Milwaukee Symphony embraces classical-jazz hybrids of Gershwin, Milhaud

Once upon a time, when jazz was young and the world was reveling in a modern age, composers from both the classical and jazz sides of the metaphorical fence that separates the two worlds tried to meld elements of those disparate musical genres.

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor/pianist Jeffrey Kahane put three hybrid pieces of this era on stage Friday evening with performances of Darius Milhaud’s “La creation du monde” ("The Creation of the World"), George Gershwin’s Concerto in F major for Piano and Orchestra and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances.

Kahane conducted and performed the Milhaud and the Gershwin seated at a piano, which was nested in the orchestra with its lid removed. He led colorful, exciting performances of both pieces, bringing a raw, improvisatory feel to the solo piano lines.

Whether it was by design or a product of the position of the lid-less piano, Kahane played both pieces with a bright, strident sound. His interpretations were brisk, brusque and at times hurried and harsh.     

He brought biting attacks and a musical impatience to both pieces. His take on the Gershwin was bright and clipped, trading the elegance one often hears from pianists playing this piece, for a musical impatience. 

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The 17-piece ensemble accompanying the Milhaud gave a beautifully rendered, musically profound performance, built of a wealth of colors, and an easy command of the composer’s stylistic demands, and artful interplay between individual orchestral voices.

The full orchestra accompanied the Gershwin, playing with the musical sensibility and communication of a chamber ensemble.   

Kahane took the podium to lead Rachmaninoff’s set of three Symphonic Dances. The piece was a showcase of polished, expressive playing from individual orchestral voices and beautifully woven combinations of those voices.

They gave the piece’s second movement, with its nostalgic, hesitating waltz passages, an achingly nostalgic feel before giving an evocative, powerful delivery of the piece’s final movement.

Kahane answered a cheering ovation after the Gershwin with an encore of his own fluid, moody contemplation of “America the Beautiful.”

This Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concert will be repeated qt 8 p.m. Saturday at the Marcus Center's Uihlein Hall, 929 N. Water St. For tickets, visit www.mso.org, or call (414) 273-7206.