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Founded in 1990, the Russian National Orchestra became the first Russian orchestra that was entirely free of government funds. It made its Seattle debut in 2001 and returned for a third time Tuesday night at Benaroya Hall for an all-Russian program conducted by its founding music director, Mikhail Pletnev, who is best known as a pianist.
There was plenty to enjoy, especially Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise" and Tchaikovsky's Third Suite, bookends for the concert.
"Vocalise," a wordless song written in 1912, is undoubtedly one of the most haunting and beautiful melodies ever composed. The orchestra, in an orchestration by the composer, played it with considerable beauty but without affectation. Never did it indulge in slush-pump gestures, giving the long-limbed tune a simplicity and seamlessness that made it appear to have hardly a beginning and no end. The phrases were pliant and fluent and the strings unusually limpid in timbre.
Tchaikovsky was particularly fond of his Third Suite. So was George Balanchine, who set a ballet to it. That was not hard to understand after hearing the Russian National Orchestra give the sweet flow of melody abundant life. The string sound is not opulent like some Russian orchestras. It is lean, highly focused, transparent. The performance was one of grace and restrained emotional power.
One caveat: The fast sections in the final movement were too fast. They made no musical sense, rushing from one ill-defined phrase to another. Alas.
The big warhorse on the program was Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto. The soloist was Alexander Mogilevsky. I can't remember when I have witnessed a more nervous performance. Not only did Mogilevsky wring his hands with a handkerchief at every possible moment, as well as wipe his face, his whole approach was edgy and anxious. Tempos were mercurial and unpredictable with passagework sometimes slurred. The fast moments were worse because they were unconnected with one another and seemingly appearing on the brink of disaster. Heroic they were not.
However, the slow moments were the opposite -- breathtakingly beautiful with a singing tone and unforced lyricism. There also was a striking rubato and pliant phrases. Pletnev was not a sympathetic partner, the result of which was discord between soloist and orchestra.
Not surprisingly, the Russian National Orchestra has substantial financial support in the West, including arts patron Charles Simonyi of Seattle, who is also a major supporter of the Seattle Symphony.
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