With careful direction by Scott Speck and virtuosic playing from violinist Njioma Chinyere Grevious, the Chicago Philharmonic blew away the audience with Camille Saint-Saëns' violin concerto No. 3 in B-minor. The concert was free, and it attracted a large, enthusiastic crowd at Studebaker Theater on Wednesday.
A recent graduate of Juilliard, Grevious is the Artist in Residence for the Chicago Phil. Dressed in a purple sequined gown, her effect was radiant and her playing was otherworldly.
The concert started with the American premiere of a fascinating piece by Polish composer Elżbieta Sikora. Over its three movements, Liquid Air gives sound to various aspects of this super-cold substance shifting from liquid to gas. One characteristic of liquid air is its denseness, and this concept pervades the piece.
In introducing the work, Speck turned to members of the orchestra to illustrate various playing techniques Sikora requested. These included glissandos in the strings, bowing the bass at the bottom of the strings below the bridge, flutter tongue on the flute, random sounds on the trumpets, and cymbal rolls.
The opening movement starts very slowly in the basses. Higher notes are gradually added, creating an aural soup. Density pervaded, as it did in the second movement, which was a bit faster. Melodies emerge in the finale as the trombones sounded it. This was a very interesting piece in concept and performance.
After a quick set change, the Chicago Phil broke right into the Saint-Saëns. Over a quietly humming orchestra, Grevious entered with precise technique and intense virtuosity from the very beginning. She held nothing back, and firmly controlled her violin in its entirety.
Speck coordinated the orchestra with Grevious marvelously. Whether she was playing alongside strings, woodwinds, brass, or the whole orchestra, the cohesion and balance was fabulous. He conducted with the baton in his right hand and arms largely staying below his shoulders. In his hands, the orchestra was amazingly precise. Starts and endings to phrases were crisp, and intonation was perfect.
In the bucolic secondary theme of the opening movement, Allegro non troppo, she provided warmth in what seemed like a pastoral setting. It was in the climax where Grevious’ bow ran its whole length across the violin while her fingers danced on the fingerboard, playing as if it were easy. It was one of the many “wow” moments in her performance.
The bucolic returned in second movement Andantino quasi allegretto. It was so romantic and beautiful. It was an excellent lead-in to the dramatic finale, which she played with precision. I definitely want to hear Njioma Grevious again.
The Chicago Philharmonic will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the film Rocky with live accompaniment at the Auditorium, Saturday, May 16, 6:30 pm. For ticket information, click here.
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