The graffiti left by some demonstrators on the exterior of Benaroya was almost entirely removed by Thursday night. Security was tighter than usual but subtly so. And each made his mark. I'm sorry Hirokami chose Rachmaninoff's Third Symphony for his major statement of the evening. Although filled with mellifluous tunes artfully assembled, the work can be something of a sleeper.
Some conductors take the darker view and some are high energy and full of dynamic contrast.
But Hirokami led a reading of considerable beauty but not much variation. The result was something similar to a country walk with pleasant sunshine overhead but little in compelling scenery. Say's performance of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto was an entirely different matter. Here, drama was everything with nothing predictable. Introduced to Seattle by the Seattle Chamber Music Festival a few years ago, Say is highly individual, sometimes eccentric in his ideas, but always stimulating.