Clarinet soloist to guest with BSO Alexander Fiterstein makes 2nd appearance

Alexander Fiterstein’s first encounter with Bangor Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor Xiao-Lu Li was a case of perfect harmony. The two performed together at a concert in Ohio several years ago, and were delighted to find they got along in a major way – they were in counterpoint, to borrow the musical term.

“We hit it off immediately. We have a good kind of chemistry,” said Fiterstein, 30, a clarinetist and the guest soloist with this month’s BSO concerts, set for Feb. 2 and 3 at Peakes Auditorium at Bangor High School. “We really got along on a personality level. He’s such a generous, great guy, that it’s easy. It’s hard not to get along with him.”

Fiterstein, who was born in Belarus, grew up in Israel and now lives in New York City, makes his second appearance with the BSO this weekend, performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major. The piece, a delicate, lyrical composition that was one of Mozart’s last completed works, is an old friend to the musician – a friend that continually surprises him.

“It’s probably one of the best pieces written for my instrument. It doesn’t have quite as many technical challenges as others, but stylewise and for interpretation it’s really at the top,” observed Fiterstein. “You always discover new things in the performance, and it always takes you in a new direction. It’s always a little bit different and fresh, depending on the orchestra you’re with.”

The last time Fiterstein performed with the BSO was in 2004, when he played Carl Maria von Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, the piece that brought him and Li together in the first place. When he’s not immersed in classical music, however, Fiterstein dabbles in a genre dear to his Israeli roots.

“I listen to some old klezmer music. It’s kind of a hobby of mine,” said Fiterstein. “I always played it as a kid, and now I’m coming back to it. It’s a fun diversion.”

Along with the Mozart, the other pieces scheduled for this weekend’s concerts find Li and the symphony in a romantic mood, in keeping with the stirring selections from previous concerts this season. Edward Elgar’s Serenade Mauresque, op. 10, no. 2, is a late 19th century composition from the British romantic composer, a Spanish-flavored piano miniature, dreamy and evocative. Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony no. 7, op. 70, D minor, a tumultuous piece by the great Czech, spans a wide gamut of emotional and thematic content – from the tranquil early section to the crashing, tragic third and fourth movements.

The third set of concerts in the Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s 112th classical season are set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3, at Peakes Auditorium at Bangor High School. Tickets range from $7 to $20 for youths, $11 to $38 for seniors and $13 to $40 for adults. To purchase tickets, call 942-5555. For more, visit www.bangorsymphony.com. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.