Severance
Hall
February
14
Off to the races with a consummate pro. |
Do
superstar conductors have off-nights? Judging from Herbert
Blomstedt’s performance with the Cleveland Orchestra last Thursday,
they can certainly have uninspired ones.
The
relatively short program featured two symphonies: Carl Nielsen’s
Symphony No. 3 (“Sinfonia espansiva”), and Beethoven’s
Symphony No. 7. Blomstedt, a Swedish-American who has led
orchestras from Stockholm to San Francisco for nearly 60 years, did
not use a score for either piece, working from memory in short,
efficient strokes. His economical style on the podium reflects his
larger stage presence: all business, with only perfunctory bows, and
none taken without the full orchestra standing for applause as well.
Nielsen
labeled his 1910-11 work “expansive” not only as a musical cue
(the first movement is marked Allegro espansivo), but also as
a thematic statement, reflecting its all-encompassing vision of
heaven and earth. Blomstedt established its exuberant quality
immediately, with a brisk opening movement that evoked a carnival
atmosphere at times. The sound was not very crisp, with most of the
color coming from the horns. This was characteristic of the entire
evening. The orchestra’s glorious strings tend to dominate most
performances, but Blomstedt worked off the rich tones and vibrant
colors he drew from the horns and woodwinds.
The
second movement was also uptempo, surprisingly so for a pastoral
interlude. The wordless vocals floated in and out of the music
beautifully, though with soprano Ellie Dehn and baritone Michael
Kelly singing offstage, it was hard to appreciate their artistry. But
the fine balance demonstrated one of Blomstedt’s strengths – his
ability to carefully calibrate the sound, taking it from full volume
to a whisper in a heartbeat.
Rhythms,
mostly in the strings, drove the third and fourth movements, and
Blomstedt embellished those nicely with colorful accents from the
horns. But the frantic pace robbed the music of some of its clarity,
particularly in passages with the full orchestra, which sounded dense
and even cluttered at times. It wasn’t until the closing minutes of
the fourth movement that the energy and disparate musical elements
finally coalesced into a three-dimensional aural image, giving the piece
the depth and authority it lacked.
The
Beethoven symphony sounded much the same: strikingly uptempo, with
bloodless strings, captivating woodwinds, and a bright, dry tone.
Despite a propulsive rhythm in the first movement, the strings never
really caught fire, and the percussion was so soft as to nearly disappear at
times. That was true of the entire piece, which lost some of its
characteristic impact with a muted timpani.
As
in the Nielsen work, Blomstedt used the strings as the rhythmic
engine, which turned the second movement into a dance rather than a
dirge – more like Beethoven’s sixth rather than his fifth
symphony. Well-crafted and finely articulated, it nonetheless lacked
tension and dynamics.
The
famous melodies of the third movement were better-suited to
Blomstedt’s style, rendered in engagingly brisk and playful
fashion. The final movement raced by at a gallop, with more fine work
from the horns and a rousing momentum that brought the audience to
its feet even before the final notes had faded.
Which
offered a reminder that interpretations are often a matter of taste.
For this critic, Franz Welser-Möst’s
reading of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 in November was more
thoughtful and refined, adding interesting dimensions to the piece.
By comparison, Blomstedt’s No. 7 seemed like a surface
treatment – clean and smart, but with nothing new to say. He will
be back this week with mainstays of the repertoire from Mozart and
Dvořák. Hopefully those will
hold more inspiration.
For
more on Herbert Blomstedt:
http://www.sfsymphony.org/About-Us/Musicians-Conductors/Herbert-Blomstedt
Thank you for articulating your perspective on this concert. I particularly appreciate your insights about color and rhythm -- which instruments set tone and texture, which instruments drive things forward -- and how effective were the conductor's choices. And it's interesting to compare those choices, between a less familiar work (which often seems an observation about the construction of the work itself) and a standard symphony (and how it is interpreted, whether the conductor chooses to make a distinctive personal statement.) For the general audience then, perhaps different matters for discussion: whether they liked the piece or the way it was done.
ReplyDeleteThis musician likes the way your reviews are done -- Marge