Baltimore Symphony Orchestra wins the Stanley Cup!

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra music director, Marin Alsop

Well, almost. Maybe, they won the Symphony Cup.

The crowd was so enthusiastic and vigorous at Strathmore Saturday night, I thought I was at a Caps' game or the Nats, either one, take your pick, this was not a dry, sophisticated, ho hum, la-dee-daa audience, but one which fell head over heels for violin soloist Gil Shaham who played Ludwig van Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61, and, of course, for the second act, the orchestra performed Camille Saint-Saëns' Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78, famously known as the "Organ Symphony" (and the reason for my being...there). 

Camille Saint-Saëns/All Music

Audience members leapt to their feet and screamed "Bravo!  Bravo!" so many times, it was like the last of the Caps' games, in the playoffs, in the Stanley Cup race when, at last, they finally made it past the Evil Monsters Pittsburg Penguins, and the Caps won!

No quite, but coming down to Earth, I was at the Baltimore Symphony which thrilled the audience, in love with their orchestra and conductor Marin Alsop like no other.

Last year was the orchestra's 100th birthday! Celebrate!  

And it did with a fine program to thrill any music lover, beginning with The Game commissioned of Christopher Theofanidis, who was on hand to introduce the work, a loud, energetic, delightful piece filled with horns and gaiety, perfect for a birthday commemoration.  Not one of those dull, stifling, silent pieces often associated with contemporary drama.  Baa humbug.

And to add to the celebration was the recognition of three retiring musicians who together have played for the BSO more than 100 years! 

It was the first I have seen scalpers outside a symphony hall pre-performance trying to sell tickets to a sold-out show.

Congratulations, Baltimore!  Let the band play on next season!  Bravo! Bravo! Just in time for subscribers to sign up.

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The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra gave us fever

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's Assistant Conductor Nicholas Hersh

Before the concert began at Strathmore Saturday night, a man came out on stage to announce the guest conductor* had been ill with a fever and would not be able to lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and substituting at the last minute would be the BSO's new (since September) assistant conductor, Nicholas Hersh, he, who hesitated nary a second to welcome the surprising opportunity, bounding out upon the platform, and almost leaping to the podium, exuding confidence and showmanship far beyond his years of almost 30, one would guess.

Hersh's eagerness for a leadership role and the chance to display his talents may not happen often enough for an ambitious musician, and this was a night to glow.

At times during the evening and looking at his back, I was reminded of a horse race:  He was the rider swinging from left to right and right to left, urging his horse to go faster and faster, waving his arms with fury and whipping the animal, I mean the orchestra, into frenzy to jump over the barriers so it would win at the finish line, and win it did with flourish, Conductor Hersh's head held high in victory.

He secured stunning performances all night from the BSO whose members responded energetically to the conductor's baton, urged on by a cheering audience at the end of each piece. 

Throughout the presentation, concertmaster Jonathan Carney got more than his usual workout, performing with his customary flair and gusto.
 
On the program for the first act were Hector Berlioz's Le corsaire, Op. 21 and Ravel's Trio in A Minor, and opening the second was Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488 played by the internationally acclaimed French-Canadian Louis Lortie who produced much enthusiasm from the warming crowd who came out on another very cold night.

But the featured selection was the finish, Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, written for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes which brought to mind the spectacular costumes and exhibition presented by the National Gallery of Art in 2013. The standing, cheering audience called Hersh back three times.

All the pieces Saturday night were exquisite components of another thrilling night at Strathmore, marred only by a rodent or person behind me (I was initially afraid to look) who wrinkled and rattled a candy wrapper at the beginning of the second movement of Ravel's Trio. 

My eyes soon followed those of another woman who sat in front of me who turned to glare at the sound maker which turned out not to be a rodent after all, but a woman of about 55.  She may as well have been rattling pots and pans, the racket she made.

I joined the eyes attack and soon, the crinkling, like a fire in a fireplace, ceased. 

At intermission I complained to an usher about the music interruption, and she said she was only a volunteer usher and strictly forbidden from saying anything to patrons, but I could complain to the house manager if I liked, but where was the house manager and who wanted to spend time searching for the house manager when the program was about to resume? 

And why, asked the volunteer/usher, did people even come to the symphony if they didn't know symphony etiquette? 

At the beginning of the second act, I hoped for music only (as one often wishes at a concert hall) but, alas, it wasn't crinkling wrapper this time which interrupted the lovely sounds coming from the stage, but pages turning!  My colleague-in-arms had moved up a row to an empty seat and out of earshot since she exhibited no annoyance with the new blast.

Stealing a glance over at the candy wrapper rapper, I saw she was bent over, looking down and reading something she held between her knees. Perhaps she had an upset stomach and was thumbing through Dr. Spock?  After that, she was quiet.  I mean, lady!  Why bother coming?

Dear Strathmore:  If you had more room for restaurant patrons and more tables, I would have been happy to have ordered your grilled salmon, however, eating it off the floor which is where some of your customers may push my plates seeking a table top for their own dinners, is uncomfortable and rushed, especially if you are wearing a skirt.

"Oh, so sorry," they say, as my roll rolls along on the floor heading to the adjoining table where those restaurateurs will soon stomp on it. "We thought you were finished."  

Where's the symphony to that? (I do exaggerate, but not by much.)

*Yan Pascal Tortelier

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Baltimore Symphony presents 'From Russia with Love'

Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg was the guest artist at Thursday's performance at Strathmore by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/Photo by Christian Steiner

It was a night of music from Russia. 

Forget Putin but think Shostakovich (1906-1975) and Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), my two favorite composers, who filled the house and the program by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Strathmore Thursday evening.

What was not to like?

The evening began with Sergei Rachmaninoff's always popular Vocalise followed by the powerful presentation by guest artist, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, who delivered Dimitri Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor. 

From the first movement, when the sounds from her violin expressed sadness and later, foreshadowing, with singular percussion, a haunted tension led to the fierce passion of the second, the scherzo, and the melodies of the third, culminating in the lively but harsh finale.

The fervor Salerno-Sonnenberg utilized in interpretation matched the color of her red top which matched the blouse Maestro Marin Alsop wore which matched the evening's energy exuded by all the forces on stage.

Members of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/Photo, BSO

While she pierced her instrument with her bow, Salerno-Sonnenberg moved up and down, bending at times almost at right angles, frequently grimacing and expressing anguish.

Music and stand were unnecessary since she seemed to play with her eyes closed most of the time, or so they appeared to me in my chair nearby.

She pounded the violin strings, leaving one guessing how the poor instrument was able to endure her strength and intensity without breakage, but it answered in perfect response every time, softly and eloquently as she required, alas, no doubt fearful of going astray.

At times, during a violin respite, Salerno-Sonnenberg stood and turned her back to the audience, becoming a fan to enjoy majestic achievement by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra while Maestro Alsop weaved and led nearby.

Conductor Marin Alsop of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/Photo, BSO

Salerno-Sonnenberg's casual apparel (black skinny jeans) belied her performance which ended with shouts and cheers from the standing gallery and, for the first time, she smiled broadly and saluted her comrades, orchestra members whose output, as usual, was every bit as perfect as one has come to expect. 

The evening ended with Rachmaninoff's splendid Symphonic Dances with noticeable contributions from his beloved piano.  He wrote it only three years before he died, a summation, which he composed for the Russian ballet dancer, Fokine, according to program notes. 

For the encore, the orchestra played Shostakovich's Bolt Ballet Suite, No. 8 Final Dance and Apotheosis which was well received.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/Photo, BSO

Strathmore's love affair with Maestro Alsop continues:  Her contract has been renewed for seven years.

Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg, a U.S. citizen, was born in Rome in 1961 and emigrated with her family to the U.S. when she was eight years old. In 2008 she was appointed music director of the New Century Chamber Orchestra in San Francisco. 

You can take the music out of Russia but you can't take Russia out of the music.  Amen. 

Thank you to Total Wine & More for sponsoring the show. 

Please, once more I must ask what's wrong with Strathmore that it doesn't install more seats and tables for dinner patrons?  How many years have I been complaining about this?  Think of the missed revenue because of lousy facility management, not to mention customer satisfaction.

Although you may be seated at one of the tiny tables for dinner before the concert, it does not guarantee that a pushy patron (comparable to those at the Kennedy Center) will not uplift your chair and dump you right out upon the floor. Or so goes the feeling.

After being dumped, just try to enter the lobby outside the music hall and find a seat to drink your wine or coffee.  Reserved for ushers and closed to patrons until 7:30 p.m., if you please.

Where is a person to go? 

Oh, I forgot: The patio with a temperature of 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Конечно!

Coffee or wine may warm you up on the Strathmore patio/Photo, BSO

BSO performances coming up at Strathmore:

March 15: Bach's Brandenburgs

March 22: Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto

March 27: The Bee Gees and 'Stayin' Alive'

April 5:  Bugs!  (Two performances for young children)

April 5:  Andre Watts Returns!

April 10:  Itzhak Perlman

April 25: Off the Cuff:  Mahler's Titan

May 3: Moo, Baa, Neigh (Two performances for young children)

May 3:  Yefim Bronfman

May 15:  All That Jazz, celebrating Kander and Ebb

May 24:  Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto

May 29:  A Midsummer Night's Dream Concert

June 7:  Summertime Movin' and Groovin' (Two performances for young children)

June 7:  Beethoven's Ninth

June 14:  Casablanca with music

Where:   Strathmore is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, N. Bethesda, MD 20852.

Park:  For free at the adjacent Metro Strathmore station.

Tickets:  Click here.



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A Russian night at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Dima Slobodeniouk, the

guest conductor at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/Marco Borggreve 

I went to hear Rachmaninoff but was carried away by Shostakovich.

Both composers were born in Russia and their music was performed beautifully all through the night by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Saturday at Strathmore, led by another Russian-born musician, the guest conductor, Dima Slobodeniouk, making his BSO debut.

The standing crowd loved him and the guest pianist, Simon Trpceski from Macedonia, calling them back three times when the duo completed the first part of the program, Sergei Rachmaninoff's The Rock, Fantasy, Op. 7 and his Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor, Op. 40.

Simon Trpceski, guest artist, at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/Julian Edelstein

Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) wrote The Rock, a "tone poem" when he was only 20 and, according to program notes, based it on an 1885 short story by another Russian, Anton Chekhov, about an old man, enticed by a younger woman who captured his heart and left him in the morning.  (Sigh.  Do things change?)

The piece begins and ends with the man's depression, foreboding, heavy bassoon notes which evoke a castoff, the rock, indeed.  The flute conjures up the young miss, bringing to mind the innocent Peter as in Peter and the Wolf (which the BSO will play April 6 at the Meyerhoff in Baltimore).   

An "explosion" of great strength signals the end of the man's fairy tale and his return, sadly, to reality.

Members of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/Dave Harp

From the mood of despair (carpe diem), the orchestra moved to Rachmaninoff's "stepchild," his Piano Concerto No. 4 which he re-wrote and revised over a period of 27 years, probably his least performed piano concert today, and it's not difficult to understand why, when compared to his other works. The orchestra could not have played it better, absolutely magnificent to hear but, nonetheless, it is overshadowed by the composer's Third Piano Concerto which the BSO played at Strathmore in January.  Oh well, there is no going wrong with a choice of Rachmaninoff, no matter what the piece.

During the production, Trpceski frequently turned his head to the right angle of the piano to look at members of the orchestra, his fingers never stopping their work on the keyboard.  In a few instances he rose several inches from the bench, almost in an unconscious state, while his fingers continued to hit the right notes. Can he play blindfolded? 

Meanwhile, from his back, Conductor Slobodeniouk bore a strong resemblance to a shorter President Obama.

To the delight of all and to satisfy those hungry for more, Trpceski returned to the stage upon his finish to play what some of us believed was a short Chopin piece which he dedicated to (it sounded like) an 89-year-old woman in the audience whose life "was turned around at age 2" by music.  Bravo!

After intermission came Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11 in G Minor, Op. 103, "The Year 1905."

Knowing a little of the history and basis for the symphony, ably supplied by Janet E. Bedell in the program notes, made it more alluring.

The composer (1906-1975), who was to become quite the political composer,  was born in St. Petersburg about 18 months after approximately 3,000 peaceful demonstrators marched to the Winter Palace on January 9, 1905 to present Tsar Nicholas II with a petition requesting improvement to their harsh living conditions.  Among their requests:  an eight-hour work day with limited overtime, "equality of all persons," and a progressive income tax.  

Although Nicholas was not in the city and therefore not threatened, his soldiers fired upon the citizens, killing several hundred and igniting the spark which ultimately led to the Russian Revolution of 1917.  The day is known as "Bloody Sunday."

A scene from a 1925 Russian movie about "Bloody Sunday" when the troops fired upon unarmed civilians at the Winter Palace/Wikimedia Commons

The first movement is entitled "The Palace Square," and begins with an almost inaudible hum from the cellos for several minutes before the violas join in, strengthened by dual harps which, combined, present increasing anxiety and anticipation.  The tempo significantly expands in the second movement, "The Ninth of January," diminishes, and then becomes louder later on. The collision of discordant instrument sounds is frequently heard throughout. 

The music grows more vigorous over movements, becoming almost painfully loud as the killings are realized by listeners.  The work contains so many powerful clashes, it seemed that the murders of protestors did not cease until near the end of the work.

The third movement, "In Memoriam," a "threnody," with horns, cellos, basses, and brass, honors the memory of all oppressed.  Like a razor's slice, the fourth and short final movement is "The Tocsin," the sounding of an alarm bell.

The ending is abrupt and took the audience by surprise, for just a few solo claps were heard in the chamber, soon followed by a burst of wild applause as the realization the symphony had ended and the cessation of the music was not a  movement transition, after all.

Three curtain calls summoned the conductor back to the stage, and he eagerly shared acclaim with orchestra members.

I have toyed with the idea of traveling to Russia this summer, attracted by the recent completion of Robert Massie's Catherine the Great.  Having been enraptured many years ago by his Nicholas and Alexandra, and starting his Peter the Great, after spending the evening with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and all the Russians, I ask myself:  Whom am I kidding?

BSO concerts coming up at Strathmore:

Apr. 11, 8 p.m.
Bond and Beyond: 50 years of 007

Michael Krajewski, conductor
Debbie Gravitte, vocalist

Apr. 19, 8:15 p.m.

Wagner: A Composer Fit for a King - Off The Cuff

Marin Alsop, conductor
Didi Balle, writer and director

Wagner - Excerpts from various works

Apr. 27, 8 p.m.

Midori

Gilbert Varga, conductor
Midori, violin

Bartók - Violin Concerto No. 2
Brahms - Symphony No. 1

May 2, 8 p.m.

Time for Three

Marin Alsop, conductor
Zachary DePue, violin
Nicolas Kendall, violin
Ranaan Meyer, double bass

John Adams - Shaker Loops
Jennifer Higdon - Concerto 4-3
Prokofiev - Symphony No. 4

May 11, 8 p.m.

Chaplin's Masterpiece: Modern Times

Marin Alsop, conductor

Chaplin - Modern Times

May 25, 8 p.m.

Romeo & Juliet

Carlos Kalmar, conductor
Jean-Philippe Collard, piano

 

Narong Prangcharoen - Phenomenon
Saint-Saëns - Piano Concerto No. 3
Prokofiev - Selections from Romeo and Juliet

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Baltimore Symphony Orchestra captures Shostakovich's genius

Marin Alsop leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Before the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra played Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, conductor Marin Alsop provided a brief history of the piece to a spellbound audience which filled the Strathmore Symphony Hall.

According to Ms. Alsop and program notes, Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was in Leningrad, the city of his birth, on the evening of June 22, 1941, where he was shaken by the news that despite an agreement between the Soviet Union and Germany, Adolph Hitler's forces had attacked his homeland.  It didn't take long for German forces to overwhelm Russia and begin bombing Leningrad.

Hitler's goal was to take down Leningrad, "the once and future St. Petersburg."

The protection of Leningrad, October 1, 1941/David Trahtenberg, Wikimedia Commons

During the onslaught, an estimated one million Leningrad citizens died, but the Russian people refused to give up their city, and Shostakovich's talents and fortitude helped them persist.

The timing of his start on the symphony is actually in dispute, according to Wikipedia, but some claim Shostakovich began the composition in July, 1941, after the German attack.  Whenever the start, he dedicated his work to the city of Leningrad which he refused to abandon. By October, Shostakovich had written three movements. 

Dimitri Shostakovich in 1942, the year the Seventh Symphony premiered/Wikimedia Commons

Under orders from the government which wanted to protect one of its most talented, Shostakovich moved with his family from Leningrad to Moscow and then to Kuibyshev, both cities which premiered the symphony the following March, after he completed it in late December. The March productions were broadcast in the Soviet Union and abroad.

Meanwhile, English and American audiences eagerly wanted to hear it, and the score was transported on microfilm by car, ship, and plane through Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, and Brazil before reaching New York where orchestras competed to play the American premiere.  In a radio broadcast, Arturo Toscanini introduced it to the U.S. on July 19, 1942 with the NBC Symphony.  In the 1942-43 season, the BSO was one of 62 orchestras to play the work.  The entire composition calls for more than 100 musicians and lasts less than 90 minutes. 

Against a backdrop of quotes from Shostakovich and video of Leningrad and the initially downtrodden Russians, the BSO musicians enthusiastically played their most recent rendition.   The harsh sounds and clashes of war and its aftermath are the focus of the first movement, allegretto, lasting 28 minutes, however, the output and enjoyment of the music, despite its strident message, made it seem far shorter. 

Some have compared the movement to Ravel's Bolero to which Shostakovich replied, "That's how I hear war."

At the end and as expected, Strathmore attendees leaped immediately to their feet and gave the BS0 three encores.

Juxtaposed with Shostakovich's response to murder and political upheaval in his homeland during World War II, are the responses of another artist, Joan Miro, deeply affected by tragedies occurring at the same time in his native Spain.  On Sunday, a major exhibition of Miro's works, "The Ladder of Escape," opened at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the only venue in the U.S.

It is clear that the Strathmore audience adores its BSO and the confident Ms. Alsop, the first conductor to receive a MacArthur Fellow and the first woman to lead a major orchestra in the U.S.  This September she will celebrate her fifth anniversary with the BSO. 

Next up for the BSO at Strathmore is a program featuring works by another Russian composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and an Englishman, Sir Edward Elgar.  Conductor Alsop will lead, with guest artist Andre Watts on the piano for Rachmaninoff.

When:  8 p.m., Saturday May 12, 2012

Where:  Strathmore Symphony Hall adjacent to Metro Grosvenor-Strathmore station with free parking in the Metro garage

How much:  Call 301-581-5800 at Strathmore or the BSO ticket office at 410-783-8000 or 877-BSO-1444 to see if any tickets remain since it's sold out on the Web. Update: Today (May 7) two tickets at $88/each remained for the Strathmore performance, however, $25 tickets are available if you will go to Baltimore. 

For more information: 301-581-5200

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