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[Luke] has the energy, creativity and charisma not seen in a family show since Leonard Bernstein…and I don’t say this lightly. Paul Jan Zdunek, Executive Director, |
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One of the hallmarks of the evening’s performance was watching Conductor Ming Luke lead the orchestra in Richard Strauss’ Don Juan, Op. 20. His entire body became a representation of the music. Beginning with staccato jerks of his arms, he wielded the sounds of sections together with grand loops in the air, as if stirring a massive caldron filled with frequencies and vibration. In the soft middle of the piece, his right hand signaled while his left seemed to caress the sound. And near the finish he reached down just a bit below his waist and grabbed for the allegro runs of the violins — pulling a hidden and magical sound out of the caverns of the instruments, their players, the room and the world beyond the knotty pine walls. Anne Henderson, Ellsworth American, |
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The symphony came off effortlessly in the Philharmonic's hands. By the third movement it became clear that Luke and the orchestra were locked in to the work. It was as if the orchestra was honing an already precise musical edge down to a very fine and exact point. Edward Ortiz, Sacramento Bee, |
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The evening began with a spirited reading of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's evocative Russian Easter Overture. Here assistant conductor Ming Luke drew a crisp performance from the orchestra's horn section. With this work, the orchestra affected a burnished Slavic sheen, with fine brass playing throughout, particularly by trombonist Joel Elias. |
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