|
Strathmore Music Center's
other orchestra, the area's best kept secret, kicked off what looks to be another exciting season with John Corigliano's Red
Violin Concerto (2003), played by soloist Michael Ludwig, and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, featuring Esther
Heideman, soprano, Patricia Miller, mezzo-soprano, John Aler, tenor, Kevin Deas, bass, and the NP Chorale.
A more unlikely pairing of classical works could not be imaged. Yet the Corigliano
concerto, a reworking of his very contemporary score to the movie The Red Violin (1998) and Beethoven's Ninth,
the progenitor of the mighty Romantic symphonies of the 19th century, seem to highlight the limits of human virtuosity,
whether they come from the individual performer, in the case of the supremely talented Mr. Ludwig, or emanate from the collective
voice of NP, assisted by Stan Engebretson, chorale artistic director. The violin concerto comes across as a hybrid of two styles: Hollywood Romantic, atonality imposed on a melodic through
line, and postmodernist, with a minimalist flavor. For the former I thought of Erich Korngold, whose Violin Concerto
is a favorite of mine, while the latter brought to mind Philip Glass and the usual suspects, including Mr. Corigliano himself.
The composer added on two movement's to the original Chaconne section, which sounds re-orchestrated, and opens the 38
minute work. I'm not sure how this all hangs together conceptually, but the unusual pairing of instruments and sounds
are certainly musically engaging and otherworldly and will bring to mind his earlier scored work Altered States.
Hopefully, this will lead to programming The Red Violin Concerto and his other compositions, for his music, which
requires more than one sitting, should get wider exposure. Mr.
Ludwig delivered a thrilling interpretation of the score, so singular in expressive technique and range, that though it was
originally composed for Joshua Bell, one can imagine the soloist linked to this work in the way that the late John Browning
is forever associated with Barber's Piano Concerto. His stage presence was striking without detracting from the
composition and what a sound! Warm and lush passages poured forth fluidly from his strings as did the occasional glissando
flourish. And the various and sundry plucking, striking, and stopping - screeches too - the composition called for were
exercised along with the demands of the rapidly and dizzyingly increasing tempi. The cadenzas were extraordinary in
texture and articulation. While I found some issues of synchronicity early on between the conductor and orchestra with
the soloist - like the slight audio-video delay in HD - these did not hamper the sound quality. (Indeed such a complex
piece, so well known to the principals who have recorded it with the Buffalo Philharmonic (2008), must require weeks to settle
in with an orchestra.) Ms. Falletta here, as well as later in the Beethoven work, handled the transitions well, bringing
the concerto to a vigorous conclusion. Most of the attendees were on their feet in appreciation and to the delight of
all were treated to an encore by Mr. Ludwig, the prelude to Bach Partita #3. This was a palette cleaner of
sorts for the second half of the program. Everything has been said about
Beethoven's Ninth, so I'll spare you an introduction and just give my subjective thoughts. This is
one of, if not the, greatest classical music works of all time. If you want to consider one work that encapsulates the
classic, romantic, and modern eras and beyond, this is it. Ditto the potential of human sound, and maybe creativity, both
instrumental and voice. It is not something to listen to on a recording, less yet to read about in a program, but must
be experienced live to best be appreciated. The NP performance was so good it gives me a chill just thinking about it
and brought tears to my eyes at the finale and I'm one dry-eyed critic when it comes to music.
Ms. Falletta gave a clear reading from the get-go, without the aid of a score.
She has a deliberate and gestural conducting style, with a lot of sweeping upper body motion, as if embracing both music and
musicians. She gave thoughtful pauses between movements to better focus the attention of the musicians and I might add,
thankfully, the audience. The first two movements were crisp
and satisfying, followed by the slower melodic third - Adagio molto e catabile and Andante moderato - which was exquisite.
If there was a better place to be than in the orchestra at this point, it could only be out in the house. In his latter
symphonies The Master was wont to incorporate riderly rhythms, at least to my ear; so I imagine life's journeys proceeding
at a trot, canter, and full gallop, during parts of the work. His fourth movement, however, breaks the mold of the times,
offering a medley of themes and formats for what has passed and what is to come. The program describes it as "a
complete four-movement symphony in miniature," noting "its coda is an operatic finale." Somehow this
colossus of moving parts must be brought together and Ms. Falletta and Co. made it happen. The soloists delivered a
stirring rendition to this end, with stellar efforts from Mr. Deas (bass) and Ms. Heideman (soprano) but a standout performance
was given by the NP Chorale under the guidance of Mr. Engebretson. With the orchestra joining to full effect, the entire
ensemble came together as one. What a conclusion to a fantastic day at Strathmore, one for the books.
Performance Sunday October 2, 2011 - Runtime 2:15 w/intermission
© John F. Glass, October 3, 2011
|
