Atlanta Symphony Orchestra opens 80th season with Schumann and Mahler, Stutzmann begins third year | EarRelevant

CONCERT REVIEW:

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
September 19 & 21, 2024
Atlanta Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center
Atlanta, Georgia – USA
Nathalie Stutzmann, conductor; Edgar Moreau, cello.
Robert SCHUMANN: Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
Gustav MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 in D major, “Titan”

Mark Gresham | 20 SEP 2024

Among the many criticisms of Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129, is that the solo cello part is often challenging to spotlight. That was demonstrated on Thursday evening when the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, led by music director Nathalie Stutzmann, opened the first concert of its 80th season with it, featuring French cellist Edgar Moreau as soloist.

Schumann’s Cello Concerto is a lyrical and introspective work emphasizing musical dialogue over virtuosic display. It flows seamlessly through its three interconnected movements, presenting a unique challenge for the soloist in maintaining cohesion and expressive depth. Its frequent legato passages demand a smooth singing tone, while subtle shifts in tempo and character, particularly in the central “Langsam” section, require precision and nuance. The concerto’s brief cadenza is well-integrated into the score rather than a flashy standalone moment.

Schumann was not a great orchestrator, and Thursday’s performance exemplified how choices about dealing with this deficit can lead to a pretty dull presentation. The challenges become more significant if the soloist doesn’t have a big sound, as was the case with Moreau on Thursday night. Under such circumstances, the orchestra does need to back off at times, and Schumann’s orchestration can make that a challenge—such is the nature of the work.

However, there is a considerable difference between an orchestra playing more softly versus sounding like they are playing under a blanket. The latter is what Stutzmann drew out of them, perhaps as a misguided way of balancing forces, and it didn’t work. Moreau’s interpretation was agreeable enough, with a smooth, singing tone, though a little slow in much of that “Langsam” middle section.

Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D major, nicknamed “Titan,” does not pose the same orchestral problems as the Schumann; it has its own towering challenges. It is a grand work but is fraught with pitfalls for the conductor. Since the mid-20th century it has become an essential part of any conductor’s repertoire. Handling the expansive orchestration and vast architecture, along with the mix of ideas, tempi, and handling lead-ups to important moments of climax form a significant litmus test for a conductor’s acumen.

In this case, we got a performance that was mostly serviceable, but not did not rise to an occasion of greatness. The opening movement should be a continuously unfolding journey with fresh sonic perspectives around every bend in the road, but often it felt like it did not go anywhere in terms of forward motion or architectural development. Lead-ups to climaxes, in both this and the final movement, didn’t seem to grow at a pace to reach their goals in time, but seemed to disjunctively leap into them at the last moment.

The strongest movement was the second where Stutzmann did a good job of contrasting the ländler and the waltz, which are country and urban dances respectively. Though the tempo at the beginning seemed a little ponderous, that was not so much the case with the return to the ländler after the waltz. The third movement had ample dark and forbidding elements, but we didn’t really feel the deliberate trudge of funeral procession. The final movement faced similar developmental shortcomings, but it concluded in a manner so big and brassy that it can make enthusiastic even the sleepiest of audience members.

The sound of the orchestra itself was good overall in the Mahler, especially the horns; the seating arrangement for the evening (with cellos next to the first violins) came across as more balanced in the strings, as heard from where I was seated. The problems in the performance were instead borne of musical decisions.

Much of the audience loved it, but the eruptions of applause after the first movement and subsequent smatterings of attempts between movements felt a bit artificial, as if some “fanboys” were behind it. While Stutzmann has many legitimately criticizable shortcomings as a conductor (as do almost all conductors), there exists a clutch of Acolytes who believe Stutzmann is the second coming of sliced bread and that she can do no wrong. To criticize her finds many deaf ears among them (so to speak) or at times births an emotional response as if a truck had just run over their favorite poodle. They will be happy only with nothing short of total adulation; some have made that clear. But that is not what this publication is about.

It is also essential to note that a music director’s job extends far beyond conducting. It also involves fostering a positive culture where musicians can thrive and excel as a creative community, not instigating or perpetuating a toxic work environment. That is especially true in our 21st century. It also means investing deeply in the larger community, which includes residing in the city (something that’s de rigueur with American orchestras) and investing deeply in the community, not flying in and staying at temporary digs when in town.

With this launch of its 80th anniversary season, Nathalie Stutzmann is beginning her third full season as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s music director, having started her tenure in the 2022-23 season. Her contract with the ASO spans four years, meaning she has two seasons remaining, including the current one.

Honeymoons end quickly; this season could be crucial for Stutzmann and the orchestra’s musicians. We will have to watch closely to see how the season plays out, both on the stage and behind the scenes, as well as maintain an unfettered, attentive critical ear for the music itself. ■

EXTERNAL LINKS:

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: aso.org
Nathalie Stutzmann: nathaliestutzmann.com
Edgar Moreau: warnerclassics.com/artist/edgar-moreau

About the author:

Mark Gresham is publisher and principal writer of EarRelevant. He began writing as a music journalist over 30 years ago, but has been a composer of music much longer than that. He was the winner of an ASCAP/Deems Taylor Award for music journalism in 2003.

Read more by Mark Gresham.