(Kim Raff | The Salt Lake Tribune) Thierry Fischer conducts the Utah Symphony during a performance at Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City on February 15, 2013.

Review: Spotlight shines on Utah Symphony bassist

Review » Symphony’s David Yavornitzky makes short work of challenging concerto.

By Catherine Reese Newton

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Feb 22 2013 11:03 pm • Last Updated Feb 23 2013 12:49 pm

It’s always a pleasure to see a member of the Utah Symphony move up front to solo with the orchestra. This weekend, principal bassist David Yavornitzky — a 25-year veteran of the post — leaves the back row to present Hans Werner Henze’s crazily virtuosic concerto for this rarely spotlighted instrument.

Henze’s 1966 Concerto per Contrabbasso isn’t necessarily a piece you’d want to listen to repeatedly, but as the old saying goes, variety is the spice of life. Yavornitzky gave a dazzling display of the capabilities of the double bass, showing off the imposing instrument’s full tonal and dynamic range. In addition to impressive speed and nimbleness over the full length of the fingerboard, he got to demonstrate his proficiency with techniques not usually associated with the instrument, such as double stops and harmonics. Yavornitzky’s Utah Symphony colleagues, conducted by music director Thierry Fischer, gave a strong supporting performance in the spare but intricate accompaniment. Harpist Louise Vickerman’s contribution was particularly noteworthy. The smallish audience in Abravanel Hall made almost as much noise as a full house in its hearty ovation.

Fischer bookended the Henze concerto with the last two installments in his seasonlong Mendelssohn symphony cycle: Symphony No. 1, written when the composer was 15 years old, and Symphony No. 5, which actually was the second symphony the composer wrote.

The First Symphony owes a lot to Mozart, and the Utah Symphony’s light yet purposeful performance magnified its youthful charm. The Fifth is subtitled "Reformation" because of Mendelssohn’s prominent use of Martin Luther’s hymn tune "Ein’ feste Burg" in the finale. The orchestra gave a nicely shaded performance that left the audience humming the theme on the way out.

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