By Phyllis
DEARBORN — The Ford Community & Performing Arts Center echoed with passion and beauty Nov. 12 as guest pianist Ivana Marija Vidovic joined the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra on stage for what proved to be one of the best concerts of the season.
The concert was just what music lovers needed in light of the ongoing strike by Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians.
The well-poised Vidovic created her own kind of strike each time her masterful hand touched the piano. Harmoniously, Vidovic, a soulful artist, elegantly expressed her love for music with each chord. The young Croatian played with a maturity well beyond her years.
To be sure, while other symphonies fell silent, the Dearborn Symphony along with this featured guest delivered.
Antonin Dvorak’s “Carnival Overture” was brilliant, a vibrant opening that set the tone for the night’s program. Next, the featured guest artist took the stage. The Dearborn Symphony along with Vidovic masterfully performed the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Rondo in A Major for the Piano & Orchestra, K 386.”
Spanish flared, Joaquin Turina’s “Rapsodia Sinfonica for Piano & Orchestra closed the first part of the show.
The majesty of the performance resonated sweetly as featured guest artist Vidovic mingled with patrons at intermission. A true showman, Vidovic happily autographed programs and conversed with patrons about her experiences as a musician.
The night’s performance beautifully closed with Johannes Brahms’s “Symphony No. 3 in F major.”
Mark your calendar for Feb. 4, as Rich Ridenour, guest conductor and pianist, steps up to the podium with the season’s Annual Pops Concert, featuring a very special guest violinist — Dearborn Symphony Music Director Kypros Markou — performing “Orange Blossom Special.” Tickets range from $10 to $30.
For more information call (313) 565-2424 or go to www.dearbornsymphony.org.