Guerrero Magnetic

Nicole Cabell (Giancarlo Guerrero conducting)(photo by Chris Pinelo)

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra calls it “travel the musical globe with a touch of romance,” but Friday night’s CSO concert at Music Hall (repeating at 8 p.m. tonight) was much more than that.

It was the CSO debut of an exquisite lyric soprano, Nicole Cabell, in Ravel’s dreamy song set “Shéhérazade.”  It was the CSO premiere of tango master Astor Piazzolla’s “Sinfonía Buenos Aires.”

But most of all it was the conductor on the podium, Giancarlo Guerrero, in his second appearance with the orchestra.  Talk about getting an audience excited – not to mention the CSO, which played their hearts out for him -- Guerrero was a galvanizing presence.  Never still on the podium, he led with strong, clear gestures, a radiant expression and charisma to burn.  He opened with the Piazzolla and, most likely, no one who heard it will ever be the same. 

Subtitled “three symphonic movements,” “Sinfonía Buenos Aires” is an early (Op. 15) work by the Argentine master, the one that won him a stipend to study with legendary pedagogue Nadia Boulanger in Paris.  It incorporates tango, but is not yet “nuevo tango,” Piazzolla’s mature style fusing tango, jazz and classical music. 

It opened with a bang and scarcely let up afterwards, except for the lovely second movement, where Piazzolla recalls the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 and gives a tango moment to the clarinet.  The third movement began with a huge rhythmic outburst, a hail of timpani (Patrick Schleker and Richard Jensen) and five percussionists, before routing into a lyrical mid-section and a blazing ride to the end.  (Note: Guerrero elected to replace the bandoneon in Sinfonia Buenos Aires with optional winds.)

 Born in Nicaragua and raised in Costa Rica, Guerrero, 42, is a major exponent of new and contemporary music.  He is in the third year of a five-year contract as music director of the Nashville Symphony and has just begun a two-year engagement as principal guest conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra Miami Residency.

Soprano Cabell, who made a triumphant debut with Cincinnati Opera last summer as Pamina in Mozart’s “Magic Flute,” brought tenderness and taste to Ravel’s songs.  She could always be heard -- without trying to sing over the orchestra in oversize Music Hall -- and her enunciation of the French text was pointed and precise.  “Asie” (“Asia”), with its long, sometimes gory wish list, was spellbinding, as was “La flûte enchantée” (“The Enchanted Flute”), with principal flutist Randolph Bowman, and the concluding, quixotic “L”Indifférent” (“The Indifferent One”).

The second half of the concert was proof that Guerrero did not peak early.  Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story” came alive under his baton, each familiar picture painted clearly, the characters almost ready to emerge from the wings.   He snapped his fingers along with the musicians in the Prologue, coaxed an affecting melody from “Somewhere” and positively magical sonorities from the Scherzo, a play on “Maria.”  Flutist Jasmine Choi picked up the pieces after the Rumble, and Guerrero gave the Finale, with its muted strings and protracted “Somewhere,” a touching end.

What can you say about Ravel’s “Bolero?”  Except that, as expected, it roused its listeners.  Guerrero knew how to pace it for maximum impact, as the 17-minute pile-on progressed.  David Fishlock was the steady hand on the snare drum, with James Bunte on tenor and soprano saxophone and Lon Bussell on oboe d’amore as the work’s kaleidoscopic colors unfolded.  There was a huge ovation from the crowd, which called Guerrero back for repeated bows (one granted him solo by the players, who refused to stand).

The concert repeats at 8 p.m. tonight at Music Hall.  Tickets begin at $10.  Call (513) 381-3300.