Saturday, February 12, 2005

Maestro William Henry Curry backstage in Shreveport

Following the standing ovation won by Wideman Piano Competition soloist Konstantyn Travinskyy in his performance with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra Saturday night, there was the briefest of awkward moments. The 24 year-old prodigy began to leave the stage. "Sorry, dear fellow," Maestro Curry seemed to say as he took the pianist by the shoulders and gracefully directed him to the piano. "You've got an encore to play."

The highly expressive pianist ripped through a rollicking "Polka" by Rachmaninoff.

The guest conductor - one of the five candidates being auditioned by the SSO this year - was charming in his description of the Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4, the evening's centerpiece. While the pizzicato sections might have been cleaner, the dynamics and triumphal ups and downs of the "Tchaik 4" were delivered.


Coming up with the SSO:
Thursday, March 3, at Hurley Music Building, Centenary College: "World Rhythms," a chamber concert featuring percussionist Chandler Teague and talented friends.
Saturday, March 19, a Masterworks concert entitled "Commedia."

And tickets for the SSO's Luxury Raffle, an extremely important fundraiser, are available online or from this writer, at 861-6809.

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