Violinist Hilary Hahn
Philadelphia Orchestra conductor Yannick Nezet Seguin is programming the music of Leonard Bernstein all season in celebration of the composer’s centenary year. Violinist Hilary Hahn, this year’s resident artist with the Philadelphian joined them for two performances of Bernstein’s Serenade, after Plato’s ‘Symposium’,(on love), but otherwise bursting with Lenny’s passionate voice.
The five-part Serenade: For solo violin, strings, harp, percussion, composed in 1954, is vibrant with early Bernstein compositional signatures. Hahn was a student at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia when she first learned the work, at age 14, performing it first at the Budapest Orchestra. And though she hasn’t played it regularly for many years, she was owning it at the December 9 performance in Verizon Hall. Her interpretive and technical artistry is as lustrous as ever.
There is nowhere to hide in the solo violin opening, which Hahn launched a bit too underpowered, but by the time the orchestra engages several bars in, Hahn’s gorgeous tone and phrasing and driving the narrative. Hahn solo passages fiery, but not showy, even though she clearly seemed to be having a great time with the Philadelphians. in kinetic interlocks with the orchestra. She kept sharp eye on Yannick and was bopping to the inner rhythms of the orchestral drive (with Bernstein’s urban jazz accents ala On the Waterfront)
Hahn electrifying and precise in Bernstein’s blazing passages in the final two movements. At the finish the audience was on its feet and lustily applauding, Hahn came out for her second curtain call with violin in hand and essayed a glittering, unfussy encore with Bach Guiro.
Hahn performance came after the US premiere of British composer Thomas Ades’ Suite from Powder Her Face his 1995 the sardonic opera buffa of sex and extortion of an aristocratic couple in the 60s.
Because the opera had a biting cynical edge and licentious atmospherics, and the musical effects, framing some opera’s seriocomic libretto worked wonderfully. But, with the instruments proxy narrative, as a licentious atmospherics, orchestrated with everything from sizzle cymbals, flexatone, high bongos, scrap metal, anvil, temple blocs, whip, vibraslap, among other instr exotica. it is after all a bedroom farce. Kudos to myriad of percussion and timpani performed by Christopher Deviney, Anthony Orlando, Don Luizzi, Angela Zator-Nelson, and in key moments, percussive chromatic drive by pianist Kiyoto Takeuti.
But effective and clever in support of the libretto, on their own in this suite, they are less so, even though musically so much makes sense, without the framework of the libretto, it looses much of its narrative arc.
The strength of the lurching tangos and burnished waltz interludes are the best parts and they are burst forth lustily. Intoxicating and sultry brass simmer throughout the piece. Ades’ many effects are admirably theatrical, as opposed to ‘cinematic’ (an epidemic in the concert hall). Harp pointillism spidering around by Elizabeth Hainen. And a signature Ades passage by Ricardo Morales stood (ala big band era) for his clarinet lead on a lush orchestral salon section.
The 8 part, unpaused Suite is too long but despite these reservations, this is a compelling work. However dicey the work struck this particular audience that responded with subdued applause, the orchestra played it with precision and requite orchestral esprit.
Concluding the evening Nezet-Seguin ignited Jean Sebelius’s music and for his symphony number one he seemed to lean on the volume in the opening movement, but soon the off the cliff arrests, the dramatic accumulating narrative drama. Some rote passages, but for the most part the sonics were not at the expense of the deeper sound field.
Deep field sonority in the lower strings, with shimmering clarity by principal cellist Hai-Ye Ni, the waves of sonic brass featuring by Carol Jantsch (tuba). Outstanding solos by David Makasawa (bassoon), Jeffrey Khaner (flute), David Woodhams (oboe) and lithe, penetrating lead violin lines from concertmaster David Kim.
Nezet-Seguin also gave a heartfelt speech to bid adieu to Philadelphia Orchestra President & CEO Alison Vulgamore as she steps down after her eight-year tenure which began in the midst of the orchestra’s impending bankruptcy restructuring in 2009.
For information upcoming concerts by the Philadelphia Orchestra check ~ www.philorch.org