BSO A La Mode

Guest conductor Louis Langrée delighted a full house at Strathmore Music Center last night (10/20) with an imaginative pairing of two masters of the classical repertoire - Mozart and Debussy - on the cusp of two musical eras in their respective times. Joined by soloist James Ehnes in the first part of the program in Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3, Maestro Langrée, the music director of New York's Mostly Mozart Festival (since 2002), brought a supreme command of the composer's work to the podium before turning to that of his countryman in La Mer.

Starting things off with a bang was Mozart's "Paris" Symphony No. 31 (1778), containing the famous D major chords in the first movement with an ascending scale known as the Mannheim Rocket (yes, they are aptly named!). The conductor, who has an animated stage presence, delivered a taut and spritely rendition from the smaller sized orchestra composed mainly of strings and two of everything else. A pastoral second movement shifted the mood, if not the momentum, before a rousing go-for-broke allegro finale concluded the lively work.

Joined in the second number by virtuoso performer James Ehnes for Violin Concerto No. 3 (1775), the superb string section for which the BSO is known was placed to great effect. I was surprised to learn that Mozart was a prodigy with the violin in his own right, so all bows were aligned for this three-section piece. Mr. Ehnes is an economical instrumentalist, flicking off a dozen notes at times with the barest of motions. His sonorous and fluid scaling seemed effortless. Playing at an intensity well matched to the further diminished size of the orchestra (almost chamber sized at this point) the soloist delivered two exquisite cadenzas at the end of the first two movements, which telescoped the ideas and captured the mood of the concerto - all pointing to the Romantic. The violinist is in possession of one sweet sound, articulated through his 1715 "Marsick" Stradivarius. Mr. Ehnes has been likened to Jascha Heifetz, which has both good and bad connotations. Mr. Heifetz was a world-class performer who was criticized for his "mechanical style" in live concerts. I sensed some lack of connection by the audience (only two curtain calls?) to Mr. Ehnes' essentially mannerly body language. Perhaps we read too much into a performance with our eyes when it's our ears which should be making the effort. No matter, Mr. Ehnes makes the hard look easy and great sound even better.

Maestro Langrée was in his element in the second half, beginning with a Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (1894). This short work of about 10 minutes is the essence of a tone poem: music that evokes narrative and symbolic meaning, in this case a poem of the same name by Stéphane Mallarmé. As many times as I've heard it played, there's always something new to discover. This time was no different. The piece began with an extended pause in which the sound of the solo flute catches the listener by surprise. The conductor delicately weaved the melody over the featured instruments and sections (sans unmuted horns and timpani) like a magician waving a wand rather than a baton. At times the melodic movement shimmered through the woodwinds then settled on the strings, before alighting on antique cymbals. This free form harmony without constraints opens up landscapes and possibilities where the canvas was cluttered. Flutist Catherine Peterson and violinist Jonathan Carney were particularly evocative in their separate and subdued solos.

The evening's featured event with a loaded orchestra, La Mer (1905), saw Debussy's music taken a step further, in yet another direction. Beginning with the more representational "From Dawn to Noon on the Sea" section, you can hear the difference in compositional styles between Mozart and early and later Debussy. Where Mozart was about development and elaboration of a theme and the young Frenchman was additive harmonically - freestyle - La Mer achieves its unusual effects though the layering of sound. (In painting this might be likened to the passage of Impressionism to Expressionism.) The breakthrough seems to come in the second movement, a "Play of the Waves." The resulting sound quality of the scherzo is rhythmic - tribal almost - by the mid-point, when the conductor was swaying to the beat perhaps of a piece to be set to modern dance. I found Mr. Langrée's tempi well established throughout, but particularly in the last movement, "The Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea," where themes, beats, and instrumental sections all arrive at the shoreline in pulsating burst. The finale was a memorable one for all concerned. After taking his bow, the conductor returned to the stage, moving throughout the orchestra to single out each individual for his or her contribution. He even went back to the podium to salute the composer, by holding the score aloft to the audience! Bravi composers and performers all!

This concert will be repeated in Baltimore on Friday 10/21 and Saturday 10/22 at 8 PM. Contact BSO's website for more information.

Runtime: 1:45