Composer Wang Lu speaks to the audience about her work “Surge,” which opened the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Oct. 26 concert. Photo by JP Leong.
In Sunday’s (10/27) Cincinnati Business Courier, Janelle Gelfand writes, “Imagine a violinist who can tackle the most formidable difficulties effortlessly and have fun at the same time. That was the impression of Benjamin Beilman’s performance as soloist in Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on Oct. 26. Beilman’s sensational performance … was just one of the highlights of a rewarding program led by guest conductor Ramón Tebar. In the evening’s second half, Tebar conducted Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1 in E Minor… The program opened with an engaging new work, Surge,’ introduced by its composer, Wang Lu.” “Surge” was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, “and premiered in 2023 by the New York Philharmonic. Born in 1982 in Xi’An, China, the award-winning composer is now associate professor of music at Brown University…. Wang Lu’s work engaged the ear at every turn. The piece began with a flourish that was slightly jazzy—with slapping pizzicatos in the basses. Harmonies soon became more dissonant as they moved in parallel motion. A section of atmospheric sonorities was colored by glissandos in strings and harp…. It was a bright, bold piece, and Tebar led its varied moments vividly.”
