PSO gala looks toward European tour.

A couple of quick notes about the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's gala that ended a few minutes ago at Heinz Hall. (BTW, this is a bit of an experiment in lieu of the traditional review, which I never have felt is terribly appropriate for gala concerts any way, but I might do again for other concerts from time to time per the new media world).

• First of all, Honeck -- who just signed a contract extension -- was mighty crafty here. On the face of it, he programmed a decidely un-gala like selection: an overture (Weber's "Der Freischutz"), a symphony (Dvorak's Eighth) and a concerto (Mozart's Third Violin Concerto), instead of more fun fare. But he did have sound reasoning: The PSO will play the Dvorak and the Weber in the all-important first concert at the prestigious Lucerne Festival in its upcoming European Festival Tour (see my story this Sunday on it), and Honeck wanted to make sure the orchestra has the piece well under finger. He knows that getting the rehearsal time and a big concert out of it (essentially a sold-out Heinz Hall) will go a long way to doing that, and I am sure he is right. The group sounded fantastic in both pieces. The strings had a lovely, almost velvety timbre in the lyrical sections of "Der Freischutz" and the brass and woodwinds handled both the lively and poignant elements of the Dvorak pastoral symphony wonderfully. They followed Honeck's tempo shifts and phrasing to a "T" and seem primed to have a good showing in Lucerne.

• Famed violinist Itzhak Perlman really helped to sell the hall, but he did not have the best night (although I would kill to play as well as him in his worst moments). But since this isn't a review, I don't have to say any more!

• The youngest two of Honeck's children brought out flowers after the Mozart: Simeon and Maria Theresa - they were very cute and, no, Honeck does not do that with every orchestra! It shows how truly he does like this town and this orchestra. Here is our collected coverage of his tenure so far, by the by, if you want to read more about him.

• Lastly, great to see a Pittsburgh Steelers ad in the program: top organizations in both fields appreciating each other!
  

If I missed anything big, or you want to give your opinion about the concert, be my guest by registering on the left and commenting below!