Eastman Presents

The Corea/Gadd Band

It’s difficult to know which factored more into the excellent attendance at this concert – the notoriety of Chick Corea and/or Steve Gadd, or its auspicious timing at Meliora weekend (the University of Rochester’s “family weekend”). Personally, I’ve been a Corea fan ever since my teens, when my younger brother introduced me to “Return to Forever” (the band, the album, and the song).

Both musicians were given honorary degrees by Eastman, and Steve Gadd, who went to high school in Irondequoit and graduated from Eastman, actually started to cry when he received his. They both played incredibly (as did the other multicultural members of the band), and while they mostly played songs from a soon-to-be-released album they were promoting, they did play “Return to Forever” (I was hoping for “Spain” or “500 Miles High”…). It was fascinating to watch Gadd at the drums – his short-sleeved shirt showed that his arms are still, at his age, all muscle. They definitely left the audience wanting more when the left the stage.

Orchestra dell’Accadamia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia – Rome

Coming on the heels of the Corea/Gadd concert, one couldn’t help but draw audience comparisons. While there was more age diversity (including plenty of youth on this Monday night) than usual at a symphonic concert, there were also plenty more empty seats. I liked that the hall lights were dimmed only slightly (I find the usual darkening of the hall not only is an invitation to nap, but is also harder on the eyes as you’re staring into the lighted stage). However, that must have given the sizable orchestra (and it was enormous – 36 violinists!) a better view of how sparse the audience was. A pair of Eastman students behind me were commenting about their need to go practice, and one of them remarked that there was no reason to stay past intermission (the piano soloist was in the first half). Ah, the arrogance of youth – I just hope these musicians don’t encounter audiences like themselves someday! To be fair, one of them did return. But not everyone did. Were these people really only there to hear the truly talented Beatrice Rana play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26? Or were they frightened by the second half of the program (which didn’t specify the lengths of the pieces), which would commence around 9:15 and included two Respighi pieces with 4 movements each?

The entire performance, from the mass entrance of the musicians to the two encores, was riveting. The orchestra’s pianissimos were stunning, and the conductor, Sir Antonio Pappano, must have known how special his orchestra’s ability to play softly was, because their first encore was a deliberately quiet piece by Sibelius. The 24-year old Rana was amazing to watch (and hear, of course) at the piano. Her playing was forceful but not showy, and after a standing ovation, she graced us with an encore.

It would be nice if Eastman would consider starting weeknight performances at 7:30, instead of 8:00. This might encourage more young people to attend, and more people to stay for the entire program. It would also be nice if more Rochesterians would give this series a chance and trust the Director of Concert Activities – it’s obviously put together very thoughtfully to offer a diversity of programming (the remaining five performances include a Grammy-winning bluegrass band, a British period instrument orchestra, a centennial celebration of jazz pianist Marian McPartland, an all-male Argentinian dance company, and someone named Patti Lupone…). Each performance is one-of-a-kind in Rochester, so you can’t wait for a review or word of mouth – you have to take a (very small) leap of faith that the programming will be entertaining, uplifting, sometimes horizon-broadening, and worth your time and money. I’m glad I did.

For more information on the remaining performances, visit: 

http://eastmantheatre.org/events/?criteria=event_series&series=Eastman%20Presents%20Series