Review by David Williams

"I have nothing bad to say about the way the usual combinations of soloist with orchestra work. In the 21st century, as in the 20th, a pianist or a violinist, sometimes a cellist, maybe - rarely - a violist or wind player, plays a concerto. The world is full of gifted soloists. The repertoire is stuffed with great concertos. No complaints.

But when orchestras step into more unusual areas of the concerted literature, the results can be magical. Such was the case Friday night when the guitarist Ana Vidovic joined with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra in Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez."

Rodrigo's concerto is justifiably famous. It has been a staple of public radio stations for years, based on its ear-catching melodies and the pop-culture attraction of the guitar. But you don't get to hear it live very often, if for no other reason than guitarists have to muscle their way into concert lineups, past the never-ending line of pianists and violinists.

Vidovic muscled her way through the piece in the muscular way of ballet dancers: lithely and poised. The piece begins just with the guitar, in Spanish dance rhythm, so the soloist can really grab the audience and draw them in. She did it magically with a gorgeous sound and finely pointed rhythm.

From there it was one wonder after the next. The conductor Grant Cooper had the orchestra playing transparently (Vidovic did use a small amplifier to boost the slight instruments sound), and the woodwinds and strings were particularly vibrant in playing against the guitarist's nimble passagework and multihued timbres.

The slow movement sounded lush from Lora Snow's initially English horn solo through the piquant modernity of the central section. The wide-ranging variations that Vidovic played of the opening tune were striking.

The finale - think cubist-Stravinsky meets Bach in Madrid - had zest and dazzle from Vidovic. Cooper found extra clarity in the orchestra's playing.

If Vidovic and the Rodrigo had been alone on the program, it would have been worth a ticket. Cooper and the orchestra also played a brilliant performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's Overture: "The Great Russian Easter" and a hearty account of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A Major."

David Williams - Charleston Gazette, review of the performance with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra