REVIEW: Audience fired up by Orchestra Iowa, pianist

By George C. Ford

CEDAR RAPIDS - While the audience had to contend with a cold rain outside, Orchestra Iowa created plenty of warmth at Saturday's “Fire and Ice” Masterworks concert in Sinclair Auditorium. (1/23)

Maestro Tim Hankewich and the orchestra set the tone for the evening with the “Helios Overture” by Danish composer Carl Nielsen. The musical image of the sun rising in the stillness of the morning and traversing through the day until it slips below the horizon was conveyed by Orchestra Iowa's performance.

Conor Hanick, a young pianist with Iowa City roots, electrified the audience with his performance of Sergei Prokofiev's “Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major.” Hanick's total command of the piano was evident from the outset as he effortlessly played a composition that offers many pitfalls for a lesser performer.

Hanick and Orchestra Iowa were in perfect sync, a tribute to the pianist's technical precision and the masterful direction of Hankewich. The audience responded with a well-deserved standing ovation and hearty applause.

Hankewich introduced the final selection of the evening, Jean Sibelius' “Symphony No. 2 in D Major,” with an interesting bit of local musical trivia. The Masonic Library of Iowa in Cedar Rapids houses an original signed manuscript of the Finnish composer's “Finlandia,” probably the best known of all of his works.

Orchestra Iowa delivered a bravura performance of the Sibelius Second Symphony. All sections - brass, percussion, strings and woodwinds - were in top form, starting with the stark cold mood set by the cello and bass in the first movement and ending with the glorious trumpet and horn fanfares of the finale.

Hankewich, exhibiting a fluid conducting style that audiences have come to appreciate, clearly enjoyed the Sibelius symphony. His enthusiasm was transferred to the orchestra, culminating in a memorable performance.