Norrington, CSO Prove Less is More

(first published in The Cincinnati Post Feb. 25, 2006)

A guru stood before the Cincinnati Symphony Friday morning at Music Hall.

Also a master conductor and living proof that music, especially conducting, keeps you young.

British conductor Sir Roger Norrington, prime mover of the period performance movement, led a concert that was revelatory, not just for wiping the smudge off some well-loved masterworks, but for testifying to the amazing flexibility of the CSO (the strings, for instance, played almost entirely without vibrato throughout).

The orchestra sounded new under Norrington's leadership, yet it remained the same versatile, disciplined, keenly responsive bunch.

Norrington, making his CSO debut at 72 and conducting the entire concert from memory, began with a luminous performance of Vaughn Williams' "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" for double string orchestra and string quartet. The work's built-in echo quality was maximized by placing the smaller orchestra on risers behind the main body and having them play without vibrato. Rather than the morass of sound the work can become, it had definition and deep feeling, concertmaster Timothy Lees' high-lying solo singing sweetly near the halo-like end.

Haydn's "London" Symphony, No. 104, featured a reduced orchestra (about 40), precise attacks, sharp dynamic contrasts and a ton of character. Haydn, a legendary wit, lived again here, especially in the second movement, which Norrington filled with near pratfall humor - and reflected it himself by turning to the audience and wiping his brow at one point. He got the lead out of the CSO in the "Spiritoso" finale, where he indulged in a leap or two on the podium.

For Beethoven's 7th Symphony, Norrington used a similarly reduced orchestra, with the same brisk tempos and vivid characterization. Again, he punched out some piquant details for the fun of it (like the second violins sawing away on their open A strings).  The audience was with him all the way, Norrington turning to salute a "wow" from one listener after the first movement.

 The march-like Allegretto moved quickly, without the pathos sometimes tacked onto it, and the finale soared lickety-split to a final blaze of horns and trumpet. The crowd stood in a unanimous ovation.

Tonight's repeat is 8 p.m. at Music Hall. Be there.