Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1

I have a lot of Utah Symphony concerts during the month of February and this makes me so happy!  Last night the orchestra was led by guest conductor Jun Markl (who is one of my favorites) and the concert featured a performance by Concertmaster Madeline Adkins as a soloist so it was pretty amazing!  The evening began and ended with symphonic poems by Richard Strauss, Macbeth and Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, and both featured quotes from the original sources and images projected on a screen.  I especially enjoyed Macbeth because the play is one of my favorites by Shakespeare and I could definitely hear the themes representing Macbeth's ambition, Lady Macbeth's attempts to persuade Macbeth to commit murder, the murder of Duncan, the madness of Macbeth, the triumph of Macduff (I loved the fanfare), and the death of Macbeth.  I was less familiar with the source material for Till Eulenspiegel but it was really fun to hear themes representing the trickster played by the solo horn and solo clarinet and those representing his pranks on workmen, clergymen, and intellectuals.  I particularly enjoyed the powerful use of percussion when he is sentenced to death by hanging for blasphemy and the clarinet which is dramatically cut off as the sentence is carried out.  I really like Adkins so my favorite piece was Concerto No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra by Sergei Prokofiev.  Even though it was composed during the most turbulent period of the Russian Revolution, it is very beautiful and lyrical.  The first movement is ethereal and the third movement is passionate (I loved the themes played by the bassoon and the tuba in the third) but my favorite was the second movement because the violin solos are absolutely dazzling as they gain intensity and speed (the sheer number of notes played is astonishing).  Adkins performed the piece brilliantly (someone sitting near me exclaimed that it was magical) and she received an enthusiastic standing ovation!  The orchestra also performed In Nature's Realm by Antonin Dvorak.  This piece is about the power of nature as both a life-giving as well as destructive force and it is very atmospheric.  I especially enjoyed the brief themes played by the flutes and oboes signifying birdsong.  I thoroughly enjoyed this concert and recommend getting a ticket for tonight's performance of the same program (go here for tickets).

Note:  This is a Masterworks Magnified program so there are lots of activities in the lobby before the concert.  You may even encounter Till Eulenspiegel up to his usual tricks.