In the1960s, a cellist/conductor couple attained superstar status. Several decades later, Daniel Barenboim invited Alisa Weilerstein to play the Elgar Concerto with the Berliner Philharmoniker – a work that he had largely avoided performing since his wife Jacqueline du Pré's premature death. At this concert, Weilerstein performed with a frequent musical partner – her husband, Rafael Payare.
The couple chose Prokofiev's Sinfonia concertante for this programme with Payare's Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. It was evident from the outset that this concerto had been more thoroughly rehearsed than is sometimes the norm with this ensemble. The hue of Weilerstein's cello sound served as a portent of the haunting character of the opening Andante. Both sharply articulated and lyrical material was handled with aplomb by the OSM strings.
Despite extreme technical challenges of the Allegro guisto, Weilerstein was able to finesse the music's sardonic character. The cadenzas, resplendent with lightening quick double- and triple-stops, were endowed with expressive phrase arcs.
The Our Toast folk melody that launches the Andante con moto was brilliantly rendered by the solo bassoonist. This boisterous tune was passed to Weilerstein, then to a solo string quartet of section leaders and finally to a double-reed quartet. In this passing of the torch, the orchestra demonstrated a cultivated degree of sensitivity, too often exclusively associated with chamber music ensembles. Payare seemed to fear that the OSM accompanists might derail in this tricky and infrequently performed composition. In fact their reading was not only secure, but also tastefully balanced and nuanced.