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SYMPHONY REVIEW
Heroic Strauss, Bumpy Beethoven
October 4, 2001
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By George Thomson
Richard Strauss' tone poem Ein Heldenleben is a sort of touchstone for the modern symphony orchestra. The “hero” of the title may well be the composer, but in performance the work is a celebration of the entire ethos of the orchestra. Few pieces of music marshal so many forces so effectively, and test them so severely.
The other niche the work has come to occupy is that of “concertmaster exam” as the leader's part includes a solo of concerto-like proportions. In the spotlight in last week's performances with the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas was new concertmaster Alexander Barantschik. On Thursday evening Barantschik turned in a performance of tremendous aplomb and commitment, and the orchestra as a whole rendered the work with considerable joy.
The Symphony's performance did not stint on power, certainly, but the moments of delicacy and color were also admirable. The episodes of the work evoking the “hero's critics” were particularly fine; I hope that I shall never be, for example, a critic so spiteful and bilious as that suggested by the remarkable E-flat clarinet playing of Luis Baez.
Barantschik's solo turn, in the section evoking “the hero's companion,” had an extra element of drama when one of his strings broke only a few seconds in; scarcely missing a beat, Associate Concertmaster Nadya Tichman handed him her violin and set about restringing his. Thus, at a stroke, Strauss' hero's companion changed from a rather husky mezzo-soprano to something more like a soubrette, but Barantschik's was an enthralling performance nonetheless. His playing is powerful, going deep into the string and attacking phrases very demonstratively (a handy trait for a leader). The intensity of sound and vibrato, and the muscularity of the playing suggested that this particular “hero's companion” would not hesitate to deck her hero should he give her any trouble. The physically demonstrative aspect of Barantschik's leadership made itself felt from the opening of the performance of Beethoven's Fourth Symphony that preceded the intermission. His elaborate preparatory gesture insured that the opening pizzicato would be together, but it was certainly to the rear of the beat. The rest of the work showed the unfortunate effects of a too-rigorous application of the orchestral doctrine colloquially known as LIFO: always be the Last In, First Out. At every turn, forward momentum took a back seat to ensemble. The energy of the first movement's Allegro vivace, which I have always likened to that of a huge dog, free of your leash and bounding down the hill, was here a huge dog who, having bounded a few steps ahead of you, turns around to make sure you're still there, bounds again, turns again, and so on. A few first violinists in the opening exposition had the temerity to play where they expected the beat to be, ahead of the pack, and I for one felt complete sympathy for them. The Scherzo started with exuberant energy but after the first spot where everyone plays long notes together — at measure 17, to be precise — the tempo instantly slackened and never recovered.
The performance did have some bright spots, however. The orchestra's principal woodwind players sat out the Beethoven, giving the four associate principals — flautist Robin McKee, oboist Evgeny Izotov, clarinetist Luis Baez, and bassoonist Steven Dibner — the opportunity to shine. Izotov and Dibner in particular played their solos with a freshness and energy that, in the context of the ponderous whole, were subversive in the most delightful way. The evening began, after an unprogrammed solo for cell-phone, with Oliver Knussen's Choral for wind ensemble. A disconcerting opening for growling trombones sets the stage for a dour landscape of shifting wind textures. Alliances between sections form, dissolve, and form again as the piece gradually gathers momentum. The work made a deep aural impression in the Symphony's strong performance; the notoriously difficult final chord of Heldenleben, also for the winds alone, served to tie both ends of the evening's program together in an unexpected but satisfying way. (George Thomson is a conductor, violinist and violist, Director of the Music Conservatory, San Domenico School, living in San Rafael.) ©2001 George Thomson, all rights reserved |