Classical Concert Review
Mälkki Leads CSO Through Delightful Program of Contemporary Works
Photo SImon Fowler
By KATHRYN BACASMOT
Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki
October 22, 2013–On Tuesday night at Chicago's Symphony Center, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, led by Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki, with guest violinist Leila Josefowicz, presented a thrilling program of twentieth century music. Opening the evening was Suite No. 1 from The Tempest, Op. 109, by Jean Sibelius. Mälkki led the orchestra in a wonderful reading of the score, which originally served as incidental music to a production of Shakespeare’s play of the same name. The only shortfall in the performance was the final movement, meant to depict a storm. The movement lacked the delineation in shading necessary to create a truly layered voicing. Instead, the performance seemed to depict a wall of sound. Yet, the performance was impressive enough to elicit noticeable delight from the Symphony Center audience. Canadian-American violin soloist, Leila Josefowicz, gave a brilliantly arresting performance of Igor Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto in D. Amidst a collective of young, exceptional talent, she has carved out a unique career for herself, propelled, in part, by her keen interest in exploring improvisational music, as well as new music. Stravinsky’s dialect, which weaves together elegant classicalism, and raw modernism, is perfectly suited to the sound Josefowicz has honed through her intimate knowledge of a broad range of styles. She brought the right amount of aggression and grit to her interpretation, giving full dimension to the textures of the work. 28•CNCJAWinter 2014
One key aspect of this concerto is the way it seeks to take the idea of the Romantic era concerto, rip out the seams, and reconstruct it into something entirely new. Perhaps Stravinsky was borrowing from the Baroque concerto grosso when he ensured the soloist was never playing alone. It was delightful to witness how Josefowicz handled the collaborative aspect. At times, she stood facing the audience as a soloist, and during certain passages, turned to engage the players on stage behind her. The second half of the program offered a wonderland of orchestral color and timbre. Thomas Adès’...but all shall be well, Op. 10, named for a line in the poem "Little Gidding," (which is part of The Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot) begins with shimmering tintinnabular effects that were performed impeccably by CSO percussionists. The work slowly opens into a beautiful expanse, one that may lack a bold central melody, but has an overwhelming sense of lyricism. It primed the listeners' ears beautifully for Claude Debussy’s, La Mer (Three Symphonic Sketches), one of the composers’ most popular works, and a masterpiece of symbolism transmitted in sound. The orchestra maneuvered La Mer's ebbs and flows in perfect ensemble, punctuated the shifts of light and shade, and crisp swells. Refreshingly, Mälkki brought an ever-so-slightly restrained touch to the work, which can often be interpreted far too romantically.