Concert Review: Memphis Symphony Orchestra showcases its all-local talent

Last weekend's performances by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra put into sharp focus just how capable it can be with what it has here in the city.

There were no guest conductors, and the two guest performers were local talent. There were no brand new commissioned pieces nor showy works with multimedia effects.

And the result was to show that the MSO, which can make a big splash when it wants to, is also taking care of the basics, building up its reputation with solid performances and programming.

The program, though not the most innovative, was a nice mix of moods and style. And while sometimes a clunker gets on the playlist, the four pieces in this Masterworks concert were each terrific compositions.

At Saturday night's concert at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts (a second concert was scheduled Sunday afternoon at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre), maestro Mei-Ann Chen opened with Johann Strauss Jr.'s can't-miss crowd-pleaser "On the Blue Danube." It is a lovely piece and was lovingly performed even with some minor rough edges from the brass.

The next piece was Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos in D Minor, a challenging and engaging work done justice by two local keyboardists. Adrienne Park is the MSO's principal pianist and Victor Santiago Asuncion is on the faculty of the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis. Both are collaborative pianists and played with gorgeous expressiveness and vitality while keeping the performance seamless.

The work itself is a fascinating tour of styles and expressions, evoking Mozart, then veering into contemporary territory, heading off toward passionate cinematic sonorities and delivering moments of quiet grace. And unlike Ravel's clumsy stab at being jazzy in his Piano Concerto (recently performed by the MSO), the Poulenc digs deeper for a wider array of expression.

The third piece was Smetana's "The Moldau," another popular work led by MSO associate conductor Stilian Kirov, who gave it a solid, straightforward interpretation.

The final work of the evening, with Chen back at the podium, was Respighi's "The Pines of Rome," triumphantly performed by the MSO. It's a big, vivid orchestral tone poem, suffused with brilliant colors and brimming with life. The final movement had several brass players stationed around the mezzanine level, surrounding the Cannon Center with plenty of Roman energy and excitement.

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