Concert featured music of Mozart

Russian violinist Philippe Quint and Youngstown's Calvin Lewis were paired.
By ROBERT ROLLIN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
With the world celebrating Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 250th birthday this year, it is not surprising that Maestro Isaiah Jackson would devote an entire Powers Auditorium evening to him Saturday night.
It was especially delightful that Jackson chose wonderful music for two violins and small orchestra to highlight the occasion.
The stellar young Russian violinist Philippe Quint was paired with talented Youngstown Symphony Concertmaster Calvin Lewis in a fine performance of the Concertone in C Major, K. 190, composed when Mozart was a mere 18 years old.
The two violinists played beautifully and exchanged ideas gracefully without overshadowing the accompaniment.
As indicated in Cary Yellin's cogent program notes, the piece has much in common with the Baroque era concerto grosso, with Mozart choosing a group of instruments from the orchestra to come to the fore in certain passages as a soloistic group.
The tuneful first movement, Allegro vivace, soon showed that the first oboe is at times an equal partner with the two violins, and Principal Oboist Cynthia Watson did an excellent job on her solos.
An exceptionally expressive sequential passage between the two violins gave way to a fine soloistic cadenza performed by both solo violinists and oboe.
What came next
The second movement, Andante grazioso, in a moderate triple meter, had some intricate rhythms, and interesting doublings among the soloists and the two oboes.
Calvin Lewis played his two difficult passages beautifully and matched sound and color with Philippe Quint. Principal Cellist Michael Gelfand accompanied effectively in solo passages with the two violins and oboe.
The closing brisk minuet had the two violins playing in unison at times.
A few intonation problems in the lower solo strings were the only imperfections in an otherwise impeccable performance.
Violinist Quint shined in his rendition of Mozart's Rondo in B Flat Major, K. 269.
The piece's lovely phrasing and interesting harmonies were scintillatingly performed, and Quint's gutsy two solo cadenza passages included powerful double stops and a fingered cadenza in the violin's stratospheric register.
Encore
His encore was an impossibly difficult solo piece by Paganini, replete with left-hand pizzicatos and intricate passage work.
The audience was absolutely delighted with his skillful technique.
Mozart's charming Symphony No. 34 in C Major, K. 338, closed the program.
The first movement, Allegro vivace, had a lovely development moving to minor keys, and the second, Andante, a graceful flow.
The finale included passages for paired oboes and interesting diminished seventh-chord progressions.
Even more charming was the fantasialike ballet from the opera Idomeneo, K. 367, which opened the program, and amounted to a series of interlocking, short, contrasting movements with a final reprise.
Maestro Jackson maintained control of tempo and dynamics and provided fine interpretive skills throughout the entire evening.