April 4 & 5, 2024
Atlanta Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center
Atlanta, Georgia – USA
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Nathalie Stutzmann, conductor; David Coucheron, violin; Zhenwei Shi, viola.
Johannes BRAHMS: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART: Sinfonia Concertante in E-Flat Major for Violin and Viola K. 364
Johannes BRAHMS: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68
Patrick Tabeek | 8 APR 2024
Brahms had a particular fascination with manuscripts throughout his life. In 1870, Haydn biographer and librarian C.F. Pohl first showed him the “Choral St. Antoni.” The original piece, scored for wind ensemble, was a bit peculiar for something of the work of Haydn, most notably, the five-bar phrases that make up the main theme of the piece.
While the work has, since that time, not been attributed to anyone, Brahms took it and copied it down, writing his original variations for two pianos, and later would arrange it for orchestra as his first focused symphonic effort. I would catapult the latter part of his career into orchestral writing for the final 23 years of his life.
Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a was the first piece on the night’s program. Through each variation, Brahms was able to stretch and meld the theme to his command. Each variation had its own distinct musical character, and several called back to earlier techniques of counterpoint, something much less prominent in romantic music. Brahms, however, was able to synthesize new variations and melodies, pulling the listener in further as the melodies never cease.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Nathalie Stutzmann, delivered a studio-recording-worthy performance of the piece. Stutzmann, in particular, has a transcendental grace on the podium that makes performance look and feel effortless.
Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in E-Flat Major for Violin and Viola K. 364 was the centerpiece of the night’s program, featuring the ASO’s violinist and concertmaster, David Courcheron, and principal violist, Zhenwei Shi.
At the end of a rather tumultuous period of Mozart’s life, in 1779, beginning the last part of his employment with the court of Salzburg, and not long after the passing of his mother while he toured, Mozart had been experimenting with a particular type of music, the Sinfonia Concertante. While not a concerto and not a symphony, it sits right in the sweet spot in between. Mozart himself was quite the violist, and he may have performed the piece himself.
Coucheron and Shi were perfectly blended throughout the performance. Their communication and awareness were telepathic, and they provided a bright and joyous performance of a masterpiece. The pair’s commanding yet gentle presence on stage perfectly aligned with the musical ongoings of the piece, and they deservingly received all four of their standing ovations.
Brahms’ monumental Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68, was the final piece on the night’s program, picking up from where we left off in Brahms’ musical career at the beginning of the program. Heavily inspired by Beethoven, the work’s first movement is intensely dramatic, especially in the lead-up to the recapitulation, a passage that builds for most of the movement, leading to a grand ending.
The middle movements present more lyricism. Violin solos grasp at your very soul, closing out the second movement, immediately followed by a boisterous “Allegretto,” a nod to Beethoven’s all-but-trademarked Scherzos.
The final movement, a triumphant ending, referred to as Brahms’ own “Ode to Joy,” begins with fear and turmoil, broken by the horns in rapturous fashion, ending the symphony in great happiness and unrestrained beauty. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: aso.org
- Nathalie Stutzmann: nathaliestutzmann.com
- David Coucheron: davidandjuliecoucheron.com
- Zhenwei Shi: aso.org/artists/detail/zhenwei-shi
Read more by Patrick Tabeek.
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