Severance
Hall
April
25
 |
| A dazzling performance caps a milestone season. |
The
program was Franz Welser-Möst’s,
but the spotlight at Severance this weekend was on the Cleveland
Orchestra Chorus. The all-volunteer ensemble brought its 60th
anniversary season to a rousing conclusion with a glorious
performance of Haydn’s The Seasons.
Though
it was established relatively late (at the “request” of Music
Director George Szell), the chorus has a storied history, due in
large part to conductor Robert Shaw. A noted choral specialist who
served as Szell’s assistant for 10 seasons, Shaw took over the
fledgling group in 1956 and molded it into one of the finest
orchestra choruses in the country. His professional standards and
personal charisma were such that after he left in 1967 to become
music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, some members of the
chorus followed him.
The
fine job that current choral directors Robert Porco and Lisa Wong
have done maintaining those standards was on effulgent display in The
Seasons, an oratorio in which the chorus plays an unusually
prominent role. Musically, the piece is more like an opera, with
three soloists in lead roles and the chorus not just embellishing,
but advancing the narrative. This opens up wonderful opportunities
for expression, like a segment late in the final movement, “Winter,”
when the chorus punctuates an amusing folk tale told by the soprano
with reactions like “Ha, ha, that was a good one!” To hear that
kind of sharp, spirited exchange from hundreds of voices was
remarkable.
And
the energy was overwhelming, approaching “Ode to Joy” intensity
at times. The chorus started soft, with a hushed entry in the
“Spring” movement that invoked the soft breezes in the lyrics. By
the time of the “Summer” thunderstorm, the voices roared from the
stage in great waves that lost nothing in clarity or transparency,
despite their power. And it’s hard to think of another large vocal
ensemble that can achieve the shimmering, golden glow the chorus
created in the resplendent sunrise section of “Summer” and the
finale of “Winter,” which transports listeners to a divine
eternal spring.
The
Seasons also plays to the orchestra’s instrumental strengths,
in particular its trademark attention to detail. The piece is rightly
famous for its many effects mimicking the lyrics, like a frog
croaking or quail calling, and an extended section that paints a
vivid picture of a stag hunt. But there are subtler touches
throughout that Welser-Möst
rendered with wit and grace, like glittering strings describing the
“sparkling flow” of a brook, and a snaky oboe line bringing to
life “a reviving sensation.” The conductor’s enthusiasm for the
piece was obvious, and his ability to fill in a grand, sweeping
canvas with so many small, colorful details was delightful.
The
soloists were uniformly good, with baritone Luca Pisaroni making the
strongest impression. His role is the weightiest in The Seasons,
particularly in the closing ruminations on the meaning of life.
Pisaroni’s warm tone and burnished timbre lent solemnity and
carried direct emotional appeal. Malin Hartelius’ round soprano and
Maximilian Schmitt’s high tenor were an elegant match, particularly
in the love duets. And the trios were marvelous, a rare case of three
voices fitting together so neatly that they became a unique fourth
voice, seamless and captivating.
The
Thursday performance was marred by an ugly moment in the opening
movement when a cell phone went off with a harsh urban ringtone that
seemed to go on forever before it was silenced. Welser-Möst
was so upset that he turned to the audience between movements and
asked everyone – irately but politely – to turn off their
“equipment.” In a way, the faux pas offered a backhanded
compliment: Had the spell the conductor wove not been so thoroughly
absorbing and completely enchanting, the interruption would not have
been nearly so irritating.
It
left this critic wondering if perhaps the orchestra’s innovative
and aggressive marketing efforts haven’t been too successful. In a
perfect world, classical music should be available to everyone. But
in some settings, maybe only for the people ready to hear it.
For
more on the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus:
http://www.clevelandorchestra.com/about/cleveland-orchestra-chorus.aspx
For
more on Robert Shaw:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Shaw_(conductor)
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