Severance
Hall
February
13
Surprisingly uneven work in a disappointing debut. |
Some
weeks, the hometown band is interesting for what it can do under the
direction of a visiting conductor. Other times, it’s impressive for
what it can accomplish despite
a new hand at the helm. German conductor Marc Albrecht’s Thursday
night debut with the Cleveland Orchestra was, unfortunately, an
example of the latter. Which was surprising, given his
success with European orchestras and affinity for the 20th-century
repertoire.
Currently
chief conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and
Netherlands Opera, Albrecht, 49, made his reputation in the orchestra
pits at the Hamburg State Opera, Staatstheater Darmstadt and Deutsche
Oper Berlin. His style is well-suited to the stage, with grand,
dramatic gestures and vivid colors in the music. Noted in particular
for his handling of Wagner and Strauss, he would seem a perfect fit
for a program of two familiar Mahler works and the orchestral version
of Brahms’ Piano Quartet in G minor (Op. 25).
But
his performance was uneven, veering from carefully crafted detail
work to broad strokes so loose that there were technical miscues,
with the players making their own internal adjustments. And in what
should have been Albrecht’s strength – accompanying mezzo-soprano
Sasha Cooke in Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer – the singer
and conductor seemed to be out of synch.
The
evening opened with Mahler’s Blumine, the “leftover”
movement from the composer’s first symphony. Albrecht’s rendering was straightforward and lacked clarity, sounding like
a solid, uninspired wall of sound. Especially taken out of its
original symphonic context, the Blumine is not very expressive
and needs some sharpening and verve. But an apparent timing misstep
in the opening trumpet cantilena seemed to throw the piece off
slightly, and it never developed any texture or depth.
Albrecht
got off to a better start with Songs of a Wayfarer, providing
bright, buoyant accompaniment for Cooke. There was a lot more detail
in the sound, which sparkled at times. But then it would fly open and
range widely before coming back to a tight focus. The inconsistent
approach appeared uncomfortable for the musicians, who sounded
comparatively stiff in their playing.
Short but sweet. |
It
may also have affected Cooke, who was not always on top of her
breathing. That’s unusual – typically, she has a great feel for
the work of not only Mahler, but late 20th-century composers like
John Adams and Philip Glass. Her expertise was clear in a rich lower
register for the first two songs, a powerful dramatic flair in “Ich
hab’ ein glühend
Messer” and the high, delicate melodic lines of “Die zwei
blauen Augen von meinem Schatz.” Cooke’s brief but engaging turn
drew enthusiastic applause from the audience, as well as the
orchestra members.
The
Brahms quartet sounds nothing like a chamber work in Arnold
Schoenberg’s 1937 transcription, which in performance looks like an
exercise in using every single instrument in a large orchestra.
Indeed, when asked why he undertook the task, Schoenberg said, “It
is always very badly played, because the better the pianist, the
louder he plays, and you hear nothing from the strings. I wanted once
to hear everything.”
That
much Albrecht managed to achieve. Individual instruments and sections
came to the fore, with the conductor finally taking advantage of the
orchestra’s silken strings, vibrant horns and woodwinds, and
precision percussion. All four movements brimmed with color and
drama, building to a fast-paced finish of aural fireworks. The energy
was infectious and the sprawling dimensions of the work were
fascinating.
Still,
it seemed hollow, all surface gloss and dazzle without a tight
central core. And the sound was once again uneven, powerful in the
dramatic swells that Albrecht favors but anemic in the more
thoughtful passages, particularly in the second movement. And the
dark tones of the third movement just never arrived. Technically the
piece suffered as well, with rough edges instead of clean, sharp
lines in the final movement, and passages throughout where different
sections of the orchestra seemed to be bumping into each other
instead of meshing. In the whirlwind finish, the sound was nearly
tripping over itself.
None
of which seemed to bother the Severance audience, which responded
with its usual fervor. For that, the orchestra players deserve even
more credit than usual.
For
more on Marc Albrecht: http://imgartists.com/artist/marc_albrecht
For
more on Sasha Cooke:
http://sashacooke.instantencore.com/web/home.aspx
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