Conductivity

This is mainly for the benefit of calimac, but others are welcome to play along. We've seen Lawrence Renes as guest conductor with the Seattle Symphony a few times before, and we've always been really happy with the performance he pulls, pushes, dances, leaps, and contorts out of the orchestra. I'd describe him as a coiled spring, but he doesn't stay coiled very long. This leapediness would only be amusing, except that I think it's part of what he does to get the orchestra to play above themselves.

I am not saying here that the Seattle Symphony isn't a fine orchestra; it is. What I'm saying is that even a fine orchestra has to work pretty damn hard (or relax perfectly into the music) to make Brahms's Hungarian Dances sound fresh, and Renes made it work.

I don't care for the Bartok Violin Concerto #2 that followed, though it seemed like a good performance. I'm just not fond of the second as a chord, over and over and over. At several points the violinist, Leonidas Kavakos, was leaping into the air along with Renes, which was fun to watch.

The second half of the concert was Stravinsky's Petrouchka, which I like a great deal, and which they performed beautifully.

So, calimac, I know you know what the conductors currently touring are like. Is there anyone else like Renes touring these days?