WARREN PHILHARMONIC Young virtuoso gives expressive performance

Iryna Krechkovsky caught the spirit and passion of the music very well.
By JEROME K. STEPHENS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
WARREN -- One of the most melodic compositions for the violin is the first movement of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, the "Singing Strings" in Sunday's Warren Philharmonic concert, "Dancing Hats and Singing Strings," conducted by Maestra Susan Devanny Wyner at the Packard Music Hall.
The "Dancing Hats" referred to Manuel de Falla's ballet, "El Sombrero de Tres Picos," or "The Three Cornered Hat.
The Violin Concerto was begun in 1838 and completed in 1844. Ferdinand David, Mendelssohn's first violinist in the Gewandhaus orchestra, played the premier on a Guarneri violin, which was later possessed by Heifetz. It is a deservedly popular concert standard, and a must in every virtuoso's repertoire.
The young virtuoso, Iryna Krechkovsky, was the soloist. Her technique was almost flawless, but, more importantly, it was very expressive. She caught the spirit and passion of the music very well. She also had an excellent stage presence. She should go far in her chosen career. The violin she used, while not the Guarneri of Ferdinand David, had excellent tone and responsiveness. It was very well suited to the intimate venue of Sunday's concert.
Beethoven symphony
Ludwig van Beethoven composed the Symphony No. 4, which opened the program, in 1806. The premier took place in March 1807. It is considered by some to be not as assertive as some of his other symphonies, but it is very far from being a lesser work. It was characterized by Berlioz as "generally lively, nimble, joyous, or of a heavenly sweetness."
Still, saying that something of Beethoven is not as assertive as usual is like saying that one firecracker wasn't as loud as the others. The fireworks were still there, and, as played by the Warren Philharmonic, I didn't notice any real difference.
The first movement especially set the tone of the afternoon. Maestra Wyner and the Warren Philharmonic clearly follow Toscanini's dictum to his orchestras, "sing -- always sing." The Mendelssohn concerto and the Beethoven symphony really sang. And it wasn't just the strings, it was all the instruments.
The Suite No. 1, taken from "The Three Cornered Hat," rounded out the program. It began as a pantomime based on a humorous novel of the same title by Pedro de Alar & oacute;n. Diaghilev and his choreographer, Massine, became interested in this little work in 1917, and persuaded de Falla to expand it into a one-act ballet. This was successfully premiered in London in 1919, and, for this, used sets designed by Pablo Picasso.
It is not as melodic as the other two compositions, but that is to be expected of an early 20th century work. It has its own characteristics, which set the scene of the ballet's story, The music is clearly Spanish in tone and was given a very spirited performance by the orchestra.