Dohnányi and Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 1/6/11
If passion were a measurable substance, Severance Hall and all within it would have been happily submerged by the end of Thursday evening’s concert. I think it’s safe to say the passion flowed both ways, from stage to audience and back again.
First off, it was the return of the much-loved Christoph von Dohnányi, Music Director Laureate after a span of 18 years as Music Director. Next in line was the virtuoso soloist Richard King, principal horn of the orchestra in a Mozart concerto. (What’s not to love about that combination?) And the musical highlight of the evening – the Symphony NO. 6 “Pathétique” by Tchaikovsky.
The first work on the program “Con brio: Concert Overture” by Jörg Widmann, orchestra’s current Composer Fellow, is perhaps not so passionate as it is demanding. Using a wide range of special musical effects from instruments more commonly known for their musical beauty, the piece is jaunty and sharp, with occasional humor. Paul Yancich, timpanist, had the most work, and the most varied, using the wooden ends of the mallets — sometimes on the rims of the big kettles — as well as the more traditional methods.
Along with whooshing sounds from the flutes, the clarinets engaged in flat-handed slaps on the bottom of their instruments, but not while playing! Although only 10-12 minutes in length, the score itself is huge and did its best to fall off the conductor’s extra-large music stand. However, the ambidextrous Mr. Dohnányi maintained a firm grip on it with one hand while conducting with the other.
Richard King is principal of the horn section here because, barely out of his teens in 1988, Mr. Dohnányi brought him here straight out of the Curtis Institute of Music. Thank goodness for that! It was a grand reunion for the two men who collaborated on a spirited and lyrical performance of Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 2, K417. It was an astonishing, yet typical feat, as Mr. King’s command of his instrument is nearly unbelievable. His range is accurate from the top notes to the lowest, and his articulation, even in the fastest possible tempos is always crisp and neat. The bravos were well-deserved.
After intermission, the passion intensified on all fronts. Every note of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique is redolent of the passion felt by the composer. In this performance, the silences were as impressive as the musical endeavors. After the familiar opening with the bassoon solo (John Clouser), Mr. Dohnányi continued with his own interpretation of both big and small details. His phrasing was awesome, and the clarinets, especially, were delicate and almost too soft to be heard near the end of the longish first movement.
The ‘waltz with a limp’ second movement was sumptuous with little insouciant trills here and there, while the scherzo is fortunate not to have received a speeding ticket. Frank Rosenwein (principal oboe) had a short but beautiful solo which led to the brassy, biting, and triumphant march, with the conductor urging, pulling the musicians along. Of course, people clapped then, how could they not? But it didn’t really interrupt the flow into the finale which produced some of the most lush string sounds ever heard.
By the way, the 81 year-old Mr. Dohnányi conducted the 45-minute long symphony from memory, and while his arms and knees were kept busy throughout, he seemed as energetic at the end of it as he had at the beginning. The love bestowed on him by orchestra and audience was almost tangible and probably contributed to that situation.
Next week Mr. Welser-Möst returns to conduct music by Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, the overture to Wagner’s Tannhauser and Schumann’s Piano Concerto featuring Radu Lupu. For complete details, visit the website: http://www.ClevelandOrchestra.com or call the ticket office at 216.231.1111.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz, who writes: My most recently published book is Ardenwycke Unveiled (e-book and trade paper). Cerridwen has another contemporary romance from me, But Not For Love, currently available only as an e-book, but perhaps will be in print later this year. I hope to soon get around to completing some of the 30+ incomplete books in my computer!Actually, I’ve just re-issued my very first published book (from Berkley in NY 1993) Secret Shores which is available now in regular print, plus large print and as a Kindle.
By the way, Cerridwen has also accepted two of my short stories in their Scintillating Samples (complimentary reads) area: Song of the Swan and Unexpected Comfort. I love photography as well, as you can see here. Occasionally I teach writing workshops and sometimes do editing or ghostwriting on a free-lance basis. But over and above everything else, there’s always been the writing. I can’t imagine my life without it.
And now, after more than a few requests, I’ve started a blog about writing. You can find it here.