The Madison Symphony Orchestra began its centennial season at the Overture Center for the Arts for an audience of young and old to celebrate with “Pure Joy Opening Night: Magical Tchaikovsky” on Sept. 19.
The program featured three Tchaikovsky works: the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 and the Theme and Variations from Suite No. 3, Op. 55.
As the orchestra played each song within the span of 90 minutes, it felt as if the chamber itself was suspended in time, as each piece felt like a romantic dream full of bliss.
Beginning in 1925, the orchestra has performed through the Great Depression, two world wars, the moon landing and the invention of the World Wide Web. The MSO has had only four music directors throughout its history, with Maestro John DeMain, who plans to retire this year, serving for the last 32 years.
Throughout DeMain’s career, he has conducted major opera houses and symphonies across the United States and internationally, championing both classic and contemporary works, and mentored generations of musicians, shaping the artistic direction of the MSO.
From winning the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording in 1976 to receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Opera Association in 2023, DeMain has garnered prominent awards for his contributions to opera and orchestral music.
DeMain opened with Romeo and Juliet, capturing the emotional depth of Shakespeare's play. As the basses and the cellos' strings boomed, the clarinets, along with the violins, rose with the trickling of the harp. During the 20 minutes, the audience watched as each performer moved like a clock, slowly shifting their bodies as they played. Like the play itself, the music was romantic in nature. When the song ended, the piano was brought to the stage, causing murmurs of excitement as guest pianist Olga Kern walked out in a bright red dress designed by Alex Teih.
Kern, a Russian classical pianist who has been playing since she was five, returned to Madison for her sixth appearance with the orchestra. As the winner of the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and a longtime Steinway Artist, Kern launched her international career as a teenager and has since performed with major orchestras worldwide.
As Kern bowed and took her seat at the piano, she immediately launched into the performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23. Fingers dancing over the keys like a ballerina, Kern immersed herself in the music, swaying as she played. In the finale, the orchestra swelled and receded in waves, echoing Kern's dynamic phrasing and drawing the audience into the music's ebb and flow.
As she ended the concerto, the audience gave her a standing ovation, filling the chamber with cheers and whoops. In response, Kern returned for an encore, playing Etude Op. 2 No. 4 by Sergei Prokofiev for an audience and orchestra who silently watched her hands breeze over the keys.
As Kern left the stage with multiple bows, the orchestra prepared to play their final song — the Theme and Variations from Suite No. 3, Op. 55. The song was like an informal goodbye, promising to see the audience again for their next concert. When the instruments combined, it became a harmonious song that felt like a city bustling to life. When the first violin, Naha Greenholtz, played the solo, the orchestra would back her up with the slow plucks of their strings. The orchestra concluded the piece to sustained applause, bringing the Madison Symphony Orchestra's 100th anniversary opening night to a celebratory close.
Some of the upcoming shows the MSO will perform are "Disney and Pixar, Toy Story in Concert,” on Oct. 5, “Primal Light,” on Oct. 17 and "Radiance," on Nov. 21-23.
