Category: Opera

CARMINA BURANA @ Carnegie Hall

Above: composer Carl Orff

~ Author: Oberon

Tuesday February 27th, 2024 – This evening at Carnegie Hall, the Orchestra of St Luke’s presented Carl Orff’s CARMINA BURANA. The performance was conducted by Tito Muñoz, with soloists Ying Fang (soprano) Nicholas Phan (tenor), and Norman Garrett (baritone), and the Westminster Symphonic Choir (James Jordan, Director) and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City (Francisco J. Núñez, Artistic Director).

What an exhilarating evening! The Carnegie stage was jam-packed with music-makers, and they brought the amazing score vividly to life. There is never a dull moment in CARMINA BURANA; every bar of music engages us. Maestro Muñoz had the massed forces under fingertip control, and by keeping his arms poised in the air between the work’s individual movements, he held applause at bay…until the end, when an ovation of tsunami proportions swept thru the venerable Hall, everyone on their feet and cheering with delight.

The choral singing was truly impressive, ever-alert to the shifting rhythms and the swirls of words. Their dynamic range is vast, down to near whispers at times, and then going full-tilt in the lusty Tavern Song. Likewise, Orff’s keenly judged orchestration was given in its full glory: rich, sweeping strings, clear and enticing winds (a special cheer for the flutes), and the percussionists, who are busy all evening with an array of instruments that includes chimes and castanets. The sounds of piano and celesta add magic to Orff”s imaginative scoring.

The work is divided into 25 relatively short sections, many of which are assigned to the chorus. There are three solo vocalists; the first to be heard was baritone Norman Garrett, a tall gentleman with an intriguing timbre. He was especially impressive in the Cour d’amours section, where the vocal line took him from falsetto to bass-like depths, and where a high-lying song displayed his lyrical powers. He looked very dapper in his tux.

By contrast, tenor Nicholas Phan wore an appropriately white nightclub suit in his role of a Roasted Swan. His treacherous aria, which lingers in a super-high tessitura, was cunningly managed, and his droll facial expressions conveyed the bird’s torment.

That ravishing soprano, Ying Fang, was the crowning glory of the evening. Clad in an unusual white frock trimmed in black, the soprano’s crystalline purity of timbre was magically projected into the great Hall. She lingered on uncannily sustained pianissimi that hung on the air like an alluring perfume. And on the sensual heights heights of the Dulcissime, Ying Fang’s voice shimmered with an intoxicating glow.

~ Oberon

February 27, 2024
Saint-Saëns and Fauré @ CMS

Above: Anthony McGill, photo by Todd Rosenberg

~ Author: Oberon

Sunday February 25th, 2024 – Music by two of France’s most beloved composers – Camille Saint-Saëns and Gabriel Fauré – was on offer this evening at Alice Tully Hall. Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center once again assembled a stellar group of musicians, assuring a thoroughly enjoyable concert experience.

Gabriel Fauré’s Dolly Suite for Piano, Four-Hands, composed between 1894 and 1896, made for a charming start to the program. Pianists Anne-Maria McDermott and Gloria Chien gave a splendid performance of the work, which derives its name from an affectionate nickname for Helene Bardac, the young daughter of Fauré’s long-time mistress, Emma Bardac. Fauré composed these gem-like miniatures between 1893 and 1896, to mark Helene’s birthdays and other events in her young life.

The suite’s movements are:

Berceuse (a lullabye), honoring Helene’s first birthday (Allegretto moderato).

Mi-a-ou, which gently mocks Helene’s attempts to pronounce the name of her elder brother Raoul, who later became a pupil of Fauré’s.

Le Jardin de Dolly (Andantino); this was composed as a present for New Year’s Day, 1895. It contains a quotation from Fauré’s first violin sonata, composed 20 years earlier.

Kitty-valse: this is not about a cat, but rather about the Bardacs’ pet dog, named Ketty.

Tendresse, an andante, was written in 1896 and presages the composer’s beloved Nocturnes.

Le pas espagnol (Allegro) denotes a lively Spanish dance tune which brings the suite to its close.

Tonight, Ms. Chien was in charge of the lower octaves, and Ms. McDermott of the upper. They seemed to be truly enjoying playing this music, which veers from rambunctious to elegant. At the end, they embraced, and then basked in the audience’s warm applause.

It’s always a delight to hear Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinet of The New York Philharmonic, and this evening he regaled us with his sumptuous playing of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 167, dating from 1921…one of the composer’s last works. With Ms. Chien at the Steinway, the music simply glowed, from first note to last.

The opening Allegretto has a subdued start, but passion lurks beneath the surface. Mr. McGill was soon astounding us with his mastery of dynamics and his fluent coloratura. His pianissimi must be experienced to be believed: such control! Infinite beauty of tone is a McGill trademark, reaching our souls like a blessing from above. The movement has a poetic finish.

From a sprightly start, the Allegro animato finds the two players in perfect simpatico mode. Enchanting subtleties from both musicans continually cast a spell over the Hall. Ms. Chien opened the Lento with a deep, somber melody. She then commences a soft heartbeat motif, with Mr. McGill’s clarinet singing a forlorn melody. A wistful ‘ending’ is reached, but there’s a lovely piano postlude to follow.

Rapid keyboard figurations open the concluding Molto allegro, wherein the virtuosity of both players delights us: rapid scales and sparkling cascades of notes are crystal clear. Then M. Saint-Saëns makes a surprising mood-swing: there is a gorgeous fade-away, from which a lovely melody arises. Mr. McGill’s final pianissimo note, sustained to spine-tinlging effect, was simply uncanny.

I cannot recall ever having heard Fauré’s La Bonne Chanson performed live before. When this concert was first announced, Sasha Cooke was listed as the soloist; but in the event, it was the radiant young Chinese soprano Meigui Zhang (photo above) who sang the Fauré for us…exquisitely.

It’s been nearly a year since I first heard Ms. Zhang: in John Luther Adams’ Vespers of the Blessed Earth, on a memorable evening at Carnegie Hall, which you can read about here. For the Fauré songs tonight, she joined an ensemble of outstanding musicians: violinists Arnaud Sussmann and Paul Huang, violist Matthew Lipman, the NY Phil’s primo basso Timothy Cobb, and Ms. Chien at the piano.

The nine songs are settings of nine poems by Paul Verlaine, which the poet wrote as a wedding gift to his wife. (Ironically, Verlaine had also had an affair with Emma Bardac, mistress of Fauré.)

The songs explore many moods, by turns restless, idyllic, passionate, and pensive. The pretty, lyrical quality of Ms. Zhang’s voice is ideally suited to these songs. Particularly impressive were “J’allais par les chemins perfides” where the singer’s silken tone sounded especially lovely among the rich string mix; the urgent ecstasy of “Avant que tu ne t’en ailles“; the meltingly soft allure of her tone in “Donc, ce sera par un clair j:our d’été” with its beautifully sustained final note; and the sweet rapture of her “L’hiver a cessé“. Surely Ms. Zhang gained many new admirers this evening.

In these songs, the piano and strings provide a sonic tapestry into which the voice is woven to magical effect. Ms. Chien’s playing was a constant source of pleasure, and Arnaud Sussmann’s tone shimmered on high, seconded by Paul Huang. The deeper voices gave plushness to the ensemble: Matthew Lipman (viola) and David Requiro (cello) have much to do – they were particularly fine in “N’est-ce pas?” The composer might have given more to the bass, but Mr. Cobb made the most of each opportunity.

Following the interval, a glorious rendering of Camille Saint-Saëns’ 1875 Quartet in B-flat major brought together Ms. McDermott, and Mssrs. Huang, Lipman, and Requiro. Ms. McDermott commences the opening Allegretto, with the trio of strings joining in a unison passage. The blending of the four voices is most cordial, with the pianist’s seamless phrasing and the intriguing timbres of the three string players. I hadn’t heard Paul Huang for a while, and it was simply great to hear his distinctive sound again, as he sailed thru an ascending/decending solo motif. The Allegretto has a terrific ending.

Ms. McDermott emphatically attacks the opening bars of the Andante maestoso; the strings again join in unison, and the music has a vaguely Russian feel. There’s a slow piano theme, with the strings etching in comments along the way. Things then turn fast and furious, Ms. McDermott commanding the keyboard and the strings slashing away. Turbulence!

Mr. Lipman and Ms. McDemott launch the delightful Poco allegro, which charmed my companion and me with its Mendelssohnian flavor. There are major/minor shifts which lead to a Paul Huang cadenza, passionately played and with a ravishing trill. The music races lightly forward to a deliciously subtle finish.

The concluding Allegro starts briskly, the piano leading the way. The strings play in unison or pass phrases to one another. There’s an underlying restlessness that calms to a series of soft pizzicati. A slow build-up of tension gives way to a luxuriant sense of peace before a rising passage brings this splendid piece to its end. The musicians enjoyed a standing ovation; with our spirits lifted, we headed out into the freezing winter night.

~ Oberon

February 25, 2024
DON CARLO ~ Final Scene

The final scene of Verdi’s DON CARLO, performed in concert at the Musikvereinsaal in Vienna in 1988. The soloists are soprano Mara Zampieri, tenor Giacomo Aragall, and bass Kurt Rydl. Mr. Rydl sings the lines of Philip II, the Grand Inquisitor, and the Ghost of Charles V. Very sporting of him!

Watch and listen here.

February 19, 2024
Riccardo Muti ~ Verdi REQUIEM

Above: tenor Vicente Ombuena

Maestro Riccardo Muti conducts a performance of the Verdi REQUIEM at Ravenna, 1994. The soloists are Michele Crider, Luciana D’Intino, Vicente Ombuena, and Dean Peterson.

Watch and listen here.

January 29, 2024
@ My Met Score Desk for CARMEN

Above: Aigul Akhmetshina

~ Author: Oberon

Saturday January 27th, 2024 matinee – Feeling no need to see a 6-ton tractor trailer on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House, I took a score desk for today’s matinee of the Met’s new production of CARMEN. I wasn’t feeling my best this morning as I prepared to leave for Lincoln Center, and even considered staying home. But once the house lights dimmed, my spirits perked up, CARMEN is an opera I had not heard for a very long time, and the music seemed truly fresh to me today.

The main draw of the day was Aigul Akhmetshina, the gorgeous Russian mezzo-soprano, in the title-role. I fell under she spell when she sang Maddalena in Verdi’s RIGOLETTO here last season, which I saw three times.

Maestro Daniele Rustioni got the opera off to a fast start, setting a brisk tempo with the start of the prelude. Unlike some of the other conductors the Met favors these days, Rustioni is not a volume freak; the voices were – for the most part – clearly audible throughout the opera, and his tempi always felt right. I especially like his accelerations as each repeat of the theme of the Act II Danse Bohème sped up: exhilarating! The preludes to the four acts were beautifully played, particularly the touching music that introduces Act III. All the choral work was super as well, notably the lovely smoking chorus in Act I.

The first solo voice we hear is that of Morales, sung very impressively today Benjamin Taylor; it’s a Met-sized voice of handsome timbre. Equally striking was the singing of Wei Wu as Zuniga. Both these gentlemen deserve more opportunities at The Met.

Carmen’s friends – Frasquita (Sydney Mancasola), Mercedes (Briana Hunter), Dancairo (Michael Adams), and Remendado (Frederick Ballentine) – joined Ms. Akhmetshina for the quintet in Act II, excelling at the quick repartee. Ms. Mancasola popped off some bright top notes at the end of the Toreador Song and at “La Liberté!” to end the third act.

Micaela is the first principal character to appear, in the person of Angel Blue. This role suits Ms. Blue far better than Violetta did last season. She sounded warm and lyrical in the duet with Don José, etching in some appealing piano effects. And her aria in Act III – with its finely-played horn introduction – was a vocal highlight of the afternoon; Ms. Blue’s rich voice could be tapered smoothly to a sweet softness, making for a spine-tingling finish. Her final plea, with its stunning drop at “Ah, José!“, was beautifully handled.

Maestro Rustioni provided a whiplash start to the famous Toreador Song; Kyle Ketelsen sang the familiar tune engagingly, and he was excellent in his ‘fight’ duet with José in Act III. Later – before the bullfight commences – he and Ms. Akhmetshina shared a lyrical moment.

Above: Piotr Beczala

Piotr Beczała’s bio says he is 57 years old, but he certainly doesn’t sound it…nor look it, when I chatted him up at the stage door after the performance: he’s a very handsome guy, with an easy-going charm. His singing today as was most impressive, covering a wide dynamic range, from passionate, house-filling outpourings to ravishingly heady tones. He and Angel Blue blended voices perfectly in their Act I duet, trading phrases persuasively, and finishing off with Piotr’s amazingly hush-toned “Souvenirs du pays…”

Chez Lillas Pasta, after Carmen upbraids José for abandoning her when the trumpets summon him back to the barracks, Mr. Beczala gave us his poetic Flower Song, so ardently voiced…and with a fascinating pianissimo climax to the final phrase.

When the music turns darker and the menacing edge of jealousy overtakes Don José, Mr, Beczala unleashed the power of his voice to thrilling effect. The character’s descent into madness was set forth in vocal terms, with a manic desperation in his singing of the final, deadly encounter with Carmen.

Aigul Akmenshina established herself as one of the finest Carmens imaginable. Introducing herself with a sultry Habanera – the second verse sung with enticing subtlety – the comely mezzo displayed a warm, dusky timbre with a plushy low range and smooth forays to the top. Aigul’s Seguidilla put both the tenor and the audience under her spell with her creamy, gorgeous voice, topping it off with sustained final note.

Her singing of the the Chanson Bohème in the tavern scene veered from subtle to triumphant, but the fact that her later castanet song was not working on José as she’d expected unleashes her temper. After listening patiently to José’s love plea, Carmen returns to enticement. Zuniga’s arrival causes José to capitulate, and he joins the smugglers. My feeling here is that Carmen already hates him.

At the smugglers’ den, Aigul’s reading of the tarot cards was sung with doom-ladened low notes and a sense that time was running out for her. Her final meeting with Mr. Beczala’s José was fiery, their exchanges quickly descending to threats and taunts. In this production, José kills Carmen with a baseball bat, which I am glad I could not see; the audience gasped.

Ms. Akhmetshina’s is a welcome voice and presence on the Met stage, and I will always look forward to her performances; I also hope to one day hear her in Chausson’s Poème de l’amour et de la mer, for which I think she has the perfect voice.

The few times I glimpsed the the stage setting today, it looked cheap and junky. A real eyesore.

After the performance, I went to the stage door where I met Aigul and Piotr; they are such kind and lovely people.

~ Oberon

January 27, 2024
They’ll Remember You

Last week, I was re-watching the 2008 film VALKYRIE, which is based on the story of a plot to kills Adolf Hitler. By mid-1944, it was clear that Germany was losing the war. Hitler, growing increasingly deranged, was firm that Germany should fight to the last man and never surrender.

There was a group of high-level German military officers who foresaw the massive destruction and loss of civilian lives that the final months of the war would bring; among these was Count Claus von Stauffenberg, who was a decorated hero of the war in North Africa, where he lost a hand and an eye in serving the Reich.

A plot was hatched to assassinate Hitler at a war council meeting of German officials to be held at Hitler’s hideaway, the Wolf’s Lair. Count von Stauffenberg managed to sneak a bomb into the conference room, but on realizing that Himmler was absent from the gathering, the plan was dropped.

A few days later, at a second meeting, the Count was able to detonate the bomb by a time-delay fuse, after he had hastily left the meeting saying he was called to Berlin on an urgent matter.

The bomb exploded, killing four attendees and injuring several others; but Hitler was only slightly hurt. von Stauffenberg, back in Berlin with his fellow conspirators, soon learned that the plot had failed. He and the other conspirators were subsequently executed. The war lingered on for nine more months, with catastrophic property damage and loss of German lives, until Hitler committed suicide on April 30th, 1945.

I realized, in my latest viewing of the film, that I had never played thru the credits to the end. In the last moments of the soundtrack, there is a moving hymn to the heroes who tried to bring down a tyrant and madman. It was composed, as was the film’s score, by John Ottman.

The text is drawn from Wanderer’s Nightsong II by Johann Wolfgang van Goethe, translated as follows:

“Up there all the summits
are still.
In the tree-tops
you will feel but the dew.
The birds in the forest have stopped singing.
Soon, done with walking,
you shall rest, too.”

Listen to “They’ll Remember You” here, with mezzo-soprano Sylke Schwab as soloist.

January 25, 2024
They’ll Remember You

Last week, I was re-watching the 2008 film VALKYRIE, which is based on the story of a plot to kills Adolf Hitler. By mid-1944, it was clear that Germany was losing the war. Hitler, growing increasingly deranged, was firm that Germany should fight to the last man and never surrender.

There was a group of high-level German military officers who foresaw the massive destruction and loss of civilian lives that the final months of the war would bring; among these was Count Claus von Stauffenberg, who was a decorated hero of the war in North Africa, where he lost a hand and an eye in serving the Reich.

A plot was hatched to assassinate Hitler at a war council meeting of German officials to be held at Hitler’s hideaway, the Wolf’s Lair. Count von Stauffenberg managed to sneak a bomb into the conference room, but on realizing that Himmler was absent from the gathering, the plan was dropped.

A few days later, at a second meeting, the Count was able to detonate the bomb by a time-delay fuse, after he had hastily left the meeting saying he was called to Berlin on an urgent matter.

The bomb exploded, killing four attendees and injuring several others; but Hitler was only slightly hurt. von Stauffenberg, back in Berlin with his fellow conspirators, soon learned that the plot had failed. He and the other conspirators were subsequently executed. The war lingered on for nine more months, with catastrophic property damage and loss of German lives, until Hitler committed suicide on April 30th, 1945.

I realized, in my latest viewing of the film, that I had never played thru the credits to the end. In the last moments of the soundtrack, there is a moving hymn to the heroes who tried to bring down a tyrant and madman. It was composed, as was the film’s score, by John Ottman.

The text is drawn from Wanderer’s Nightsong II by Johann Wolfgang van Goethe, translated as follows:

“Up there all the summits
are still.
In the tree-tops
you will feel but the dew.
The birds in the forest have stopped singing.
Soon, done with walking,
you shall rest, too.”

Listen to “They’ll Remember You” here, with mezzo-soprano Sylke Schwab as soloist.

January 24, 2024
ADORATION @ The Sheen Center

Photo by Maria Baranova

Saturday January 20th, 2024 – I’m so glad I managed to get to see Adoration as part of the Prototype Festival. I haven’t seen the movie that it was based on, but would be interested in seeing it now – the story was well done but I would be curious to see how much more detail is explored in a movie version. For those who don’t know, the story is about a teenage kid (Simon) coming to terms with his parents’ death and their pasts. Simon reveals at school that his father was a terrorist and it seems that he opens up discussions with his classmates and online that are incredibly relevant at this moment in time.

I ended up being very focused on the storytelling and messaging of the difficult content, but want to make sure to first say that the music was amazing – Mary Kouyoumdjian’s score was beautiful – the instrumental parts often unassuming but supporting the drama, and the vocal lines soaring and satisfying. I don’t have the best ear when it comes to vocalists, but I thought they all sounded great – particularly Omar Najmi in the role of Simon. The choice to have them all mic’d was an interesting one which seemed mostly relevant for the purpose of adding reverb to certain scenes. It was a nice effect and changed up the sound a bit, though it didn’t seem necessary to me. Overall I imagine it added more control and an even sound – everyone was heard clearly throughout the show.

The set was simple but striking. I really liked the gradual beginning to the show – young Simon is on stage before the show starts, writing and sitting on the floor. The staging and set used live video that I’ve seen at many new opera productions recently – though in some interesting new ways, juxtaposed with recorded video, or used to project a photograph.

Photo by Maria Baranova

Still, the most interesting part of this show was the story, for me. I was constantly asking myself questions and hoping to get clarity – which were mostly answered, though not explored in too much depth (understandable in the one act setting). I thought it was interesting that the main theme that was brought continually back was “innocence” rather than what many people might see in this type of source material: justice or justification, or motive. The real discussion of these themes comes from the actions of the character of Simon’s teacher, who is mentoring him and pushing him to explore his parents’ past. Her motives are questioned until we learn her backstory and understand her involvement in a new light. Was that the point?

It’s very hard to present something like this at any moment in time, but particularly now. I commend those who decided to do it anyway – and am curious what they hoped for us to get from it. I hope the piece has a long life and more people have the opportunity to ask these questions.

~ Shoshana Klein

January 22, 2024
The Cleveland Orchestra ~ Prokofiev & Webern

Above: Sergei Prokofiev

~ Author: Oberon

Sunday January 21st, 2024 matinee – The Cleveland Orchestra offering an afternoon of symphonies by Sergei Prokofiev and Anton Webern, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, at Carnegie Hall. Maestro Welser-Möst has recently returned to conducting following several weeks of treatment for cancer. The program was rather unusual, with two Prokofiev symphonies book-ending a performance of Anton Webern’s rarely-played Symphony, Op. 21.

Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 2 in D-Minor, Op. 40, in rather odd piece, consisting of only two movements. It opens with a dazzling Allegro ben articolato: brass voices issue vivid calls, rollicking strings join in, and a march springs up. Plucking violins and rich motifs from the basses lend a cinematic quality. The music rolls on like a big machine, calming briefly only to turn into a fugue, with the horns blazing away. Battling rhythms bass and turbulent strings add to the excitement, with the trumpet sounding a repeated phrase. A new march emerges, going faster and faster. The horns! The drums! And then: a sudden silence.

The theme-and-variations second movement begins with a gently poised theme played by the oboe and then taken up by the violins. Solo wind voices – flute, clarinet, bassoon – sound over dense strings with somber basses. A slow, ponderous dance gains momentum. The music moves thru various moods, from witty to pensive; with percolating winds and urgent strings, a big sway develops, turning into a whirlwind agitato. Suddenly, a full stop. The music resumes, trudging forward; after potential endings prove evasive, the oboe is heard again over lulling strings. To me, this second movement went on a bit too long…but it was all so beautifully played.

Anton Webern (above) composed his Symphony, Op. 21 in 1928. Set for strings (without double-basses), harp, clarinet, bass-clarinet, and two horns, this miniature lasts all of ten minutes and is divided into two movements. The writing of the opening Ruhig schreitend (“Walking quietly”) is very spare: the wind instruments have brief phrases, whilst the strings comment. The harp adds an interesting texture. The second movement, Variations, has more substance musically. To the general listener, the piece may seem quizzical and a bit aimless, though it is highly regarded by musicians and scholars as a distillation of “symphonic logic”.

Following the interval, we heard a thrilling performance of the Prokofiev 5th symphony, spectacularly played. It opens with an Andante that for a moment made me think Enzo Grimaldo’s ship riding its anchor in the sea off Venice in Act II of LA GIOCONDA. Where do these imagined connections come from? Sixty years of opera-going! New themes are heard, richly played, and a sense of grandeur develops. The Cleveland basses are just fabulous, underlining so much gorgeous music-making: with a vast breadth of sound that is overwhelming to experience, the Andante reaches its glorious conclusion.

The Allegro marcato that follows was the highlight of the evening – and of the season to date. Right from its sprightly start, this music is brilliant and dynamic, with superb bits for the various wind instruments etched in. Wit and irony abound in this technicolored music: a sumptuous treat. The music speeds up, with marvelous unison violins taking us to a sudden end.

The ensuing Adagio begins with an off-kilter waltz from which a lush theme for the strings emerges. The velvety depths of the basses enrich and ennoble this massively lyrical sonic feast, which later develops another simply gorgeous violin melody, and a luminous clarinet passage: an abundance of riches, all strikingly played.

The final Allegro giacoso has a songful start, which turns agitated. The wind soloists exchange mini-themes, and then the basses introduce a fresh song, which builds and hustles along, sailing forward. Prokofiev pauses for a brief, nostalgic interlude before the momentum resumes with an optimistic rush to the finish line. Brilliant!!

The thrilling performance of the 5th symphony was greeted with fervent applause. Welcome back, Maestro Welser-Möst!

Note: Photo of the conductor by Roger Mastroianni.

~ Oberon

January 22, 2024
The Cleveland Orchestra ~ Prokofiev & Webern

Above: Sergei Prokofiev

~ Author: Oberon

Sunday January 21st, 2024 matinee – The Cleveland Orchestra offering an afternoon of symphonies by Sergei Prokofiev and Anton Webern, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, at Carnegie Hall. Maestro Welser-Möst has recently returned to conducting following several weeks of treatment for cancer. The program was rather unusual, with two Prokofiev symphonies book-ending a performance of Anton Webern’s rarely-played Symphony, Op. 21.

Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 2 in D-Minor, Op. 40, in rather odd piece, consisting of only two movements. It opens with a dazzling Allegro ben articolato: brass voices issue vivid calls, rollicking strings join in, and a march springs up. Plucking violins and rich motifs from the basses lend a cinematic quality. The music rolls on like a big machine, calming briefly only to turn into a fugue, with the horns blazing away. Battling rhythms bass and turbulent strings add to the excitement, with the trumpet sounding a repeated phrase. A new march emerges, going faster and faster. The horns! The drums! And then: a sudden silence.

The theme-and-variations second movement begins with a gently poised theme played by the oboe and then taken up by the violins. Solo wind voices – flute, clarinet, bassoon – sound over dense strings with somber basses. A slow, ponderous dance gains momentum. The music moves thru various moods, from witty to pensive; with percolating winds and urgent strings, a big sway develops, turning into a whirlwind agitato. Suddenly, a full stop. The music resumes, trudging forward; after potential endings prove evasive, the oboe is heard again over lulling strings. To me, this second movement went on a bit too long…but it was all so beautifully played.

Anton Webern (above) composed his Symphony, Op. 21 in 1928. Set for strings (without double-basses), harp, clarinet, bass-clarinet, and two horns, this miniature lasts all of ten minutes and is divided into two movements. The writing of the opening Ruhig schreitend (“Walking quietly”) is very spare: the wind instruments have brief phrases, whilst the strings comment. The harp adds an interesting texture. The second movement, Variations, has more substance musically. To the general listener, the piece may seem quizzical and a bit aimless, though it is highly regarded by musicians and scholars as a distillation of “symphonic logic”.

Following the interval, we heard a thrilling performance of the Prokofiev 5th symphony, spectacularly played. It opens with an Andante that for a moment made me think Enzo Grimaldo’s ship riding its anchor in the sea off Venice in Act II of LA GIOCONDA. Where do these imagined connections come from? Sixty years of opera-going! New themes are heard, richly played, and a sense of grandeur develops. The Cleveland basses are just fabulous, underlining so much gorgeous music-making: with a vast breadth of sound that is overwhelming to experience, the Andante reaches its glorious conclusion.

The Allegro marcato that follows was the highlight of the evening – and of the season to date. Right from its sprightly start, this music is brilliant and dynamic, with superb bits for the various wind instruments etched in. Wit and irony abound in this technicolored music: a sumptuous treat. The music speeds up, with marvelous unison violins taking us to a sudden end.

The ensuing Adagio begins with an off-kilter waltz from which a lush theme for the strings emerges. The velvety depths of the basses enrich and ennoble this massively lyrical sonic feast, which later develops another simply gorgeous violin melody, and a luminous clarinet passage: an abundance of riches, all strikingly played.

The final Allegro giacoso has a songful start, which turns agitated. The wind soloists exchange mini-themes, and then the basses introduce a fresh song, which builds and hustles along, sailing forward. Prokofiev pauses for a brief, nostalgic interlude before the momentum resumes with an optimistic rush to the finish line. Brilliant!!

The thrilling performance of the 5th symphony was greeted with fervent applause. Welcome back, Maestro Welser-Möst!

Note: Photo of the conductor by Roger Mastroianni.

~ Oberon

January 21, 2024