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SYMPHONY REVIEW
Stravinsky's Neoclassicism In Its Many Facets
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By Ronald Catalbiano
Last week the San Francisco Symphony opened its Stravinsky Festival with two
artistic triumphs: an overview of the great composer's chamber pieces, and a
program dedicated to his early "Russian Period." Last Thursday and
Friday, the orchestra focused on Stravinsky's neoclassical works -- those
that he wrote in Paris between the World Wars, specifically on this week's program,
the Symphony in C (1938), the Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1929),
and the complete version of the music-theater piece, The Soldier's Tale, (1918)
(L'Histoire du Soldat). As an added
bonus, we heard the last movement of Five Easy Pieces or Galop for piano, four
hands (1917), and its 1921 orchestral arrangement by the composer.
Unlike so many of the catch-phrases that have appeared in the last twenty
years -- neominimalism, new complexity, neotonality, and neoromanticism, and
probably a few neo-somethings that have passed me by -- the term
neoclassicism suggests more than a superficial relationship to music of
another era. It refers to many elements in Stravinsky's work.
Harmony is an obvious neoclassic element in the Symphony in C. We hear
clear progressions (for example, the long dominant chord of the introduction
which resolves to the tonic for the first theme) and nearly traditional
chords (dominant chords with an added eleventh or perhaps a
raised seventh). There is also an overall lightness of texture. It is here
that I had a few quibbles with the performance. Tilson Thomas clearly
planned where he wanted crisp, Haydnesque articulations and where he let the
heavier side of Stravinsky to come through. Yet the orchestra, particularly
the brass, sometimes disagreed about the length and quality of chords. This,
combined with additional ensemble problems in the last movement, made a
good performance a little less refined.
It was a treat to hear the seldom-played, 15-minute Capriccio for Piano and
Orchestra." Here, the harmony is more advanced than in the Symphony, but
the textures either remained transparent or hinted at an Italianate
sentimentality. Peter Serkin's marvelous technique shone through in the
virtuosic passage work and in his variety of articulations (including a
humorous mandolin effect in the last movement). He lent an appropriate poignancy
to the second movement, especially its cadenza. As encore, Serkin and
Thomas played the "Galop," four hands.This is a teaching work with a difficult teacher's part and simple student
part to which Serkin brought lightness and humor. The pianists' performance was
followed without a break by the composer's brilliantly orchestrated version
for orchestra (with Serkin playing along).
After intermission a different stage set-up was discovered: seven chairs and stands, a small battery of percussion instruments, and
a set of stairs leading to a small platform, heightening anticipation for the full version of The Soldier's Tale, complete with
dramatic lighting and sound effects. The work is scored for seven players
and three actors playing the parts of a narrator, soldier, and the devil. In
this performance, Patrick Stewart played all three parts, and did so with
such craft that each was clearly defined and complete with character
development, humor, and pathos. He used the full (mostly empty) stage,
speaking in front, behind, and to the sides of the ensemble, helped by a teleprompter set up all the way at the rear of the orchestra seating section. The music,
alternately circus-band like, idyllic, sexy, and simple, was well played an
ensemble made up of orchestra section leaders.
The variety of works chosen for this program was especially important, given
that they all came from a particular period in Stravinsky's life. I applaud
especially the mixture of chamber and solo works on the same program, a
practice I wish could be carried through in the regular season.
(Ronald Catalbiano is a composer living in San Francisco and teaching at San Francisco State University.)
©1999 Ronald Catalbiano, all rights reserved
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