MUSIC REVIEW : Young Violinist Presents a Compelling Mendelssohn

For many young musicians bursting with talent, the overriding question is, “Is there life after competitions?” Frank Almond III, a competition veteran who was one of two American laureates at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Competition, appears to be well on his way to establishing his performing career in spite of the typical post-contest doldrums.

In concert with the San Diego State University Symphony, Almond played a compelling Mendelssohn E Minor Violin Concerto Sunday night at Sherwood Auditorium. As familiar as the concerto’s opening movement is, Almond approached it with refreshing clarity and conviction. In the more intimate interludes, the 24-year-old violinist’s maturity showed in well-shaped lines defined by subtle melodic inflection. In the cadenza, he displayed the requisite balance of brilliance and control.

His sound has become warm and ingratiating, midway between the steely muscle of an Elmar Oliveira and the silvery grace of the sisters Kavafian. Almond’s strengths include a sweet, well-focused upper range and low notes with the resonant darkness of a viola. Only in his most agitated fortes does he require further polish and control.

Although he soared serenely through the concerto’s middle movement, judiciously avoiding any hints of sentimentality, he chose a breakneck tempo for the finale. Fortunately, there were no disasters along the way, but both player and orchestra sounded unsettled at such high velocity.

The university orchestra under music director Donald Barra provided the soloist with a solid accompaniment, although, like many student and community orchestras, their fullest sounds were too blustery and heavy-handed. It would be tempting to compare Barra’s 60-piece orchestra with other local college and university orchestras, but such a comparison is muddled by the fact that one-third of Barra’s ensemble plays in Zoltan Rozsnyai’s International Orchestra of USIU. Of the 20 borrowed players, five are section leaders, and Sunday evening a pair of San Diego Symphony players augmented Barra’s viola section.

Barra chose Shostakovich’s rousing, brassy “Festive Overture” for the concert’s opener and concluded with a rather heavy-handed interpretation of three of Brahms’ “Hungarian Dances.” Student conductor Thomas Tomaselli took the orchestra through a diligent, if plodding, reading of Bizet’s “L’Arlesienne Suite.”