The big news regarding Thursday night's Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert was not the appearance of Midori, one of America's great classical artists, as a soloist. Nor was it the fact that this was the opening concert of the orchestra's 68th season, and included two blockbuster pieces.
No, the big story was the fact that the concert happened at all. That, after acrimonious contract negotiations and a month-long lockout, there we were in Symphony Hall, singing the National Anthem and kicking Atlanta’s music season back into high gear.
Despite high spirits, the question looming over the evening was whether the musicians, who had just taken a hefty pay cut and whose statements indicated bitterness even after the settlement was announced, would be able to play their best.
The answer, evident over the course of the evening, was a resounding “yes.”
Midori, who first enchanted American audiences when she arrived on the scene at age 11, is now 40. She’s traded up to a full size violin, but retains the poise and no-nonsense bearing that set her apart at the very beginning. She performed Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major with an understated approach, delicate sound (she does not have a large tone), and an elegant, silvery tone. Overall, her playing was quite slow, and her approach to the first movement seemed too subtle at times, but she chose certain passages for bursts of energy, heightening the drama.
Midori’s Larghetto was tender and sweet. She cranked things up a notch for the final Rondo movement, playing each passage with the thoughtfulness of a mature artist and the finesse of a prodigy.
Robert Spano is not a conductor known for restraint, and here he seemed a bit challenged. He did a magical job partnering with Midori’s in terms of tempi, but the dynamic contrast in the interchanges was sometimes a little jarring.
For Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 the orchestra, and Spano, had the stage to themselves and Atlanta was able to savor the kind of playing we so recently thought was in jeopardy. A big, sweeping, emotional roller-coaster, the 4th is the first of the composer's big three final symphonies that made him famous and have continued to please audiences ever since.
As always with Tchaikovsky, there is a profound “Russian-ness,” so that the piece is infused with the qualities of Russian folksong. But in these three works he also bares his deeply disturbed soul. This might not be the kind of joyous work the orchestra would have chosen to celebrate its return. But perhaps it is appropriate in a different way, revealing and exorcising the traumas of the musicians’ struggles.
And that was how the work was performed, with a big palate both for tempi and dynamics. We got gigantic, house-rattling fortes as well as a very Russian soulful dramatic sweep. The pizzicato movement was played with delicacy, and there were satisfying sounds from the woodwinds and the brass along with an unusually furious percussion element. The players haven’t lost any technique during the time out. No one could have missed the pain the work portrays, but surely no one missed out on the joy of hearing it performed so well.
As the audience roared its approval at the end, Spano jumped around the stage with Spano-esque gusto and graciousness, starting with the percussion section in the back, shaking hands and acknowledging each section. The message this time was not just “job well done,” but “it’s great to be back.”
Concert Review
James L. Paulk. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, October 4. Concert repeats October 6 at 8:00 p.m. and October 7 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets $32 to $84. 404-733-5000. www.atlantasymphony.org
