Concert review: Galways, RSO shine with wit, virtuosity

Concert review: Galways, RSO shine with wit, virtuosity 

By Tim Gaylard, Special to The Roanoke Times

The famed Irish flutist Sir James Galway and his wife, Jeanne, were the featured artists with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra at the Performing Arts Theatre on Sunday afternoon. Maestro David Stewart Wiley led the appealing program of Glinka, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Cimarosa for a sold-out house of more than 2,000 audience members.

Galway, who has been a leading classical performer for decades, played a joyful rendition of Mozart’s Flute Concerto in D major. Galway applied the sound of his golden flute with admirable breath control, and he displayed sensitive nuances in the dynamic shadings of his instrument, most notably in the sustained beauties of the slow movement.

The audience was lucky to have not just one Galway but two, when Sir James’ wife, Lady Galway, joined him to perform Cimarosa’s Concerto for Two Flutes in G major. The couple sailed through the elegant and graceful score, playing off each others’ musical lines with a unified approach and delightful repartee. The audience responded to this expert partnership with a well-deserved standing ovation. The Galways reciprocated by playing a number of encores, the highlights of the whole concert.

Sir James amused the audience with his Irish wit and charm as he introduced the items. He and his wife played a zippy arrangement of Mozart’s “Rondo Alla Turca,” followed by Cindy McTee’s beautiful arrangement of ”Shenandoah.”

Then Sir James took the stage alone. He played two Irish folk tunes, the latter an absolutely ravishing “Danny Boy.” Then a Bach “Badinerie,” taken at breath-taking speed, was repeated at an even more miraculous presto tempo.

Wiley provided a supportive orchestral sound for the soloists, and let the RSO shine in three crowd-pleasers for the orchestra alone.

In the second half of the program, Wiley conducted Mendelssohn’s beloved tone-poem, known as either the ”Hebrides” or “Fingal’s Cave” overture. In this piece, the audience heard some of the best orchestral wind playing of the concert, especially from the clarinets.

Finally, as the audience was leaving, Sir James appeared one more time and played an Irish tune on his own. The crowd responded with clapping.

Timothy Gaylard is music professor at Washington and Lee University.