Pianist Tom Borrow joins Pittsburgh Symphony musicians for an evening of chamber music

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Tom Borrow, piano
Justine Campagna, violin
Jeremy Black, violin
Tatjana Mead Chamis, viola
Anne Martindale Williams, cello
Strings of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Heinz Hall
Pittsburgh, PA
October 19, 2024

Mozart: Violin Sonata No. 21 in E minor, K304
Grieg: Holberg Suite, Op. 40
Dvořák: Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81

One of the Pittsburgh Symphony’s more enterprising endeavors is the PSO360 series, which engages the guest soloist from the weekend’s subscription concerts in chamber music with select PSO members. An intimate audience of 200 is seated on the Heinz Hall stage, circled around the performers, affording the opportunity to see another side of the soloist and orchestra players alike.

The soloist in question was the young Israeli pianist Tom Borrow, who made a strong impression in the performances of Ravel’s piano concerto that flanked Saturday’s chamber concert. To begin, Borrow teamed up with associate concertmaster Justine Campagna in Mozart’s E minor violin sonata. The only work in Mozart’s vast catalogue to be cast in that key, it’s a particularly deeply-felt creation, one that the program notes aptly compared to the A minor piano sonata (K310) for its expressive range.

Campagna was elegant and articulate, and Borrow responded in kind with sparkling, quintessentially Mozartian pianism. The development section was particularly emotive, and the minuet that closed the two-movement sonata was perhaps the most profound of all minuets, a rich conversation between violinist and pianist.

Grieg’s Holberg Suite brought out the Pittsburgh string section, and there was a visceral energy in being onstage with 20 string players, evident from the effusive prelude which opened. Peaceful, lyrical movements followed, swelling to a warm resonance, and I was especially struck by the clarity of the inner voices. Perhaps most affecting was the Air, songful and mournful — and a touching homage to Bach. The Rigaudon brought the suite to a close with joyous abandon.

Following intermission, Borrow returned with a quartet of strings for Dvořák’s great A major piano quintet. A graceful introduction in the piano paved the way for a lyrical cello passage (Anne Martindale Williams). The five players wove together a rich tapestry with a feverish intensity, yet at its core still as good-natured as the composer himself. An elegant piano gesture marked the Dumka, a wistful essay punctuated by gorgeous interludes.

There was a vivacity to the folk inflections of the Scherzo that could only put a smile on one’s face, and the finale continued in the highest of spirits — but not without a blistering fugato. Here as throughout, Borrow sounded like a seasoned collaborator with these Pittsburgh players.

Tom Borrow with members of the Pittsburgh Symphony

North Carolina Symphony delights in Farrenc and Beethoven

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North Carolina Symphony
Joseph Peters, conductor
Meymandi Concert Hall
Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts
Raleigh, NC
September 27, 2024

Farrenc: Symphony No. 3 in G minor, Op. 36
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93

Despite the threat of severe thunderstorms as vestiges of Hurricane Helene, the show went on at Raleigh’s Meymandi Concert Hall, with the North Carolina Symphony offering a delightful matinee program. At the podium was Joseph Peters, who also serves as the Symphony’s associate principal oboe and English horn.

North Carolina Symphony and Joseph Peters

With a Strauss serenade being jettisoned for the shortened afternoon performance, two symphonies were contrasted, beginning with the largely forgetten Third Symphony of Louise Farrenc. A testament to her talent, Farrenc had the distinction of the being the only woman to hold professorship at the Paris Conservatoire in the nineteenth century. Her third and final symphony dates from 1847, a rare instance of a French symphony from that time as French composers sought to explore mediums different from their Germanic counterparts.

A brief slow introduction served to firmly establish the G minor tonality, giving way to a pointed theme, crisply articulate in its presentation. To me, it sounded as something of an amalgamation of Mozart’s two great symphonies in the same key with a touch of Mendelssohn’s Scottish — though there was ample evidence of Farrenc’s own voice, not the least in the mellifluous winds which offered an inimitable Gallic charm. A blistering coda brought the opening movement to a close.

The Adagio cantabile was marked by a deeply lyrical theme in the honeyed clarinet, answered by the strings. Beginning quietly, dynamic contrasts were maximized in the scherzo, Mendelssohnian in its briskness — and to no detriment of clarity. A brief but vigorous finale led to a to satisfying conclusion, and this counted as a welcome opportunity to hear a neglected yet skillfully crafted work.

In Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony, he aspired to the lightheartedness and joviality of his former teacher Haydn — almost as if he needed to create seven monuments before he could attempt such an endeavor. The opening seemingly overflowed with exuberance, with accents punctuating its rhythmic vivacity. The Allegretto scherzando was light and gossamer, and the most patently indebted to Haydn’s wit. Despite being a driving force in replacing the minuet with a scherzo in the symphony, here Beethoven retreated to the venerable dance form. The swagger was infectious, and the horns in the gentler trio were especially lovely — and the work’s finale was of an ebullience that even exceeded that of the opening.

Pittsburgh Symphony’s Summer Shorts offers Italian delights

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Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Jacob Joyce, conductor
Nicholas Myers, double bass
O’Reilly Theater
Pittsburgh, PA
July 18, 2024

Rossini: Overture to L’italiana in Algeri
Martines: Sinfonia in C major
Bottesini: Concerto No. 2 for Bass and Orchestra in B minor
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90, Italian

Though the Pittsburgh Symphony falls short of performing a full summer season, Thursday evening’s Summer Shorts performance did much to satisfy one’s musical appetite in a particularly appealing program of music from or about Italy. Helmed by associate conductor Jacob Joyce, the PSO ventured across Penn Avenue to the O’Reilly Theater, an intimate, 650-seat venue home to Pittsburgh Public Theater.

Jacob Joyce and the PSO at the O’Reilly

Rossini’s overtures never fail to bring a smile to one’s face, and the overture to L’italiana in Algeri (one of the composer’s first full-length operas) certainly had that effect, right from its cheeky pizzicato opening. A limber oboe passage provided a lyrical highlight in this otherwise vigorous work, performed by the PSO with the highest of spirits.

Born to Neapolitan parentage, Marianna Martines spent her life in Vienna where she counted amongst her acquaintances Haydn and Mozart. Though a prolific composer, very few of her works were published during her lifetime, and tragically, many manuscripts were destroyed by a fire in 1927. Dating from 1770, the Sinfonia in C major proved an intriguing discovery. Cast in a three-part structure in accordance with the Italian overture form, the work exuded the charm and elegance of the Classical style and of her mentor Haydn, but written with the optimism and self-assurance of a very skilled composer.

The central section could perhaps have been given with greater contrast from the preceding, though the finale – a sprightly, almost danceable affair – offered a minor key episode to beguiling effect. Consider my interest in Martines duly piqued.

Typically relegated to the back of the orchestra, it’s a rare treat to hear the double bass front and center as the protagonist of a concerto. Appointed to principal bass in 2022, this counted as Nicholas Myers’ PSO solo debut. Giovanni Bottesini was a virtuoso on the instrument, even becoming known as the “Paganini of the double bass,” and composed a significant body of work for it. In addition, he was an accomplished conductor, being the one to lead the 1871 premiere of Verdi’s Aïda in Cairo.

Bottesini’s Concerto No. 2 for Bass and Orchestra was perhaps the most intriguing entry on the program. With little fanfare to introduce, the bass entered lyrical and resonant, its capabilities as a solo instrument on full display. Myers impressed in his virtuoso command of the instrument, from the wide leaps in the melodic line to the rapid-fire coda. An Andante was deeply songful, a sound that contrasted with the instrument’s unwieldy appearance, and the rollicking finale evidenced Hungarian influence. In future PSO seasons, perhaps Myers can be invited to lead an exploration of concertos for double bass?

Mendelssohn’s perennial Italian symphony was a fitting and satisfying close to the evening. Its sunny, inimitably Italianate textures were buttressed by Joyce’s sweeping gestures, purveying a bold sound even more apparent in the confines of the O’Reilly. Perhaps because of the Bottesini that prefaced, my ears were particularly attuned to the sextet of double basses, which as ensemble instruments were used to such clever effect in the Andante con moto. The penultimate movement served as an elegant processional before the finale, given a vigorous workout, punctuated by the infectious rhythms of the saltarello.

Vasily Petrenko and Pittsburgh Symphony deliver a gripping Manfred

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Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko, conductor
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
Heinz Hall
Pittsburgh, PA
June 2, 2024

Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S124
 Encore:
 Sousa/Horowitz: The Stars and Stripes Forever
Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony, Op. 58

Under the baton of guest conductor Vasily Petrenko, the Pittsburgh Symphony presented a colorful selection of three contrasting works spanning the Romantic era. Matters began with the inimitably familiar Sorcerer’s Apprentice of Paul Dukas, a familiarity in no small part cemented by its appropriation in Disney’s watershed Fantasia. The tone poem began in suspenseful mystery, decorated with silvery, gossamer texturing. Haughty bassoons introduced the main theme, given with swagger and bringing to life Goethe’s titular poem. The work burgeoned to an overflowing urgency, made the all the more affecting by way of its iridescent orchestration.

Preconcert interview with Vasily Petrenko, moderated by PSO associate conductor Moon Doh

Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 introduced British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor. Bellicose beginnings were furthered encouraged by the pianist’s steely-toned octaves, but the work wasn’t all fireworks and bombast, being interspersed with lyrical episodes often in dialogue with an orchestra member. The tone produced from the Steinway was bit too bright for my taste, though I’m not sure whether to point fingers at the pianist or the piano.

The ringing of the triangle marked the scherzo section, answered by Grosvenor’s stylish playing. The octaves returned at breakneck speed, pointing the way towards the concerto’s blistering end. An enthusiastic reception brought Grosvenor back for an encore in Horowitz’s transcription of Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever. Thunderous bass octaves and intricate filigree in the upper register made for a fun close to the first half – and perhaps a suitable welcome to summer.

Though he didn’t include it amongst his numbered symphonies, Tchaikovsky’s Manfred is one of his most significant orchestral works, chronologically falling between the Fourth and Fifth symphonies. Like the Dukas that opened, it too draws programmatic inspiration from poetry, in this case, Lord Byron. Nearly an hour long, it can be abstruse work to interpret, but Petrenko (who has recorded the work with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic) made a clear and compelling case for it. I would perhaps suggest a parallel with Liszt’s Dante Symphony heard earlier this season, hyper-Romantic, literary works scored for large orchestra, both perhaps a bit bloated but which nonetheless have much to say when given an incisive interpretation.

Lugubrious, tragic beginnings were had in the expansive opening movement, outlining a brooding main theme that swelled to great passions, depicting our Romantic hero. The Vivace con spirito that followed was lighter fare by comparison, with a central section lush and lyrical. Mercurial filigree in the high strings surfaced near the movement’s end to striking effect. The Andante con moto featured a songful oboe solo, a moment of peace amidst the tumult. The finale amounted to long, arduous journey in of itself. At the very end, the organ filled Heinz Hall for a remarkable moment of lavish orchestration, and the closing hymn led to a peaceful if somber resolution in evocation of Manfred’s death. While the Manfred Symphony might not be a masterpiece on par with the composer’s final three numbered symphonies, a performance like this nonetheless compels one to give it ample attention.

Columbus Symphony closes season in the splendor of Mozart

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Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Aubry Ballarò, soprano
Hilary Ginther, mezzo-soprano
David Walton, tenor
James Eder, bass

Stephen Caracciolo, chorus director
Columbus Symphony Chorus

Ohio Theatre
Columbus, OH
May 24, 2024

Mozart: Mass in C minor, K427, Great (completion by Ulrich Leisinger)

For the final program of the 2023-24 Masterworks season, the Columbus Symphony offered a single work in a brief but affecting program, an evening dedicated to Mozart’s C minor mass. Like the Requiem, Mozart never completed the Mass, and the CSO presented the work in a 2019 realization by Ulrich Leisinger, which eschews a liturgically complete mass in favor of only minimal additions to Mozart’s extant corpus.

L-R: Rossen Milanov, Aubry Ballarò, Hilary Ginther, David Walton, and James Eder with the Columbus Symphony & Chorus

Under Rossen Milanov’s baton, the opening Kyrie began intimate and inward, quite striking for such a grandiose conception. Matters quickly grew in urgency, however, with the Chorus – prepared by Stephen Caracciolo – filling the cavernous Ohio Theatre. “Christe eleison” was intoned by soprano Aubry Ballarò, with flowing, extended melismas yielding a resonant effect – and I couldn’t help being reminded of the passage’s use in Amadeus.

The extensive Gloria began resplendent and exultant, structured such that the chorus alternated with the soloists, either as individuals or in various combinations. Hilary Ginther offered a second soprano voice in “Laudamus te,” articulate, and in command of the vocal intricacies, while “Dominus Deus” saw her in harmonious blend with Ballarò. In “Qui tollis,” the chorus was rapt and pious in the minor key profundities. The women were combined with tenor David Walton in “Quoniam,” the latter a bit overshadowed, and the final passage of the Gloria was given to the chorus, resplendent in its exacting counterpoint.

In the Credo, a soprano solo (Ballarò) prefaced an orchestral interlude, notable for fine playing from the winds. This was somewhat lighter fare compared to the preceding, but still certainly no trifle. The Sanctus was brightened by the brass – with the trombones especially striking – and the closing Benedictus was given heft with the sole appearance of bass James Eder, though it was the chorus who ultimately brought the work to its resonant close.

Ohio Theatre ahead of Friday’s performance

Guest conductor, cellist feature in Columbus Symphony program

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Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Kenneth Bean, conductor 
Tommy Mesa, cello
Ohio Theatre
Columbus, OH
May 17, 2024

Mendelssohn: The Hebrides, Op. 26
Montgomery: Divided
Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36

The penultimate offering of the Columbus Symphony season saw a local podium debut from Kenneth Bean, currently an assistant conductor at the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (CSO music director Rossen Milanov’s other ensemble). The evening began with Mendelssohn’s Hebrides overture, a bit rushed here for my taste, not quite capturing the foggy mystery of the Scottish coast. Matters improved, however, with more measured drama, and fine solo passages from the clarinets.

Tommy Mesa and Kenneth Bean with the Columbus Symphony

Two works for cello and orchestra followed, bringing forth Cuban-American cellist Tommy Mesa. Both works fell short of a full-fledged cello concerto, but said much in the space of their more modest dimensions. Mesa himself gave the premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s Divided with the Sphinx Ensemble at Carnegie Hall in 2022. The work’s title refers to the divisions and inequalities rampant in American society, with the cello often at grating odds with the orchestra. A drone from the soloist in the manner of a lamentation opened. The orchestra joined as if in conflict with the soloist, but the cello part became more declamatory and impassioned, a lyricism that suggested tepid resolution.

Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations began with an elegant presentation of the alluring theme following a brief orchestral introduction. The variations that succeeded further elaborated on the theme, and displayed Mesa’s limber technique – though his intonation at times left something to be desired. A slow variation offered contrast, and Mesa was perhaps at his best in a pensive section ahead of the ebullient conclusion.

Though still an early work, Beethoven’s Second Symphony is very much recognizable as the composer’s own, an epoch-defining musical language that had already begun to crystallize. A weighty introduction was anchored by the timpani before the first movement proper took flight with a jovial theme interwoven with drama. It was in this work that Bean seemed to gel best with the CSO. An extended Larghetto was calm and bucolic, though not quite of the heart-wrenching depths Beethoven would aspire to in his slow movements to come. The Second is noted for using a scherzo in place of the time-honored minuet, something that would certainly become one of the composer’s hallmarks, and the jocular finale brought the work to a bold finish.

ProMusica celebrates a decade of artistic partnership to close season

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ProMusica Chamber Orchestra
David Danzmayr, conductor
Vadim Gluzman, violin
Southern Theatre
Columbus, OH
May 11, 2024

Silvestrov: Hymn – 2001
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
 Encore:
 Bach: Sarabande from Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73

There was a celebratory air to ProMusica’s closing performances of their 45th season in marking a decade of having both David Danzmayr and Vadim Gluzman in the fold as music director and creative partner respectively. As has become tradition, the final weekend was opened with a short performance by students from the Play Us Forward program – this year, an excerpt from Vivaldi’s Autumn – celebrating ProMusica’s impact in the greater Columbus community.

Vadim Gluzman performs with David Danzmayr and ProMusica, photo credit ProMusica

Valentin Silvestrov’s Hymn – 2001 began ProMusica’s program with a lush essay for string orchestra. There were fine solo passages from concertmaster Katherine McLin and principal second violin Jennifer Ross. Meaning was also drawn from punctuated moments of silence, with the Ukrainian composer acknowledging Cage’s 4’33” as an inspiration for this lyrical paean.

Tchaikovsky’s evergreen Violin Concerto served as the evening’s centerpiece, and put on full display the collaborative spark between Danzmayr and Gluzman. It’s a particular pleasure to see Gluzman play this work as he performs on a violin once owned by Leopold Auer, the concerto’s original dedicatee – in other words, the very violin this concerto was written for. I have fond memories of Gluzman performing this work with The Cleveland Orchestra and the late Michail Jurowski a few years ago – a privilege to hear this instrument in this work again.

Matters began with graceful charm, and the violinist filled the Southern with a resonantly lyrical tone. Gluzman gave an impassioned performance, and I was often simply in awe of the sound he drew from his storied instrument (Tchaikovsky must have liked it too!). Fleet fingers pulled off the more rapid passegework, further encouraged by a taut communication with Danzmayr, the product of a fruitful decade.

A choir of winds opened the central slow movement, and Gluzman answered with a long-bowed, somber melody, an articulate dialogue between soloist and orchestra. The finale was of rapid fire excitement, though a downtempo section of distinctly Slavic inflection contrasted before the blistering finish. An enthusiastic ovation brought the violinist back for an encore by Bach, a lovely pendant to the concerto, with Gluzman noting it an apropos choice given Silvestrov’s affinity for Bach.

Last season closed with a Brahms symphony, a feat reprised this past weekend with attention turned to the sunny Second. Once again, ProMusica, buttressed by an expanded string section, proved that the Brahms symphonies can be convincingly performed by a chamber-sized orchestra. A dip in the strings opened, warmly answered by horns and winds, with a particularly rich theme in the cellos to follow. Danzmayr opted out of the long repeat of the exposition, delving right into the energetic development. The slow movement proceeded as a beautifully lyrical paragraph, though seemingly all cares were left behind for the Allegretto grazioso, given with an abandon that was only a warmup for the jubilant finale.

Simone Dinnerstein calms the storm in tender meditation at the Gilmore Festival

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Simone Dinnerstein, piano
Stetson Chapel
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo, MI
May 7, 2024

Couperin: Les barricades mystérieuses, from Pièces de clavecin
Schumann: Arabeske, Op. 18
Satie: Gnossienne No. 3
Glass: Mad Rush
Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16

Encore:
Couperin: Les barricades mystérieuses, from Pièces de clavecin

There’s a first time for everything, and I can safely say that Tuesday evening at the Gilmore Festival was the first concert I’ve attended in which the audience was asked to shelter in the venue’s basement for 45 minutes due to uncomfortably close tornados raging nearby. A hearty crowd of committed pianophiles stuck it out, however, and were amply rewarded with an artfully crafted recital from Simone Dinnerstein.

Simone Dinnerstein at Stetson Chapel, photos © Chris McGuire Photography, courtesy of The Gilmore

This was essentially a live performance of her Undersong album, the last of a trilogy of projects she recorded during the pandemic. The title, an archaic word for chorus or refrain, refers to the idea of return, revisiting places after the passage of time. All of the diverse body of music programmed engaged with the theme in a different way, but in each case, a melody presented resurfaced in some context later on. The delayed evening began with Couperin’s gem of a piece Les barricades mystérieuses, quite literally the calm after the storm. Elegantly ornamented, Dinnerstein drew from the piano a rich, reflective tone.

Schumann’s Arabeske saw the composer at his most Schubertian with its lyrical, rippling figures, arriving at a point of return following some contrasting episodes, and its gentle coda amounts to one of Schumann’s loveliest inspirations. Philip Glass’ Mad Rush continued the theme into the late 20th-century. Undulating figures changed subtly, almost imperceptibly, growing in intensity as Dinnerstein filled the Stetson Chapel with waves of sound. She has a close affinity for the music of Glass, with the composer having written his Third Piano Concerto with her in mind.

The third of Satie’s Gnossiennes evoked the French composer’s rarefied, idiosyncratic language, distilled of any excess and expressive in its barrenness. Recurrence is a key element of the eight vignettes that comprise Schumann’s Kreisleriana. Fleet and mercurial, the opening was given an impassioned workout. The most extended selection of the suite followed, with contrasting themes bound together by its common thread. Nearly manic, the penultimate episode introduced contrapuntal textures in homage to Bach, played with incisive clarity, and the final piece was stately and sensitive, the culmination of a long trajectory.

Dinnerstein’s lone encore embodied the undersong theme in returning to the Couperin with which the recital began. What a lovely gesture it was to close the program full-circle.

5/7/24 – Kalamazoo, Michigan: Simone Dinnerstein, Gilmore Piano Festival. © Chris McGuire Photography.

Paul Lewis closes Schubert series in magisterial form at the Gilmore Festival

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Paul Lewis, piano
Dalton Center Recital Hall
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI
May 6, 2024

Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 19 in C minor, D958
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 20 in A major, D959
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat major, D960

I am deeply grateful to Paul Lewis for introducing me to remarkable piano music of Schubert, a composer who can be unjustly overlooked in the wake of Beethoven and other contemporaries. I still have fond memories of a revelatory Schubert cycle he presented at Chicago’s Symphony Center, traversing all of the composer’s late piano works over the course of five recitals, a multi-season exploration that began back in February 2011. The 2024 Gilmore Festival saw Lewis in a similar undertaking, in this case, focusing on the piano sonatas over a quartet of recitals in the space of a single week. I was only fortunate enough to catch the final entry, consisting of the last three sonatas – one of those holy grail piano programs, on par with the final Beethoven sonatas or the Goldberg Variations.

Paul Lewis at the Gilmore Festival, photos © Chris McGuire Photography, courtesy of The Gilmore

The opening of the C minor sonata was given with ample weight and drama, only to be contrasted by lighter, buoyant material, with the quick-shifting moods akin to flickering candlelight. Lewis was fully enraptured and played with unwavering commitment; the intervening decade since I last saw him play Schubert has certainly brought even closer to the core of this music. In the slow movement, Lewis delicately voiced the chordal passages, with a nuanced shading given to each gesture. A rollicking triple meter marked the finale, one of the composer’s most thrilling creations.

Spacious, majestic beginnings were had in the A major sonata, answered by rippling triplets, and Lewis played with a distinct gracefulness, a particular joy to watch during the passages for crossed hands. In the tragic slow movement, the brightness of A major faded to a bleak F-sharp minor, and the primal agony of the central section was of startling ferocity. And then – a theme familiar from the G-flat impromptu surfaced, like sunlight shining through dark clouds for a wondrous calming effect. The sprightly scherzo was no trifle, packing in ample drama. The rondo finale was lyrical at heart, interspersed with themes that contrasted, and the closing figure was strikingly in mirror of the sonata’s opening where the long journey had begun.

The incomparable final sonata rightfully occupied the entire second half. The valedictory work opened in contemplative stillness, punctuated by silence (a theme that connected to Mark Nepo’s moving talk at the Kalamazoo Public Library earlier in the day, a further event hosted by the Gilmore). Rumbles in the bass undulated as tolling bells, and the development built to coruscating tension. A dotted rhythm underpinned the Andante sostenuto, giving way to an urgent lyricism that was simply heavenly. The scherzo marked a sudden shift to the jovial, given with carefree abandon, an ethos that continued into the good-natured finale that amounted to a satisfying, all-encompassing close. Still, Lewis found great variety, employing something of a chiaroscuro effect as shadows emerged in sharp relief, in due course bringing the sonata – and Lewis’ cycle as a whole – to a bold close.

Notice the tablet displaying the Andantino from D959!

Columbus Symphony offers invigorating survey of 20th- and 21st-century works with Natasha Paremski

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Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Rossen Milanov, conductor 
Natasha Paremski, piano
Ohio Theatre
Columbus, OH
May 3, 2024

Lutosławski: Symphony No. 1
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Clyne: This Moment
Strauss: Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59

Last weekend’s Columbus Symphony program was of particularly inspired and enterprising programming, traversing three works from various points of the 20th-century, and a fourth work composed just last year. Witold Lutosławski was at the vanguard of midcentury modernism, and like Shostakovich and Prokofiev, saw his works heavily repressed by the communist authorities. Such was certainly the case for his First Symphony, composed 1941-47 – during and in the immediate aftermath of WWII – which was suppressed for a decade after its first performance.

Natasha Paremski, Rossen Milanov, and the Columbus Symphony

It’s a landmark work, to be sure, brimming with the composer’s individual voice but readily accessible, and kudos to Milanov for giving the first Columbus hearing. In his spoken introduction, the conductor reminisced about meeting Lutosławski while a student in Pittsburgh. Cataclysmic beginnings were to be had in the work, uncompromisingly expressing the bleak spirit of the times – much to the chagrin of the Soviet apparatchiks. The brass provided a certain sheen of brightness, and piano and harp further added to the colorful scoring.

An extended slow movement saw low strings underpinning a horn solo, giving some semblance of peace after the cacophony of the preceding, but not without a certain unease with its pained lyricism. A flowing solo passage from concertmaster Joanna Frankel ranged from the subdued to the impassioned. The Allegretto misterioso was eerie and mysterious, and its fleeting quality reminded me of the Schattenhaft from Mahler’s Seventh. A shimmering interlude near the movement’s close was quite striking before the finale returned to the vigor of the opening. Hats off to the CSO for a blistering performance of a complex score.

Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini was certainly more familiar territory, and brought forth Natasha Paremski as soloist. Paremski was further on hand for a preconcert interview with Milanov (as a sidebar: could Milanov please let his guests speak uninterrupted?). Matters began with a thundering articulation of the skeleton of the ubiquitous theme, and Paremski took things at a rapid, unsentimental tempo, supported by her impressive fingerwork. Variation 7 introduced the Dies irae theme in a meditative manner before building to crashing double octaves. Variation 18 was suitably sumptuous while skirting the saccharine, and Paremski had no shortage of pianistic fireworks in the final variations before the flippant closing gesture.

Anna Clyne’s This Moment came about on commission from the League of American Orchestras, as part of an initiative to proliferate music by women composers. The title alludes to a quote from Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh: “this moment is full of wonders.” The work further invokes quotes from the Kyrie and Lacrimosa of Mozart’s Requiem, which Milanov helpfully had orchestra members demonstrate (and in the present context, perhaps also offered a thematic connection to the Dies irae from the Rachmaninoff). Meditative stillness seemingly stretched the moment, building to more strident material. It’s an appealing piece, but ultimately its six-minute duration didn’t make the strongest impression as a standalone work.

A suite from Strauss’ opera Der Rosenkavalier closed the evening. From bar one, the Ohio Theatre was enveloped in its lush, honeyed, excess. I was struck by the richness of the strings, as well as fine playing from the winds with a standout oboe solo. The Ochs-Waltzes were elegant, stylish, and echt-Viennese, and the suite crested to searing passion.

Preconcert interview with Paremski and Milanov