(Rachel Lee Priday)
Extraordinary performance by young violinist high point of
KZN Philharmonic’s fourth concert. (Review by Michael Green)
An extraordinary performance by a young American/Korean
violinist was the high point of the fourth concert of the KZN Philharmonic
Orchestra’s winter season, in the Durban City Hall.
The player was Rachel Lee Priday, who was born in Chicago 28
years ago of Korean ancestry. Rachel Lee is her maiden name. Three years ago
she married Rory Priday, who is like her a graduate of Harvard University. He
is an analyst for a New York investment firm.
The work performed with the orchestra was Niccolo Paganini’s
Concerto No. 1 D major, which is widely regarded as one of the most challenging
works in the entire violin repertoire. Paganini (Italian, 1782-1840) was a pop
star of 200 years ago, a violinist of legendary powers who had a carefully
cultivated satanic image: gaunt body, long black hair, wild eyes, sinister.
His first concerto is bold, lyrical, spirited, not very
demoniac really, but fiendishly difficult: complex double-stopping of the
strings of the violin, quick shifts of key, trills, fast pizzicato phrases, all
the tricks of the trade.
The slender, good-looking Rachel Lee handled all this with
immense skill and aplomb. She has established a big reputation in the United
States, and it is easy to see and hear why. And she is not just a superb
technician. For me some of the best moments of the concerto came in Paganini’s
lyrical cantabile passages, when the soloist delivered a lovely full, true
tone.
She was rewarded at the end with a prolonged ovation from an
excited audience.
The orchestra were in fine fettle, here and elsewhere in the
programme. The conductor of the evening was another visiting American, Michael
Morgan, a musician of substantial quality and experience.
The other big item on the programme was Mendelssohn’s
irresistibly cheerful and tuneful Italian Symphony, No. 4 in A major. It was
taken at a brisk tempo, with the conductor showing good control and a
sympathetic, pleasant temperament.
Two lesser known works completed a programme of highly agreeable
nineteenth century music: Schubert’s Overture, Op. 170, called In the Italian Style, and Dvorak’s Nocturne
for Strings, Op. 40. The latter started life as a slow movement for an early
quartet and in 1883 Dvorak rewrote it for string orchestra. It is calm and
beautiful, and the orchestra’s string section, about 40 players, gave a highly
skilled, well-balanced performance. - Michael Green
(To link direct to the
KZN Philharmonic’s website click on the orchestra’s banner advert on the top
right hand of the page above the National Arts Festival banner)
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