Hilary Hahn Bright Particular Star in a Night Full of Them
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra continued its BNY Mellon Grand Classics series last evening with the first performance of a truly grand classical program at Heinz Hall. Possibly the weather or the closed/detoured conditions of too many downtown streets accounted for the thin crowd, or those who missed another bravura performance are waiting for tonight’s repetition at 7:30, or perhaps the 2:30 Sunday matinee, to take in one of the best chosen programs of the current season. Heinz Hall at capacity for both repetitions would make all on both sides of the lights very happy, indeed.
Violinist Hilary Hahn, guest artist and nominal star of the program, made truly brilliant contributions to the evening; but she had good company in the massive orchestra conducted by Juanjo Mena. The orchestra was in especially fine condition last evening, playing thrilling numbers under Mena’s direction. The crowd may not have been especially large, but, as usual at a PSO concert, a thunderous ovation was aroused for all when the time came – Hahn, Mena, individual sections – individual players, for that matter – all received well-earned receptions, bouquets made the rounds, and Ms. Hahn autographed CDs for a time, which were available for purchase in the Grand Lobby.
Composer James Lee III was on hand to open the evening with some explanatory words about his composition, Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula, a work of great devotion and originality constructed in seven continuous sections, described as a “festive work for orchestra,” played for the first time by the Pittsburgh Symphony last evening. “Sukkot” is a Hebrew word for “Feast of Tabernacles,” which in Biblical times was celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. Lee uses the orchestra to move and define the seven sections, opening the piece with the “percussive, forceful sounds of the snare and bass drums, further enhanced by the horns which imitate the calls of a shofar” (a ram’s horn sounded on the holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). The sections then use the full orchestra, varying attention on woodwinds, which pass the motives to the percussion, piano, harp, strings, etc. This continues through soaringly high violins and beyond until the ten minute piece ends in the “final celebration, which continues until the work ends with an explosion of sound.” Unique, thrilling, and of a nature to make program notes priceless to a first time hearer, the end brought out the first loud demonstration of the evening.
Ms. Hahn then entered, for her first appearance with the PSO since 2010, and was greeted by a storm of applause as she took her place to play Alberto Ginastera’s Violin Concerto, Opus 30 (also a Pittsburgh first). Ginastera’s opening, unconventional solo cadenza sang from her violin in perfect tones. She plays with a dignified stance, free of any affectatious mannerism, and Mena and the orchestra shined particularly brightly in the number which closed the first half of the program. The encore fiends persisted until Hahn was compelled to play a lovely piece composed just a month ago for her by a friend.
And as enjoyable as the first half of the program had been, things only got better with the second. Pablo De Sarasate’s Fantasy on Bizet’s Carmen for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 25, found its way back onto a PSO program for the first time in over twenty years, and received a stellar performance before a thrilled audience. There’s no other way of putting it. The orchestra played brilliantly while Ms. Hahn and her violin sang the various melodies from Bizet’s Carmen which De Sarasate worked into his fantasy. It was a shining moment in an evening full of them.
For sheer orchestral thrills and fun, the best were saved for last in Sir Edward Elgar’s Variations on an Original Theme, Opus 36 – “Enigma Variations,” which Elgar composed in 1898-99. As enigmatic as the composer himself, the fourteen varied allegro, allegretto, moderato, andantino, and other themes are known by names which Elgar or time and research have explained (such as the Nimrod Adagio), to the “principal theme,” which supposedly weaves over the entire composition; Elgar died with that secret. So the enigma will remain, just as he probably liked it.
There are two more chances of catching this wonderful program, this evening (Saturday) at 7:30 and tomorrow’s (Sunday) matinee at 2:30. For full concert details and TICKETS, visit Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply