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Virginian-Pilot Oct 9
Orchestra played well, but musical arrangement fell short
BY LEE TEPLY CORRESPONDENT • Reach Lee Teply at lteply@odu.edu.
The Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s Classics season began with two astutely programmed concerts in September that included first-rate performances.
While the level of performance was just as high Saturday evening at Chrysler Hall, the combination of pieces was not as satisfying.
Given the weekend’s gloomy nor’easter, the program opener – three movements from Isaac Albeniz’s “Suite Espanole” – had the welcome heat of the bright Spanish sun. Originally composed for piano solo, the orchestrations by the noted conductor Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos used a large array of instruments in colorful combinations.
As always, conductor JoAnn Falletta blended the sounds for maximum effect. She moved the fast dance rhythms along with crisp accents and, in contrast, allowed the slower sections to move with unhurried freedom.
If that music was warmed by the aural equivalents of reds, oranges and yellows, the next piece darkened the atmosphere considerably. Joan Tower’s “Purple Rhapsody,” composed in 2005 for the soloist in this performance, violist Paul Neubauer, does not have a specific story to tell. But its mood is perhaps a reflection on a troubled world.
In order not to cover the sound of the viola, often thought of as buried within the orchestral texture, Tower used winds sparingly, but with dramatic purpose. Neubauer projected well and played the challenging part with complete security and conviction.
Through sure timing, he helped make sense of the piece’s changing levels of tension, sometimes brooding with long lines in the low register, sometimes lashing out as loud as he could. The latter could have been interpreted as frustration at not being able to shout out with an even louder voice than the instrument allows.
The nearly 20-minute work had all of the technical finesse expected from this composer, and the performers matched it with their sensitivity to details.
In the end, though, one had to wonder why this rare opportunity to let the viola shine was so bleak.
Instead of ending the program with something a bit more cheerful, something to balance Albeniz’s lively dances, Falletta chose Franz Schubert’s “Symphony No. 8 in B minor.” Known as the “Unfinished Symphony” because he left only two complete movements, it is one of the most familiar pieces in the repertoire.
Perhaps that is why the first movement’s exposition of themes seemed so perfunctory – everyone already knew them.
But the development was just what it should be, filled with tension and surprises, even though this, too, is familiar territory. The slow movement did not lose its dramatic contrasts.
Schubert only wrote the scherzo’s first 20 measures. The completion by Brian Newbould was used. For a finale, a slightly modified version of an entr’acte from the composer’s “Rosamunde” was played.
The two movements were given fine readings that emphasized strong rhythms and balance among instruments.
There are some completions of unfinished works that are performed regularly. Mozart’s “Requiem” and Puccini’s “Turandot” come to mind first.
Schubert’s symphony will most likely remain unfinished in most performances, as these two movements do not add enough of substance. Still, it was a good try.
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The Virginia Symphony Orchestra with a complement of 79 professional musicians under the direction of Grammy-nominated Music Director JoAnn Falletta performs 140 concerts annually, reaching 200,000 concert goers every season in venues throughout the region. Our education and outreach programs reach 53,000 students and adult learners every year. The Virginia Symphony Orchestra is the cultural cornerstone of the performing arts in Hampton Roads.
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