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Charlotte Symphony pays apt homage to Russian greats

BY LAWRENCE TOPPMAN

Masterworks of Russian classical music fit into the span of one long human life. Every great concerto, symphony, opera, ballet, choral or chamber work by Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Mussorgsky, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev and Stravinsky (before he bolted to America) came between the early 1860s and early 1950s.

Yet what variety is there! The tone painting of Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" (especially as re-orchestrated by Rimsky), astringent beauty of Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 and restless romanticism of Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 3 take us to wholly different places.

The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra conducted that tour Thursday at Belk Theater, with Christopher Warren-Green conducting and concertmaster Calin Lupanu (who played Prokofiev's first violin concerto in 2014) as soloist.