Pegasus: The Orchestra presents Khatchaturian, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky & Beethoven: Season Finale in Review
Pegasus: The Orchestra
Karén Hakobyan, conductor
Sergey Antonov, cello
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Center, New York, NY
April 13, 2024
Pegasus: The Orchestra presented its 2023-2024 Season final concert at Merkin Hall on April 13, 2024. The program included Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, with cello soloist Sergey Antonov (the gold medalist of the 2007 Tchaikovsky International Competition), Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, and Khatchaturian’s Waltz from the Masquerade Suite. The large audience (sold-out hall) was treated to a concert that was superb from the first note to the last. Pegasus is a truly first-rate ensemble.
Pegasus was founded in 2017 by the noted pianist/composer Karén Hakobyan. Pegasus, as their program states, is a non-profit professional orchestra with a mission to empower rising musicians with artistic freedom and promote innovative repertoire in an environment of creative thought and expression. To learn more, click the following link: Pegasus: The Orchestra. To learn more about Karén Hakobyan, click the following link: Karén Hakobyan.
I have to mention the absence of program notes. There is a lot of interesting information about these works (such as Variations on a Rococo Theme dedicatee Wilhelm Fitzenhagen playing a bit “fast and loose” with Tchaikovsky’s original conception, and the enormous impact of Beethoven’s 7th as examples). Just a few words about each work would have been welcome. At least the printed program was not festooned with three pages of artists’ bios and such.
Enough about that, let’s get to the music. Karén Hakobyan took the stage and greeted the audience. He did speak briefly about the first work, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite. He mentioned that the source material was music of Pergolesi and characterized the work as a “Concerto for Orchestra” (I respectfully disagree with that assessment). He had the soloists all stand prior to the playing so the audience could see who they were before hearing them – a very nice and respectful gesture to the players. I’m not going to detail each of the eight movements, but rather focus on highlights. The Tarantella was full of frenzied energy that verged on madness. The Toccata was elegantly played. The Vivo, with the repartee between the double bass and trombone actually brought laughter to the audience. Maestro Hakobyan led with confidence, fashioning a well-conceived reading that maintained the elegance of the neo-classical elements without being overly mannered.
After the Stravinsky, cellist Sergey Antonov took the stage with Maestro Hakobyan as the soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33.The Variations on a Rococo Theme employs a theme that is not actually Rococo, but is an original theme in the Rococo style. There is a certain insouciance required from a soloist to capture this work’s spirit, as too much “seriousness” ruins the playfulness and humor that abounds throughout. It’s not enough however, to just swagger, as swaggering alone does not take the place of a highly developed technique – in other words, you can’t fake your way through it. Fortunately for us, Mr. Antonov is the real deal. He has technique to burn, but he never once looked like he was grandstanding. His tone is warm and rich, and he projects easily without any hint of stridency. He was every bit as attentive to Maestro Hakobyan and Pegasus as they were to him. It was the “complete” performance of this masterpiece that one always hopes for. It was one of the finest performances this listener can recall hearing in some time. The audience gave Mr. Antonov a justly deserved standing ovation, loud and extended.
After intermission, Maestro Hakobyan took the podium to conduct Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92. I’d like to quote music writer Antony Hopkins here: “The Seventh Symphony perhaps more than any of the others gives us a feeling of true spontaneity; the notes seem to fly off the page as we are borne along on a floodtide of inspired invention. Beethoven himself spoke of it fondly as ‘one of my best works’. Who are we to dispute his judgment?” Maestro Hakobyan and Pegasus bore out these words as they unleashed a performance that held the audience completely spellbound for the entirety of the forty minutes. There was more energy, passion, and joyfulness in those forty minutes than I can say I have heard in sometime. That’s not to say that other ensembles lack these qualities, but it was just in superabundance here. If I had any reservations, it was at times the exuberant playing led to some fleeting ensemble imprecision. Another standing ovation, with many shouts of “Bravo!” filled the hall. This symphony was the highlight of the evening for this listener.
It was almost sacrilegious to have anything follow the Beethoven, but Khatchaturian’s Waltz from the Masquerade Suite served as a programmed encore, Maestro Hakobyan reminded the audience that this year is the 120th Anniversary of Aram Khatchaturian’s birth. He mentioned the hope of bringing more of the music of Khatchaturian to a larger stage (with larger forces) next season, like Carnegie Hall. Let’s look forward to this progressing from hope to reality. Maestro Hakobyan then launched Pegasus into a bombastic reading filled with quirky, unbridled fun. The already highly enthusiastic audience still had enough energy to give yet another standing ovation, complete with three callbacks for the conductor.
Pegasus is a “can’t miss” group. If you have the chance to hear them, don’t dawdle! Get your tickets right away before they sell out.
