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ASO Obsesses Over Bach and Brahms
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CONCERT REVIEW
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Thursday in Symphony Hall. Program repeats Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. 404-733-5000, www.atlantasymphony.org.
ABOUT THIS TIME last year, when the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra was set to announce the current season of concerts, music director Robert Spano singled out a program of Bach and Brahms that he said “obsessed” him.
The two German composers, born a century-and-a-half apart, were true classicists, where musical geometry always came first, as the foundation. Rare among supreme masters of music, neither man touched opera. Brahms, a student of history, considered himself Bach’s pupil, and was perhaps the finest composer of counterpoint in the generations after Bach.
But despite Spano’s obsession, his Bach and Brahms concert Thursday evening in Symphony Hall didn’t hang together. He didn’t share with us a point of view.
Bach’s Magnificat, sung in Latin and scored for vocal soloists, chamber choir and small-scaled orchestra, came across as generally crisp and fluent. The chorus, wonderfully prepared by Norman Mackenzie, sang the declaration “Omnes generationes” (“All generations”) in a surge of sound, defying anyone to contradict the sacred word of Bach.
Less communicative were the vocal quintet — Theresa Hamm-Smith, Anne-Marie Spalinger, Magdalena Wór, Frank Timmerman and Stephen Ozcomert — who together sang more like members of a fine church choir than soloists on an ASO subscription concert.
The standout voice belonged to mezzo-soprano Wór, a native of Poland who graduated from Georgia State University and is slowly building a serious career. She brought unexpected warmth to “Esurientes implevit bonis” (“The hungry he has filled with good”), a darling little aria accompanied by two flutes. She garbled a few words, but it was otherwise a pleasure to hear the plush textures and dark, chocolatey timbre of her voice.
From this one performance, however, a listener might surmise that Spano doesn’t have much affinity for Bach. But one thing we’ve learned about the man, now in his fifth season as music director, is that he’s ambitious, determined, eager to conquer new territories. To that end, this Magnificat might be just an early step: next season he conducts (and records for Telarc) the substantive, sublime “St. John” Passion.
For the only other work on Thursday’s program, Brahms’ Second Symphony, Spano brought surface intensity and dramatic gestures to the music, which covered for a lack of deep insights. It sounded, in truth, like a dress rehearsal, not a polished concert performance.
The brass, throughout the symphony, were loud, unfocused and unrestrained, which brought to mind Richard Strauss’ famous advice to conductors: “Never look at the brass, it only encourages them.” Spano must have been glaring.
Conductor and orchestra marched in step only for a brief while, in the third movement. At turns jittery and serene, here the players seemed suspended from the tip of their maestro’s baton.
But then the surging, climactic finale came and went, whizzing along and devoid of nuance. It was an exciting, trashy, in-the-moment joy ride, and many in the audience reacted with cheers and the ubiquitous standing ovation.
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By J.H.
January 6, 2006 12:58 PM | Link to this
Dear Mr. Ruhe,
I read your review this morning, as I do every Friday, and your ear is more sophisticated than mine. I enjoyed both pieces and since I don’t have your background I didn’t pick up the flaws you mentioned.
I was struck by your quote from Ricard Strauss: “Never look at the brass, it only encourages them.” I had never heard it before.
Years ago I read an article in Scientific American. The author did a study and compared symphony conductors with animal trainers, such as trainers who conduct dolphin shows. (Not very flattering, I guess.) The reward in the orchestra is attention, and he tracked the attention conductors gave to various instruments. Because of the relative strengths of the instruments the conductor pays a lot of attention to the strings, especially the first violins. As Maestro Strauss suggests, he virtually ignores the horns because they are so powerful the message usually is “keep it low.” The timpani and the percussion sections are lucky if the conductor even acknowledges their presence.
Since reading that I have watched conductors to see if it is true. My unscientific conclusion is that it is so, more or less. Some conductors more than others. I would put Maestro Spano in the middle of the pack, spending a little more time with the brass than many. Some conductors clearly cue every instrument, even the drums.
I enjoy reading your reviews and look forward to them each week.