REVIEW: Bach, Mozart, and Mendelssohn

Bach, Mozart, and Mendelssohn

With icy breaths and a stamping of feet in the bone-chilling cold of last weekend, Knoxville Symphony concertgoers hurried inside the Tennessee Theatre lured with promises of a work that has been described by music writers over the years as “sunny and warm”, “cheerful,” and “energetic.” Thankfully, the KSO’s performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 in A Major (“Italian”) was all that, and more.

It is said that an elderly Goethe suggested to Mendelssohn the idea of a tour of Europe—Mendelssohn began his “grand tour” in May of 1830. While visiting various locales in Italy, he began work on his “Italian” Symphony, and finished it for an 1833 premiere in London. It is a bit puzzling that Mendelssohn was openly not satisfied with the symphony, and made revision attempts, withholding the publication of it in his lifetime. Fortunately, audiences have generally not shared those misgivings.

Maestro Lucas Richman, who seems to have quite an affinity for the early Romantic composers, warmed the concertgoers with his energetic interpretation—brisk, but solid and tight, and seemingly perfectly balanced. The first movement, a joyfully ebullient Allegro vivace, opens with the familiar theme in the strings, crisply played by the KSO violins. The second movement, a processional-esque Andante con moto, seems to have been inspired by a religious procession Mendelssohn witnessed in Naples. However, it is only the finale movement that is truly based on an Italian music form: the saltarello. The movement is nothing if not exuberant, and enchanting if for no other reason than its thematic reminders, first introduced by the flute, of Mendelssohn’s Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The concert opened with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major for Strings and Continuo, BWV 1048. The work is scored in a polyphonic manner for three violins, three violas, three cellos, and continuo of harpsichord and double bass. In this staging, the KSO performed the work conductor-less in the early 18th century style with the violins and violas standing, one instrument to a part: Mark Zelmanovich, Edward Pulgar, and Sean Claire—violins; Kathryn Gawne, Eunsoon Lee-Corliss, and Jennifer Bloch—violas; Andy Bryenton, Ihsan Kartal, and Ildar Khuziakhmetov—cellos; Steve Benne—bass; and Carol Zinavage, harpsichord.

The group played with a spirited energy, and certainly did not shy away from a respectable tempo. However, it was perhaps a matter of staging that was an issue, as can be the case when performing a work such as this in a large hall. The group had been brought out beyond the proscenium onto the stage apron to accommodate the harpsichord and the standing position of the players. This had the effect of removing them from the sound reflecting surfaces of the acoustic shell—in essence, leaving them in the middle of a very large room. Added to this is the fact that Bach wrote for the strings (particularly the violins) in a muddier part of their range. The acoustic result was a bit of hollowness--a sound that lacked emphasis and delineation-- negating the players’ genuine efforts at articulation. Acoustics aside, though, it was a true joy to hear ensemble Baroque in the Tennessee Theatre. This work will be repeated in the Chamber Series Concert of January 25th in the more intimate acoustic environment of the Bijou.

Richman concluded the first half of the program with Mozart’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 24 in C Minor, K. 491, with guest pianist, Navah Perlman. In the Friday evening performance, Ms. Perlman's vivid red gown stood out boldly against the black and white of the orchestra, somewhat in contrast to her delicate and detailed interpretation. Technical lapses aside, a bit more boldness, strength, and drama were needed for the Mozart, as waning energy tends to take the audience along.

Although I do not know if Richman had intended such a comparison, the beautiful slow second movement, a Larghetto, has, amid its tranquility, moments of contrapuntal richness that recall hints of Bach’s polyphony in the previously played Brandenburg. The perfectly balanced KSO flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon wove in and out with the solo piano in a really delightful interplay of melodies and rich textures.

The concluding Allegretto is a theme-and-variations. Mozart’s theme is a remarkably intriguing one, while the variations run the gamut of dramatic contrasts from amusing to serious, with enticing, yet simple, phrases for both for the piano and the winds. The concerto is certainly one of Mozart’s most distinctive, and with its construction that is nothing short of sublime, one of the most satisfying for audiences.