Fabio Luisi: Glorious Sound, Gentle Fare-Thee-Well
"Dallas Symphony Orchestra CAMA Concert at the Granada was Absent Planned Pianist Helene Grimaud — Calling in Sick — but Prevailed with Style and Might
When an arts organization has the deep legacy and deep history of a CAMA — which just ended its impressive 107th season, an astonishing thing out here on the West Coast — archives contain echoes. One might have guessed that the Dallas Symphony Orchestra was making its debut appearance in Santa Barbara when it performed, and with considerable style, at The Granada Theatre last week. But in fact, they have graced State Street before — in 1973.
Their return, with a two-part program of Schumann’s Concerto in A Minor for Piano and Orchestra and Mahler’s kindly Symphony No. 4, did not disappoint. What did disappoint was a missing party, the world beloved and sometime Santa Ynez–based pianist Helene Grimaud, taken out of commission by illness, and replaced by the bold pianist George Li. Have no fear: Grimaud will actually perform for CAMA in 2026, seizing the recitalist spotlight on December 14 at the Lobero.
This evening proved to be a largely gentle-spirited affair, with bursts of intensity along the way, an affirmative, strum-und-drang-free finale of the current CAMA season, and also the tenure of gracious host Deborah Bertling as head of the CAMA board.
Dallas may not have the cache of America’s shinier and more internationally reputed symphonic models, but the Granada concert confirmed the ensemble’s power and polish, as shaped and guided by Fabio Luisi (He was last in town leading the Danish National Orchestra in 2017, for the record. Records matter for 107-year-old institutions.)
Luisi has been associated with the Dallas orchestra for many years and has held the command post since 2020. He has an apparent and sure empathetic accord with the orchestra, sounding like a dynamic and expressively fine-tuned, supple machine on this night. The DSO proved solid in accompaniment mode on the Schumann and persuasive in their own spotlight, as Mahler purveyors [...]."
independent.com , Josef Woodard