It was great to meet up with OSO president Elaine Calder as I walked up to the stage door before the concert tonight to hear the words “the house sold well tonight”. And the snow which we’d been threatened with never materialized (always sure box office death here in snow-phobic Portland).
It’s far too early to say at all whether this is the first of many concerts that will sell well – and bring the welcome (and in recent years all-too-rare) sight of a full or nearly full Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. But it’s a start.
The concert went pretty well – in some cases very well, indeed. The opening of the concert saw a much-reduced string section plus harpsichord for the Vivaldi Four Seasons. Solo violinist Elina Vähälä gave a spirited and technically stunning account of the four concertos which each evoke a different season of the year. For my money, the best moments were all in the slow movements of the concertos, when Vähälä provided a kaleidoscopic variety of sound – from full-throated to nearly a whisper – and played some simply gorgeous ornaments to the normally spare and simple melodic lines, especially in Spring and Winter. I’d love to hear her play the Sibelius concerto, or the Mendelssohn – she has the perfect sound for those pieces: lean but not slight, projecting but not penetrating, and able to shift from warm to icy cold in an instant. I said it yesterday – buy tickets to this set of concerts – you won’t be sorry.
Edward Elgar’s In the South came next, and I think that this piece really shows (along with the Also Sprach Zarathustra from the season opener) the growth in the orchestra under the direction of Carlos Kalmar. The virtuosity of the orchestra is really becoming a factor – this Elgar is not an easy piece, and we were reading it down quite handily at the first rehearsal. The orchestra is coming to the hall ready to play, and our game faces are on. It’s not just the influx of new faces that is raising the bar, the veterans are also stepping up to meet the challenge, and it’s a fun band to be in when it’s going full-tilt. On this subject, I was pleased to hear a story the other day of a comment made by a distinguished visitor. Our principal oboist, Marty Hebert, is the son of the former piccolo player of the Cleveland Orchestra, William Hebert, who played in that orchestra from 1947-1988, including the terrifying reign of George Szell. He came to hear a rehearsal and a concert with the OSO, and was heard to remark “that is quite a disciplined orchestra”. This is like having Donald Trump come to your house and say “you really know how to make money”. High praise – for the Cleveland Orchestra is above all an orchestra which prides itself on discipline – holding a high standard at all times.
The show repeats Sunday and Monday in Portland, then we take the show on the road to Salem, at Willamette University.
2 replies on “is the tide turning?”
I just got home from the terrific concert tonight. Why were you sitting on the outside lane behind Belgique?
Viorel Bejenaru was doing his tenure review week (where the player who is under review is required to sit on the first stand) and so I was in third chair. Glad you liked the concert! Fun show.