May 10*, 12 and 13, 2012
Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
Dimitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No.1 in E-flat major, Opus 107
Albert Roussel: Suite from The Spider's Feast (Le festin de l'araignée)
Igor Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919 revision)
Lionel Bringuier, conductor, The Cleveland Orchestra
Alisa Weilerstein, cello
The regular season is coming to a close and the orchestra is on a roll. This week was no exception with the works being fascinating, the conductor engaging and the soloist amazing. I know that the use of excessive superlatives is discouraged when writing reviews, but what can be said when the audience doesn't want the soloist to leave the stage or the evening to end? Once again, that was the case on Thursday night, and for good reason.
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| Lionel Bringuier- photo by Anastasia Chernyavsky |
They must be doing something right in the training of conductors in France. Those hitting the international scene are making a big impression and I'd say it's because of their engagement with the music, their acknowledgement of the members of the orchestra as top musicians in their own right and their unbridled enthusiasm for what they are doing. Associate Conductor of the LA Philharmonic, Lionel Bringuier, is only 26, but he isn't afraid to introduce different music and he elicits a unique sound from the orchestra playing it.
The size of the sitting ensemble varied according to the piece being played, but transitions were handled smoothly. Jung-Min Amy Lee was once again Concertmaster for the performance.
The opening work, Dances of Galánta, loosely based on music the composer heard as a child, built upon a clarinet solo strikingly played by principal, Franklin Cohen and echoed by the flutes and oboes along with solid support from the percussion section. I found myself holding my breath during the harmonics played toward the end of the second movement- they were that perfect.
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| Alisa Weilerstein-photo by Jamie Jung |
Alisa Weilerstein attacked the Shostakovich Cello Concerto, widely considered one of the most difficult works written for that instrument. She has recorded the piece and played it all over the world and obviously felt comfortable with the total concentration it demanded. The composer's signature DSCH motive was laid down by the cello, then distorted and shaped anew as it moved up the register. Brief solo passages from the clarinet and horn echoed the theme and elaborated upon it. The remaining three movements are played with no break, but the test of a virtuoso cellist is the cadenza. Ms. Weilerstein played this unaccompanied third movement brilliantly, finding the balance in the difficulty as well as the emotional involvement required. As the cellist caught her breath, the theme was reintroduced by Jeff Rathbun's oboe and Franklin Cohen on clarinet. The piece wrapped up with the cello section playing the theme from the first section while the soloist played rapid scales before taking over the theme. Just as we were falling into the music again, we were brought up short by seven distinct timpani strokes, played by Tom Freer, who did an excellent job throughout the entire piece. Almost immediately, the audience of Severance Hall rose to its feet requesting several curtain calls from Ms.Weilerstein and Maestro Bringuier. The latter made sure to acknowledge the members of the orchestra who had featured solos as well as the entire group that played so well. Ms. Weilerstein offered a lovely encore in the form of a Bach minuet which garnered her still more bows. She is a very accomplished musician and seems to truly understand what she is playing; however I do wish that she would tie her hair back from her face! Each time I see her play I'm afraid that her long hair is going to get caught in the fingerboard of her cello as she bends over the instruments and becomes engrossed in what she is playing.
A tiny jewel of a piece, The Spider's Feast, hasn't been played by the orchestra in fifty-five years, but hearing Maestro Bringuier's interpretation's was a joy. His style lent itself particularly well to the evocative portraiture of this work and the orchestra made a good showing. The various insects were portrayed by the strings, flute, oboe, clarinet and English horn (always well played by Robert Walters) with drama lent by harpist Trina Struble. Various sections of the orchestra were gently quieted by the Maestro so he could bring out just what he wanted to be featured so that it almost became a "guide" to the instruments themselves.
It's difficult to put a new spin on such a familiar piece as The Firebird, but it was here that Maestro Bringuier's abilities to work with this orchestra shown. He connected with every chair, making each sound just the way he wanted and the result was a shining whole- exhilarating and fresh. The musicians were fully vested in the conductor's plan and seemed to enjoy themselves as much as he, and we, were. Again, he was called for multiple bows and he took the time to personally knowledge soloists and section leaders and thank them for their participation.
All too often nowadays, things are rushed and orchestra members treated as automatons, there to showcase a conductor. It's such a pleasure to watch a relationship building between the podium and the orchestra floor, and it's no small wonder that Lionel Bringuier has had such success at such a young age. He's one of those "micromanaging" conductors, very physical, with nothing getting by him, but who respects the knowledge and artistry of the members of the orchestra he's leading. I do hope that he comes back to Severance Hall in the near future.
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