Just as in the December program: "Hidden Holiday Treasures," Sarasota Orchestra Marketing and PR dept has misled me again with the program entitled "Ax Plays Beethoven." Let me say first that the initial performances were thrilling!! And I have no complaints about the orchestra itself. These people are so very talented. Emanuel Ax was a miracle to behold, as his fingers moved like lightening over the piano keys, despite his age. Ax and the orchestra played some wonderful Beethoven symphonies. I wanted to hear MORE!
But that was not the case. For the second half, Ax left the stage and the orchestra played a very long Russian symphony (Symphony No. 5 Op. 100 by Sergey Prokofiev [1891-1953]). To me, it sounded like the soundtrack to Dr Zhivago or War & Peace (not too bad, but rather military-sounding and foreboding), alternating with the soundtrack to Hitchcock's shower scene!! Very hard for me to absorb and enjoy. At one point, the violins screeched in a way I thought was so unpleasant! The performance was downright sinister and scary, much like the performance I endured at Christmastime, "Hidden Holiday Treasures" in which the "holiday" was truly HIDDEN and dirge-like music dominated with a very short dance number that bordered on demonic (see my review of this performance). I consider "Ax plays Beethoven" as another example of the Sarasota Orchestra's false advertising of an event. With Emanuel Ax having top billing in the ad, I expected that he would dominate the performance, but no. He seemed to be a guest performer "inserted" in the program. If I wanted to listen to a Russian symphony, I would have been pleased, but that's not what I thought I was going to experience.
I will be less likely to attend another event by the Orchestra until after I have talked to someone who has attended, so I could get the REAL story of what will be presented instead of the false advertising published in the brochure. I hope the PR dept is reading these reviews. read more