One excerpt from the Redlands Symphony’s program notes shows just how light a note “Die Fledermaus” strikes, saying that in the operetta “a husband sentenced to prison stops by a party on his way to jail, finds his wife in the company of an overly attentive companion, and wackiness ensues.” The concert opened on a lighter note with the overture to “Die Fledermaus,” a comic operetta by Johann Strauss Jr., first performed in 1874. There’s nothing not to love about Chopin, especially on Valentine’s Day. At first glance, you might think that’s too much Chopin for one season, but I enjoyed hearing both Chopin piano concertos about a month apart, each programmed with contrasting music. Malakouti’s performance completed the Redlands Symphony’s pair of Chopin piano concertos this season, after Vladislav Kosminov played Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.
He won the audience over with his beautiful, fluid sound, playing the subtle intricacies of Chopin with apparent ease and stringing pearls of notes together into a musical necklace. His performance spread the love through the audience, and after the concerto ended, Malakouti returned to the stage more than once as people stood, applauded and shouted “bravo!” Malakouti is the grand prize winner in this year’s University of Redlands Concerto Competition, and his fellow students cheered him onto the stage. Not only was the audience caressed with the beauty of Chopin’s music, but we could hear the love and enthusiasm for the pianist, Michael Malakouti, fill the chapel even before he played a note. 2 in F minor, music to fall in love with. Sandwiched between the bonbons of “Die Fledermaus” and the bittersweet chocolate of Romeo and Juliet’s tragic love story was Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. The concert opened with the fun and flirtatious high jinks of “Die Fledermaus” (“The Bat”) and concluded with Prokofiev’s interpretation of “Romeo and Juliet,” the best-known lovers of literature. Love was in the air - and in the music - at the Redlands Symphony Orchestra’s Valentine’s Day concert Saturday evening in the University of Redlands Memorial Chapel. Redlands Symphony Orchestra strikes romantic chord in concert 02/16/15