Posted by Michael Huebner -- The Birmingham News April 26, 2009 12:11 PM

4 stars out of 5

I Musici de Montreal is led by Yuli Turovsky (center, with baton)

A shaky start didn't prevent I Musici de Montreal from turning in an invigorating performance of a Tchaikovsky classic and a compelling multimedia presentation Saturday at the Alys Stephens Center.

Conducted by Yuli Turovsky, the 14-member Canadian string orchestra began with Borodin's "Nocturne," the lovely slow movement of his String Quartet No. 2. The transformation from quartet to string orchestra worked well enough, but as a concert opener it failed to generate much excitement, and was further held back by languishing tempos and sloshy, sometimes sour solos.

Turovsky quickly turned things around with a sparkling reading of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings. It's hard not to think of this work without visualizing dance, so ingrained in the mind's eye has George Balanchine's choreographic setting become. This performance had every bit of the bounce and lilt that inspired Balanchine, with an earthy blend and vibrancy added to the mix.

Exaggerated tempo shifts made the second movement waltz surge and swirl. In the Elegie, sound grew nearly imperceptibly from silence, swelling to a rich resonance. The finale was sculpturesque, kinetic and pristine.

Natasha Turovsky starred in Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition," not only for her role in the violin section but for her paintings.

With many of Mussorgsky's primary source paintings no longer available, the conductor's daughter sought to turn the tables by creating art works inspired by the 1874 score. Filmmaker Gael Hollard gave them life in video animation, which was projected center stage and flanked by the musicians. Without resorting to showy technical gimmickry, this was a truly artistic meeting of art forms that reached from the humor of dancing eggs with protruding legs and beaks to ominous images in catacombs.

See the YouTube video

Mischievous gnomes, dragonflies, dogs and spirits took turns jumping from canvas to video screen in this intricately coordinated performance. Reminiscent of the sophisticated humor and darkly evocative works of European expressionists, the paintings evoked ghosts, bizarre cityscapes, swaying bells, even a Picasso-esque image of a critic with an upside-down head. They ranged from simple charcoal swashes or elaborate landscapes.

Sometimes freely interpretive, sometimes literally rhythmic, the arrangement for strings was colorful, densely scored and well executed. But as finely synchronized as it was, all eyes were drawn to the screen in this mesmerizing display.

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Birmingham Opthalmologist celebrates his June, 2007 victory at the Van Cliburn International Competition for Outstanding Amateurs in Fort Worth, Texas.

Alexander Borodin, the Russian composer of symphonies, quartets and opera, was a well-known chemist. American composer Charles Ives made a successful living in the insurance business. By the time Ignacy Jan Paderewski became the third prime minister of Poland, he was a brilliant pianist and composer. Composer and critic Cesar Cui was a career officer in the Russian army.

Rather than becoming conflicted over his dual path in medicine and music, Mays celebrates it, and hopes other talented young musicians will follow suit.

"You see (public radio's) 'From the Top,' or go to any competition, and you see some very talented kids," Mays says. "Some of them are playing substantial literature and seem to have balanced lives. I think about these multitalented young musicians who may never pursue music for a career and I hope they won't just drop music after high school."

A year after placing second at the Rocky Mountain Amateur Piano Competition in 2006, he entered the Van Cliburn International Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, and won. With the victory came increasing demand for concert engagements, including a solo recital Friday at the Alys Stephens Center, presented by the Birmingham Music Club.

He also picked up a commendation that was read to the United States Senate by Sen. Jeff Sessions. Then he played at the Smithsonian Institution. Mays has learned to strike a balance with his busy schedule as an eye specialist.

"I try to accept only one thing a month," he says. "I've been asked to many places, but I'm fairly selective about what I accept. I can only take so much time off."

As a pianist, he believes he is getting stronger, and coming to grips with stage jitters.

"The nerves are actually getting a lot easier," he says. "I didn't think that would happen. It's a lot of fun, without the pressure of having to provide for my family or having to do things just perfectly."

STRING OF WALTZES

Being a so-called "amateur" also allows for some freedom in programming. Starting Friday's concert will be Emma Lou Diemer's Toccata for Piano, which was composed in 1979. Mays describes it as a catalog of modern American piano techniques."There's an eerie glow to the music," he says. "By the end of the piece, I'm not even using the keyboard. The left hand is gently beating the lower strings, the right hand is strumming the top strings, and I reach inside the piano to dampen the sounds.

Though a 19th century staple, Chopin's Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor may sound strange to some, even in the 21st century.

"At the end of the sonata, you wonder if Chopin has lost his mind. It's a piece that will turn you on your ear."

Waltzes dominate the concert's second half. Schubert's "Valses Nobles," D. 969, prefaces Ravel's "Valses nobles et sentimentales."

"Ravel wanted to compose a string of waltzes in the spirit of these charming Viennese waltzes," Mays says. "There are so many tempo changes and color changes. Anyone who has played the Ravel knows just how challenging it is from a concentration standpoint, and a tonal standpoint."

Mays will close with Liszt's "Mephisto" Waltz No. 1, a work that has served him well in competitions and recitals.

"I don't think anybody in the audience will get totally bored with the oom-pah-pah," he says of the string of waltzes. "These three pieces are so different from each other. It's amazing they're all waltzes."

The concert will benefit the Birmingham Music Club scholarship fund, of which Mays was once a recipient, so he is anxious to return the favor.

"I hope I can give back in a way that's really meaningful," he says.

mhuebner@bhamnews.com