Tonight we played our final concert (in Salem) with Hilary Hahn. The entire orchestra has been excited and inspired by her appearance with us this week, and we’re sorry to see her go. I hope that she returns soon – and with the Higdon Violin Concerto that is paired with the Tchaikovsky that she played this week on her new album! I’ll especially miss the remarkable Bach encores that she played each night. I’m struck by the fact that when she plays Bach, I just hear Bach – not her playing Bach – but Bach speaking directly to me through her. That’s the aim of any honest musician – to give a voice to the composer in the manner the composer intended.
The rehearsal period for this concert was very intense. Carlos was intent on getting us back to our end-of-season form in record time, and we’re most of the way there, I think. It can be difficult, when the orchestra is apart for nearly nine weeks during the summer, to keep the ensemble cohesive and focused over the summer break. On the plus side, we do return to the new season more refreshed than an ensemble with a full summer season and touring itinerary.
This week is a very different sort of concert than the one we just finished up. Instead of a contemporary, high energy opening piece, we have the slow and sublime prelude to Wagner’s opera Parsifal. Whereas we had the ultimate Romantic concerto in the Tchakovsky violin concerto last week, this week we have the height of Classical elegance with Mozart’s piano concerto no. 24 in c minor, with soloist William Wolfram. And in contrast to the sardonic wit and intimidating power of Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, we have the piety and reserve of Mendelssohn’s Fifth Symphony “Reformation”. To top it all off: an orchestration of Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz No. 1. Should be fun!
3 replies on “wrap up and look ahead”
“That’s the aim of any honest musician.”
Leon Russell, Barbra Streisand, or Eric Clapton might have a different viewpoint on that. Even some classical musicians might.
I don’t deny that the personality of the musician has an impact upon the interpretation. But I tend to respect the integrity of those musicians who place the wishes of the composer ahead of their own need to put their stamp on the music.
Wanda Landowska put it this way;
“you play Bach your way and i’ll play him HIS way.”