BeaconMediaNews.com
FEBRUARY 23, 2012 - FEBRUARY 29, 2012 7
Seductive Performances at Ambassador Auditorium by bill peters
-Courtesy Photo
Pasadena Symphony's Classics Series presented last Saturday evening at HRock's Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena was inviting, ingratiating, and as advertised, seductive. The theme of the concert was "Seductive Scheherazade". Who could overlook concertmaster Aimee Kreston's suave violin playing in Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade. Or piano soloist Esther Keel's magnificent artistry, emotion and pianistic skill in Camille Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto No. 5 in F-major, slyly named "The Egyptian". And how about guest conductor Rossen Milanov with his driving beat directing in the showpiece, Alexander Borodin's "Polyvtsian Dances" from "Prince Igor"? The Symphony had named the program "Seductive Scheherazade" but the entire performance
was filled with a siren call to listeners to hear an orchestra that is coming into full depth of spirit and of playing. Esther Keel's performance at a wonderfully voiced concert-grand Steinway was phenomenal. Keel utilized keyboard technique that seems to blend old-style accuracy and modern sensibility leading to a rendering of the not-too-often heard Saint-Saens work filled with colorful timbre, careful pedaling, and brisk, clean arpeggios. Milanov is rather boyish in appearance. His conducting style is buoyant and bouncy. While too much bounce might prove distracting, it is hard to know if the style brought the top-rate performances that resulted. It appeared that was the case. Whatever the reason, the bookended opener and closer, the Borodin and the Rimsky-Korsakov couldn't
have been better. The violins were burnished in warmth, the brass shone brilliantly, the winds waxed eloquent. In the "Scheherazade", beyond Kreston's marvelous (and even soulful) playing, outstanding performances came from every principal player with special work by Rong-Huey Liu oboe, David Shostac, flute, Donald Foster, clarinet, Katherine Oliver, bassoon, Marissa Benedict,+ trumpet, and cellist Trevor Handy. This orchestra is receiving broad community support as it reaches probably its highest level of achievement in its long history. Laurie Turner, chair of the 2011 Holiday Lookin Home Tour, represented The Women's Committee of the Pasadena Symphony Association to present Chief Executive Officer, Paul Jan Zdunek, a check for $100,000 as a result of their successful Holiday tour. The Women's Committee, with the help of a generous donation from the late Beebe Nuetzman, last year donated $500,000 to the Symphony which, according to Zdunek, was matched over the summer. Beethoven and Mozart make up the next Pasadena Symphony program in two performances, at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Saturday, March 31, as guest conductor, Nicholas McGegan, and pianist Nareh Arghamanyan perform. Arghamanyan will be heard in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D-minor; McGegan will lead the orchestra in Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, "Eroica".
FREE FAMILY HISTORY SEMINAR Discover how to find and record the names of your ancestors! Will teach how to use familysearch.org and ancestry.com. Class taught by a certified family history consultant.
WHERE: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - Day Saints 532 W. Lemon, Monrovia, CA WHEN: Sunday, February 26, 2012 @ 6:30-8:00 PM
Recycle Used Oil & Filters! Do you change your car’s motor oil? Did you know that used motor oil and oil filters are recyclable? Used oil can be re-refined or processed into new motor oil. Currently only 46% of used motor oil is being recycled, which means 20 million gallons may be illegally entering California’s waterways via stormwater systems, posing a great risk to the environment. One gallon of used oil can contaminate a million gallons of drinking water; polluting our waterways and threaten fish and aquatic life. Prevent pollution; recycle used motor oil and filters! Local collection centers you can take Used Motor Oil and Filters to be recycled: ARCADIA Racetrack 76 C&L Collision Center 701 West Huntington Drive 132 Las Tunas Dr. (626) 358-2591 (626) 445-6630 RFG Oil Inc. Firestone 3 E. Duarte Rd. 1500 S. Baldwin Ave. (626) 574-7138 (626) 446-2164
MONROVIA BMW of Monrovia 1425 S. Mountain Ave. (626) 358-4269
Jiffy Lube 5 W. Huntington Dr. (626) 446-7980
O’Reilly Auto Parts* 723 E. Huntington Dr. (626) 303-2637
O’Reilly Auto Parts* 37 Las Tunas Dr. (626) 447-0748
Oil Stop* 746 E. Huntington Dr. (626) 357-6711
Homer’s Auto Service* 148. Lemon Ave. (626) 358-6259
Pep Boys* 201 W. Huntington Dr. (626) 303-3906 Pick-a-Part Auto* 3333 S. Peck Rd. (626) 445-2922 Sierra Autocars, Inc.* 1450 S. Shamrock Ave. * Accepts used oil filters (626) 359-8291 * Accepts used oil filters
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