Weather or No, This Show's a Go
Music from and about the Baltic countries made for an
exceptional concert Thursday night at Music Hall.
Icy conditions kept the house count low and many
ticketholders exchanged their seats for Saturday night’s repeat, but those who
attended were treated to a choice program of music by Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and
Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks. On
the podium was the fine Finnish conductor John Storgårds, chief conductor of
the Helsinki Philharmonic (who may have wondered what the fuss about a little
ice and snow was about). Guest artist was Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto (who
may have wondered the same).
John Storgårds
|
Pekka Kuusisto
|
The concert had an added dimension with the appearance of
actor Jeremy Dubin of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, who framed
Tchaikovsky’s “Hamlet” Fantasy Overture with recitations from Shakespeare’s
tragedy about the prince of Denmark.
Dubin opened the concert with Hamlet’s anguished reflection on his father’s murder: “O that this too solid flesh would melt . . . But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue” (act I, scene 2, lines 129-159). This was followed immediately by the suffusing drama of Tchaikovsky’s Overture (not heard at the CSO, by the way, since 1967). The turbulent passages following the introduction were full of blistering anger, punctuated by loud crashes of tam-tam. The contrasting lyrical section for oboe and winds conveyed gentle warmth ((Ophelia?), only to give way to repeated turmoil, lamentation and a final, sorrowful dirge. Dubin capped the performance fittingly and dramatically with passages from act II of “Hamlet:” “O what a rogue and peasant slave am I . . . The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king” (II.2.555-612).
Violinist Kuusisto, who recently suffered a hand injury, performed Vask’s 2009 “Vox Amoris” (“The Voice of Love”) in place of the previously announced G Minor Concerto by Prokofiev. Subtitled “Fantasy” and a CSO premiere, the 24-minute, single-movement work is set for violin and reduced string orchestra. According to the composer’s program note, “it is about the greatest power in the whole world – love. Love is, was and will be as long as we will be.”
Kuusisto (dressed in a Hamlet-like tunic) gave it a deeply affecting performance, opening with a gentle exposition over a soft, muted tremolo by the CSO violins. The intensity built through two cadenzas for solo violin before reaching a high-lying climax in concert with the CSO strings. This was followed by a return to the tender feeling of the opening bars, Kuusisto ending with a soft, rising, portamento flutter (sliding the finger on the string).
The second half of the concert comprised Sibelius’ “Lemminkäinen” Suite (Four Legends from the ‘Kalevala’).” This monumental work, only performed once in its entirety by the CSO (in 2002, led by Estonian-born music director Paavo Järvi) is based on episodes from the Finnish national epic, “Kalevala.” The best known movement, “The Swan of Tuonela” is frequently performed.
The hero of “Kalevala,” Lemminkäinen, is a loveable rake who romances one woman too many, ends up in hell (Tuonela) where he tries to shoot the black swan that dwells there and is slain and cut to pieces, leaving it to his mother to save the day.
The first Legend, “Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of Saari,” was playful and heroic, ending with a big orchestral climax as Lemminkäinen abducts the maiden of his choice. CSO English hornist Christopher Philpotts shone in “The Swan of Tuonela,” a dark, brooding movement with multi-layered strings and plangent solos by principal cellist Ilya Finkelshteyn.
“Lemminkäinen in Tuonela” was genuinely spooky, opening with growly tremolos in the lower strings and featuring lots of menacing brass and bass drum rolls (keeping CSO percussionist Mark Wolfley busy). Although Sibelius did not provide a precise program, you can read a lot into it the music, as in the suspenseful moment for violins and snare drum, where one can imagine Lemminkäinen’s mother descending to Tuonela to rake up the pieces of his body and bring him back to life.
The fourth Legend, “Lemminkäinen’s Homeward Journey,” took off with a bang and never let up, as the hero made his way home in a blaze of glory. Storgårds and the CSO gave the color-saturated music a magnificent performance, which drew an enthusiastic ovation from the crowd.
Repeat is 8 p.m. Saturday at Music Hall. Tickets begin at $12 at (513) 381-3300, or order online at www.cincinnatisymphony.org. Come at 7 p.m. before the concert for a presentation, “Insights into Hamlet,” by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company director Brian Isaac Phillips.