Editor\u2019s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques.\u00a0<\/p>\n
San Francisco\u2019s Davies Symphony Hall brimmed with warm anticipation as audience members took their seats on Saturday night. The chatter faded to a hush as an oboe played the tuning \u201cA\u201d and the winds and strings quietly checked their instruments. Conductor Xian Zhang emerged onto the stage to much applause.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The night began with a rendition of Kod\u00e1ly\u2019s \u201cDances of Gal\u00e1nta\u201d \u2014 an energetic Romani folk-inspired piece that nicely whetted the audience\u2019s appetites for the singing melodies of Tchaikovsky. Whistles and loud cheering greeted cellist Pablo Ferr\u00e1ndez as he walked onstage. The orchestra, light and subdued, began Tchaikovsky\u2019s \u201cRococo Variations.\u201d Once Ferr\u00e1ndez started the main theme, I was immediately entranced.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hailed<\/a> as a \u201ccello genius,\u201d Ferr\u00e1ndez\u2019s tone has been described<\/a> by Gramophone as \u201ccapable of both radiance and richness.\u201d He won a prize at the XV Tchaikovsky Competition, and has collaborated with other internationally renowned artists such as Anne-Sophie Mutter and Manfred Honeck.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s an exceptional reputation, and one Ferr\u00e1ndez lived up to. Too often have I struggled to properly hear the low frequencies of a solo cello accompanied by a 100-person orchestra; it\u2019s been difficult for me to understand why this instrumentation is compelling. This issue has often encouraged composers to write instead for brighter instruments with higher registers, such as the violin, causing much pain to the cello community (including me!).\u00a0<\/p>\n Somehow, Ferr\u00e1ndez\u2019s elegant, gentle sound managed to cut through the orchestra so easily that it was almost uncharacteristic of the instrument. Coupled with his carefree yet precise command of the higher register, this made the entire experience uniquely enjoyable. I was able to comfortably immerse myself in his sound. Were there more soloists with his qualities throughout history, perhaps the amount of cello repertoire might equal \u2014 if not surpass \u2014 that of other popular instruments.\u00a0<\/p>\n The performance was not perfect. Ferr\u00e1ndez made many decisions I did not agree with. His legato reflected a modernized cello technique: his bow reacted to the rhythms of his left hand, constantly starting and stopping rather than drawing smoothly over the strings. Many of his interpretative decisions conflicted with how most other cellists approach the Tchaikovsky. While some of them worked (such as his extreme accelerando on the scales in the fourth variation), others felt overly contrarian. I was especially taken aback when he played a traditionally fortissimo passage in the cadenza rather hushed and whispery. However, I have to acknowledge the courage it takes to try these new ideas. It requires true intention as a musician to strive against tradition, especially in such a popular work.<\/p>\n As he started the final, presto variation, Ferr\u00e1ndez\u2019s radiant tone never faltered, despite Tchaikovsky\u2019s tongue-twister notes and rhythms. The trade-off runs between Ferr\u00e1ndez and principal flautist Yubeen Kim were precisely matched in timing, character and virtuosity.\u00a0<\/p>\n