Big Boom

It's blistering hot in LA this weekend, and the fireworks at last night's all-Tchaikovsky Hollywood Bowl concert probably made it warmer. It is, though, always fun having the 1812 Overture set to fireworks, complete with canon blasts and lots of smoke! Conductor Thomas Wilkins led the LA Phil through some vibrant, brassy playings of Tchaikovsky, first the Festival Coronation March, then after intermission, a collection of dance music: the Waltz from Sleeping Beauty and an Act 1 waltz from Swan Lake (balletomanes know this waltz better as the Black Swan pas de deux- in the now-standard Ivanov/Petipa staging of Swan Lake, the waltz was moved to Act 3, slightly reorchestrated and rebranded for the evil swan). Pianist Gabriela Montero steamrolled through the Piano Concerto No. 1 with technical proficiency even if her musical interpretation was rather bland - she drilled home her prowess as a technician during the encore, improvising on a theme that the Philharmonic's cellist randomly played, at her request. All flash, with not much underneath. But we were really there for pyrotechnics in the sky tonight, and we got them in spectacular form.