Two long time collaborators, violinist Lisa Batiashvili and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin provided a super-charged account of the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Montreal's Orchestre Métropolitain. Batiashvili proved that she has earned a spot at the pinnacle of her generation's luminary instrumental soloists – on an equal footing with, for example, Alisa Weilerstein and Daniil Trifonov.
From the outset, Batiashvili was spell-binding, tantalisingly emerging from a mist that had been ethereally concocted by her OM companions. Here is a violinist who never resorts to forcing her sound, as it unfailingly carried over the orchestra and projected throughout the hall. Protracted cadenza-like passages were handled with fiery magnetism. Batiashvili's expressive palette was exhaustive, transitioning in successive movements from magus to prima donna to mischievous imp.
A significant factor in this stellar account of the concerto was the symbiosis between soloist and conductor. Both Batiashvili and Nézet-Séguin reacted spontaneously to the other's interpretive nuances, resulting in a powerful synergy that catapulted the notes off the page. Balances within the orchestra as well as between the orchestra and soloist were superb.
Some captious observations: in the frenetic sections of the opening movement, a few of the orchestra's entries were tenuous. Also, there was a bit of a tug of war with respect to the tempo to be taken in the last movement between Lisa (let's pick it up) Batiashvili and Yannick (not so fast) Nézet-Séguin; perhaps this will be resolved before their imminent repeat performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Quibbling aside, this reading of the Sibelius Violin Concerto knocked it out of the park.
Sibelius' Sixth and Seventh Symphonies comprised the remainder of the programme, thereby completing the OM's set of recordings of all his symphonic cycle. Nézet-Séguin exploited his supernatural ability to elicit the absolute best effort from each and every one of his orchestral collaborators. The full string playing was sumptuous; the woodwinds provided many sublime moments. The calibre of that section has been appreciably augmented by principal flautist Ariane Brisson and second bassoonist Gabrièle Dostie-Poirier. The brass section ignited for a rousing conclusion to the Sixth's Poco vivace movement. Trombonist Patrice Richer was up to the soloistic demands of the Seventh. Nézet-Séguin's delectably long phrase arcs fostered the sense of transcendence that this single movement work evokes.
The OM and its star Music Director once again proved themselves worthy of the multitudinous and fervent local support they have garnered.
