Pianist shines warm light on Brahms piece

It’s always a treat to hear an artist the stature of pianist Norman Krieger, who performed Brahms’ massive “Piano Concerto No. 2” with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra on Saturday night.

And Krieger did not disappoint, giving an exceptionally lyrical interpretation of Brahms’ granitic concerto that accentuated the piece’s emotional depth without slighting its drama.

Krieger is as self-effacing as possible for a pianist. It’s always, “Isn’t this beautiful music?” and never, “Aren’t I a marvelous pianist?”

Part of this is his willingness to play very quietly — and by carefully voicing chords even in the loudest passages. This lets light shine into Brahms’ often dense piano textures, bringing to mind adjectives like “ethereal” and “gossamer” that aren’t usually part of the Brahms vocabulary. In the slow third movement, he wove a spell that was sensuous and almost erotic.

But the passion was also there, especially in the demonic second movement.

Krieger also was an ideal partner for conductor Lawrence Leighton Smith and the orchestra, knowing just when to blend into the texture and when to emerge from it. The orchestra responded with a warm, rich sound, especially in the intimate third movement. Cellist Susan Smith played the third movement’s famous solo with a tender but full-bodied sound.

The first half featured Schubert’s “Symphony No. 8” and Bizet’s “Patrie” overture.

Schubert’s symphony — nicknamed the “Unfinished” because Schubert inexplicably stopped after two movements — received a chambermusiclike performance. The audience’s silence during the many quiet passages proved its attentiveness. The cellos had a particularly lovely sound for the famous second theme: equal parts confidence and sweetness.

Bizet’s rarely performed “Patrie” doesn’t quite deserve its obscurity. It contains echoes of the earlier Liszt-Berlioz “Racoczy March” without improving on its model.

It’s a pleasant and brilliantly scored piece that deserves an occasional performance.

The orchestra’s sound was especially luminous and colorful in this program's many quiet passages. But quiet passages make intonation issues particularly noticeable, and for some reason the first half of the concert contained more of these than usual on Saturday night.

Particularly jarring instances included the trumpets and trombones in Bizet’s first chorale, the not-quite-in-octaves cellos and basses at the beginning of the Schubert. Even the usually godlike French horns muffed the long note that introduces the famous second theme.

It wasn’t enough to derail the performances, but it was enough to take me out of the flow of the music.

IF YOU GO

Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra presents works by Brahms, Bizet and Schubert, with pianist Norman Krieger.

When: 2:30 p.m. today.

Where: Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave.

Tickets: $15-$52; 520-7469.

Also: Preconcert conversation one hour before show.