Glass' Concerto a Hit with CSO Crowd

from left: Philip Glass, Richard Jensen,Julian Kuerti and Patrick Schleker

At one point during Friday night's Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concert at Music Hall, there were 18 timpani onstage.
   It was a sight never before seen in the 134-year-old hall.
   And only14 of them were used in Philip Glass' Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra (2000), which received its CSO premiere. 
    The other four were heard in Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," but they were heard from behind the orchestra not in front of it, where the the "action" in Glass' Concerto takes place.  Soloists were CSO principal and associate principal timpanists Patrick Schleker and Richard Jensen, respectively.
   The concert, which also included Stravinsky's "Firebird" Suite (1919) and Rachmaninoff's "Isle of the Dead," was the first in the CSO's "Boundless" Series, planned and overseen by Glass as one of three creative directors curating the CSO season in the absence of a music director.  (Paavo Järvi stepped down last spring after ten years in the post.  Glass' co-creative directors are conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and pianist Lang Lang.)
   On the podium was the gifted, attractive and superbly prepared guest conductor Julian Kuerti.
   Canadian born Kuerti, 35, son of pianist Anton Kuerti, led with inspiration, ease and assurance.  Best of all and most obviously fitting for a music director candidate, the orchestra played their best for him.  Former assistant to James Levine at the Boston Symphony, Kuerti demonstrated precision, attention to detail and the ability to achieve transparency with an orchestra, even in thick textures, characteristics that mark him as a conductor bound for a major career.
   The Timpani Concerto followed a stately reading of Copland's popular "Fanfare" (commissioned and premiered by the CSO in 1943 as one of a set of fanfares, a new idea at the time).  Manning seven timpani each, Schleker and Jensen were a joy to hear and to behold, moving like lightning between their instruments, which they also had to re-tune from time to time (using foot pedals).  The differences in pitch, dynamics and timbre (tone color) that each player produced lent the requisite soloistic quality to their instruments.  The first movement set up a strong syncopated rhythm (compare the theme from "Mission Impossible") that blossomed into a joyous exchange between drums and orchestra that was full of melody and irresistible verve.
   The second movement, a passacaglia (continuous variations on an ostinato theme) was a beauty, with various instruments and instrumental groups, including percussion, interacting with the solo drums.  This was followed by an extended cadenza, begun by Schleker and continued by Jensen, with contributions from the CSO by xylophone, snare and side drum.  Jensen demonstrated the timpani's glissando effect (using pedal) at one point.
    The music moved without pause into the sparkling finale, where triads in Glass' popular style could be heard interlaced with propulsive syncopation.  This worked up to a big climax at the end and a standing ovation from the crowd.  Glass, who earned a big cheer, took a bow with Kuerti and the soloists.
(All CDs of the Concerto sold out at the Bravo Shop during intermission.)
  

Arnold Böcklin, "Island of the Dead"

Rachmaninoff's tone poem "Isle of the Dead" came as a diametrical contrast to open the second half.  Inspired by 19th-century Swiss artist Arnold Böcklin's painting of the same name, it is a 20-minute reflection on death and life (mostly death).  It is strikingly effective in its use of asymmetrical meter (5/8) to represent a rowboat approaching a mysterious island.  This was convincingly drawn by Kuerti, who made the imagery vivid and compelling. The "life" portions emerged suddenly and as suddenly faded, as a desolate "Dies Irae" ("Day of Wrath") was heard in the strings, signalling the end of the journey.
    Kuerti conducted the "Firebird" Suite from memory and his immersion showed.  The CSO performed with patent virtuosity, from the kaleidoscopic Introduction and Firebird Variations to the brassy, triumphant Finale, introduced with perfect clarity by principal French hornist Elizabeth Freimuth.  The shattering boom of King Katschei's Infernal Dance peeled a bit of plaster from Music Hall's venerable ceiling, and principal bassoonist William Winstead's solo in the Berceuse was touchingly beautiful.  Most of all, the Suite had a pace and focus to it that only the best conductors can convey.  Kuerti is one of them.
    The concert repeats at 8 p.m. Oct. 1 at Music Hall.  Tickets begin at $12.  Call (513) 381-3300, or visit www.cincinnatisymphony.org