IPO dir. Christoph Koncz, Clara Jumi Kang

According to his bio, Koncz is a young conductor who seems to gravitate toward classical and early Romantic music, setting him apart from many of his peers who tend to favor impressionistic and more modern works.  I expected a more fiery rendition of Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 3, but the result was somewhat lukewarm—essentially a lackluster run-through of a piece that both the orchestra and conductor could probably play in their sleep.

The unexpected highlight of the evening was Kang's captivating performance of Britten's Violin Concerto, a piece I knew nothing about but found myself entranced with its bewitching tonality. The soloist must demonstrate incredible range and tone control to bring this piece to life, and Kang delivers in spades with technical wizardry that is often jaw-dropping. Hypnotic trills and sustained high notes abound. The concerto also has an unconventional structure -- starting with a slow movement, followed by a scherzo --  and credit goes to entire orchestra and to Koncz for mastering its unique pacing.

Following the intermission, Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) was almost a come down from the high of the Britten Concerto.  Once again, Koncz took several moments to settle into the piece, fully bringing out its grandeur by about halfway through the slow movement. The scherzo was electric, and the finale was exciting, though it felt a bit underplayed toward the end.  Overall, I felt the evening was greater than the sum of its parts. The Beethoven pieces largely delivered, and the Britten was a knockout performance.