Long Island Philharmonic tackles Sibelius work

BY VERNE GAY | verne.gay@newsday.com

April 4, 2008

Sibelius' violin concerto may be one of those standards best heard instead of played: It's a big, rousing, gorgeous monster of a piece, with a head-spinning cadenza (or two) and enough instrumental gymnastics to turn the soloist into something of a Comaneci (or pretzel.)

Which is another way of saying, tonight's Long Island Philharmonic program at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts should be an interesting one (8 p.m., with performances at Tilles and Staller tomorrow and Sunday; other works include Haydn's "London" symphony and some selections from Handel's "Music for the Royal Fireworks."

This particular program's called "Orchestral Fireworks."

Appropriate on all counts.

And what makes tonight's show especially noteworthy is the soloist. She's Centerport native Erica Kiesewetter, who's also the orchestra's concertmaster. In a phone interview, she said, "one of the things Sibelius wanted to be was a violin virtuoso and he spent his entire life dreaming [he was one]. So he threw everything he could think of in this [piece]." One earlier version, in fact, was so difficult it was widely deemed unplayable, although Philharmonic Music Director David Wiley wondered whether Kiesewetter might like to tackle that one. She demurred.

"The thing," she adds, "that is so fantastic about the piece are not the pyrotechnics, but, because Sibelius was such an original composer that even the cadenza has this kind of odd, haunting, eerie otherworldly quality to it. One of the things that drew me to is that it was a terribly personal piece to Sibelius."

A piece - she might have added - that's also both accessible and exciting to audiences. "It's a work that can stand alongside the Brahms, Beethoven and Mendelssohn ," says Wiley, "and it's been one of the great concertos since its premiere in 1904. It really shows Sibelius at the top of his game, along with the Second Symphony."

Kiesewetter, concertmaster since 2002, holds the same role with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Opera Orchestra of New York, New York Pops, Stamford Symphony and Amici New York.

WHEN&WHERE

The Long Island Philharmonic performs "Orchestral Fireworks." Tickets for each show $68, $50, $38.

Tonight at 8 at Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, 71 E. Main St.; 631-207-1313; patchoguetheatre.com

Tomorrow at 8 p.m. at Tilles Center on the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University, Brookville; 516-299-3100; tillescenter.org.

Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at Staller Center at Stony Brook University; 631-632-2787; stallercenter.com.