Weekend One of the Cincinnati Symphony Season

Notes from a member of the chorus:

The concerts of the weekend are over. There was more sitting than there was singing, which is tiring.

It was the opening weekend of the Cincinnati Symphony season (although there was a single concert a week ago that featured the pianist Lang Lang).

The program opened with the national anthem, since it was opening weekend, and was followed with Richard Strauss'  Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks. We had great seats, being on the stage, of course and it was great fun to both watch and hear the piece

Next was Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Symphony No. 7, Pietas, in its U.S. Premiere. It was commissioned by the CSO and a European orchestra (Frankfurt, I think?) and this was its second performance.

(It was originally thought to be a 20 minute piece when the concert program was set, but it turned out to be twice that length, so the concert was dangerously close to going into overtime both Friday and Saturday.)

It’s a cacophonous piece, in my humble opinion. There is a lot of noise, which appears random, although I understand that the composition makes sense on paper. All I’ve seen is the choral parts, and there appears to be little sense there.

The choral parts consist of dissonant chords and strange syncopated rhythmic chants of feel-good quotes from Buddha, Ghandi, Mother Teresa, Deepak Chopra and Jimi Hendrix. The choral parts, if you ignore the saccharine sentiments, were the best part. We performed it three times, and that was enough, if you ask me.

The composer was present, and seemed pleased, blowing kisses at the chorus during one of the curtain calls.  He hugged Paavo Jarvi, the conductor after the second performance.  I'm not sure if it was in congratulations for a fine performance, or in sympathy, because Paavo (or the orchestra, I'm not sure which) got lost and stopped and the performance at measure 20 and started again.  I don't think the audience noticed, but now you know.

Intermission offered enough time to file off stage and arrive at the rehearsal room just in time to line up and file back on.

Next we were fortunate to be on stage to witness a delicate and sweet performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto by a slip of a girl named Alina Pogostkina. The piece is one of my favorites. I prefer the David Oistrakh performance I’ve been listening to for years – it’s much more powerful – but Alina’s was excellent, as well. Paavo let the orchestra accompany her and her playing shimmered along throughout.

Finally, the orchestra reset yet again, and we wowed ’em with Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances.

Friday and Saturday we did the full 2 ½ hours. This afternoon’s concert was much shorter, leaving out the Borodin and the Strauss. We opened with the Tüür, and went home while the orchestra continued with Alina.

Here are the reviews:

http://www.musicincincinnati.com/site/reviews/T_r_s_Pietas_Timely_Towering_at_the_CSO.html

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090925/ENT03/309250118/1028/ENT/CSO+launches+115th+season+brilliantly