Joshua Roman
Review: Joshua Roman with the Spokane Symphony
Nakahara leads Spokane Symphony confidently through ‘Soviet Transcendence’
By Larry Lapidus
Led by resident conductor Morihiko Nakahara and joined by cello soloist Joshua Roman, the orchestra offered a program of works by Arvo Pärt (1935-), Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) and Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) that challenged the audience to face some brutal truths and rewarded with the pleasure that comes with the experience of great art…
In his traversal of the solo part, Roman showed himself to be not only a brilliant instrumentalist, but also an artist of real stature. The purity, commitment and discipline of his playing showed him to be the rarest of species: the selfless virtuoso who dedicates his considerable resources to expressing the moral vision of the composer…
When the audience rose to its feet, he thanked them by performing Mark O’Connor’s “Appalachian Waltz,” another piece that puts great virtuosity to work in the service of utter, selfless simplicity.