Sounds filled Music
Hall Friday evening:
The sound of the organ in Saint-Saens'
Symphony No. 3, of hands clapping – the hall was so full the ushers ran out of
programs -- of violinist Midori in Mendelssohn's
Violin Concerto and Olivier Messiaen's sublime "Les offrandes oubliées" ("The forgotten offerings").
There was something about this Cincinnati
Symphony concert, coming on a downright "balmy" evening following so
much wet, chilly weather . . . Attorney
Bernard McKay of Newport described it as “the melodious sounds of
spring." And indeed, the change of
seasons does permeate our experiences, especially in the spring.
Music director Paavo Järvi drew superb
playing from the CSO, which responded with the definition, inspiration and
clarity that only a great conductor working his own orchestra can achieve.
The headliner was Midori and she did not
disappoint, though the impact of her performance was muted by the lack
of intimacy in 3,500-seat Springer Auditorium. You can whisper in Music Hall,
given its superlative acoustics, but it takes a compelling presence to command
attention that way.
Midori -- a tiny figure in a long white dress
– has that presence, but it may have been that, even more than what actually
reached her listeners’ ears, that brought them to their feet at the close of
the Mendelssohn.
Her message was exceedingly musical, but almost
confidential. She played with her head
bent over the body of the instrument much of the time, her eyes closed as if
playing to herself. Also, she plays with
remarkable economy of bowing and is able to deliver volleys of notes
with amazing precision and control without drawing that much attention to what
she is doing.
Though Järvi and the CSO accommodated her
the best they could, there were times when the orchestra obscured her lines. Likewise, there were tutti moments (orchestra
without soloist) that sounded disproportionately large by contrast, especially
in the slow movement.
That said, her playing aimed straight for
the heart. The drama of the opening movement
(marked “appassionato”) was apparent, the slow movement was caressingly
beautiful and her quicksilver acrobatics played out delightfully against warm
accompaniment by the CSO in the finale.
Saint-Saens’ “Organ” Symphony, so named for
the prominent use of organ in the second half, is an audience favorite and
rightly so. Few symphonic works achieve
such grandeur and affecting “simplicity” and to the same degree (it is
interesting that music from this symphony was used in the film “Babe” about a
humble pig facing slaughter on a farm.)
As with everything Järvi conducts, there was
amazing transparency here, the revelatory kind where you here things in the
texture that you never heard before.
This comes from extraordinary musical insight and the ability to communicate
it to 100 musicians and have it reflected by them. Just so did timpanist Patrick Schleker
underline the harmony of the rustling opening bars of the Saint-Saens. The work’s cyclic themes (recurring in different
guises throughout) were always pointed, as in the bubbling winds with their
blurred rhythms that led into the gentle Adagio.
Organist Heather MacPhail entered here with
the first glimmerings of the organ (the console was situated behind the
orchestra). The CSO strings sounded like
one instrument, pastel-colored at first, blossoming into a rich romantic sound
later after a soft pizzicato buildup. This
was a magical movement (McKay’s “spring?”), a kind of tranquil island with the
soft rumble of the organ trailing off at the end.
The lively scherzo, beginning part two of
the four-movement work, opened with gutsy strings echoed by nifty, agile
tonguing by the CSO winds. Pianist
Michael Chertock’s scales sparkled as he scampered rapidly upward through the
shifting textures.
It was MacPhail’s big moment as she sounded
the great C Major chord that opened the finale.
Julie Spangler joined Chertock in the glistening piano figures that
adorn one of the work’s sublime passages.
The effect of the whole was of spinning off into space as the music
expanded in contrary motion, organ downward, the CSO upward, toward the
majestic end, where Schleker had the last word with emphatic strokes of the
timpani (one of which actually broke the head of a drum, but better as a climactic parting gesture than earlier in the symphony!).
Messiaen’s “Les offrandes oubliées” was a CSO subscription premiere. First symphonic work by the then 22-year-old
conservatory graduate and organist, it made the case, as did his “L’Ascension,”
heard on CSO concerts led by Järvi in 2007, that this great composer’s music
should be performed more often by the CSO.
It was also an apt choice for an Easter season concert..
Reflective of Messiaen’s staunch Roman
Catholic faith, it is a 12-minute triptych on Christ’s crucifixion (the “offering”
of the title), human sin (that offering “forgotten”) and the sacrament of the
Eucharist (reconciliation).
It is extraordinary music, heartfelt and
emotional in its reflection of Christ’s suffering on the cross (
Trés lent), suddenly violent and explosive in its characterization
of sin (Vif). The final portrait of compassion
and love, set for violins and violas alone, was infinitely tranquil, wafting upward at the conclusion, where Järvi stood silently for a long moment before
letting his hands drop to signal the applause.
Repeats are 8 p.m. tonight and 3 p.m. Sunday
at Music Hall (April 25 and 26). Tickets
(likely scarce) at (513) 381-3300, the Music Hall box office (25% off from 11
a.m. to 2 p.m. today) and at the door.