I would be less than candid if I did not say right off that my taste for saxophone players runs more to Coleman Hawkins and Gerry Mulligan than Kenneth Radnofsky. Again, I was wrong. For Tuesday night at City Hall, Radnofsky, backed by the Portland Symphony Orchestra, expanded my taste and my appreciation of what a beautiful solo in. Radnofsky's command of his instrument is remarkable, almost uncanny, for the range he's required to encompass in Amram's affectionate work. The concerto's namesake was an underground comedian of the 50s and 60s who the composer saw as a combination of Walt Whitman, Charlie Parker, Baudelaire and Laurence Olivier.
Great control is needed.
Radnofsky fuses his great control with grace to bring out the beauty of this section. The finish brought most of the appreciative audience to its feet, and also brought on stage the effusive Amram, who, along with Radnofsky and PSO Conductor Bruce Hangen, returned again and again to applause and cheers. Monday night, Mrs. Amram gave birth to a 7-pound girl.