BWW Reviews: NJ SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA at NJ Pac

Andre Watts is in love with the piano and the piano loves him. What other musician holds such a fascinating relationship with his instrument, offering a full bodied, playful, passionate, mesmerizing performance of Beethoven's and Grieg's Forth Piano Concertos. His playfulness almost recalls Chico Marx on the keyboard with elegant, caring, zippy flourishes in Beethoven's lighter movements. For the more serious tones of the piece, Watts offers a more restrained, sterner touch.

Led by conductor Peter Bay, the New Jersey Symphony with Mr. Watts were in fine form, Friday evening at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. Throughout the night, the orchestra along with André Watts enriched the hall with clear and brilliant sounds, enthralling the audience.

Pianist André Watts rose to fame in 1963 at age 16 when Leonard Bernstein chose him, substituting for Glenn Gould, to play Liszt's E-flat Concerto with the New York Philharmonic. Five decades later, Watts remains one of today's most praised and prominent pianists. He regularly performs with the world's great orchestras and conductors, appearing at distinguished international festivals while also serving on the faculty teaching piano students at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

The large and welcoming audience were treated to Beethoven's Concerto No. 4 in G major for Piano and Orchestra. The first movement begins with a short opening phrase of the principal theme in the piano, instead of the traditional exclusively orchestral introduction. Watts welcomed us in a achieves a resonant piano. The orchestra takes over the melody. The movement continues with numerous arpeggios and chromaticism in the piano as the orchestra fluctuates between harmonic areas. Watts's execution of these types of passages was breath taking and effortless. His playing was energetic as his sound shined over the orchestra, sometimes he seemed to be singing the notes to himself or cajoling the piano to keep up with his technique and passion.

The second half of the program included Stravinsky's ''Four Norwegian Moods,'' adaptations of folk or folkish materials from sketches originally intended for a Hollywood film. The four pieces are sprightly and well performed by the orchestra, handling their lightness and tone with sprightliness.

Grieg's Piano Concerto is known from it's opening descending tense flourish and in Watt's hands. Together with the orchestra it was masterfully evening with wonderously adroit performances, mixing novel tempi with awesome technique and breathtaking, tingling tension.

The NJSO season continues in Newark with a benefit for the UJA featuring Alon Goldstein on piano this Sunday and a broadway concert featuring Christopher SIeber and Beth Leavel on May 30th. More information is available at njsymphony.org