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Charlotte Symphony Fantastique in Berlioz Under Yashima

Nov 21, 2022

By Lawrence Toppman, WDAV -- 

Oscar-winning actor Walter Huston said, "I ain't paid to make good lines sound good. I'm paid to make bad lines sound good." That might be the true test of a conductor: Taking a 35-minute chunk of elevated salon music such as Beethoven's Triple Concerto -- not bad, but nowhere near a masterpiece -- and making it seem more intriguing, even beautiful, than it actually is.

Erina Yashima did exactly that with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Friday night at Belk Theater, abetted by a well-matched trio of soloists who were sensitive to the score and one another. Then she led us through a great piece of music, Berlioz' "Symphonie Fantastique," with passion and sound judgment.

She had already asked the CSO to play above their collective heads in the curtain-raiser, the fastest rendition of the overture to "Ruslan and Lyudmila" I've ever heard. Now she asked them to sustain the same kind of energy not for five minutes but for 50, and they responded. I have no idea whether she's applying for the music director's job here, but she shot into my top three candidates by the end of the concert.

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