist in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.2 in B-flat.
It was a vibrant, satisfying collaboration. Mr. Tocco,
who made his debut at age 12 with this work, played
with utmost finesse and captured its near-Mozartean
spirit with pristine articulation.
Ms. Ben-Dor proved a superior partner, matching Mr.
Tocco's tempos perfectly, and often turning to communicate
with him.
To conclude the afternoon, Ms. Ben-Dor led Haydn's
last symphony, the "London," without a score. The ensemble
in the strings was excellent, and the brass never overpowered,
even in the acoustically problematic hall.
Ms. Ben-Dor pushed the finale ahead on pure adrenaline,
and her drive to the finish ended with a leap.
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