September 26, 2024
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium
Chattanooga, Tennessee – USA
Chattanooga Symphony, Ilya Ram, conductor; Steven Beck, piano.
Matthew KIMBERLY: Atlantic Overture
Sergei RACHMANINOFF: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Frederic CHOPIN: Les Sylphides
Igor STRAVINSKY: The Firebird Suite (1919)
William Ford | 30 SEP 2024
Chattanooga, Tennessee, is an under-appreciated medium-sized American city known for preserving its history. Its downtown blends historic and modern architecture, with newer developments complementing the historic context. The city’s Hunter Art Museum is visually stunning, with a notable collection. Another key part of Chattanooga’s cultural life is the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra (CSO), founded in 1933 by conductor Melvin Margolin.
In 1985, the CSO merged with the Chattanooga Opera, forming the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Association. Like many orchestras, the CSO has faced challenges, including reduced donor funding, leading to downsized seasons and musician pay cuts. In the post-pandemic era, the CSO has worked on rebuilding its audience and exploring sustainable financial models. The temporary closure of its home venue, the Tivoli Theater, for a multi-year refurbishment has pushed performances to the large but outdated Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium.
In 2024, the CSO welcomed a new Executive Director, Susan Caminez, and Music Director Designate, Israeli-American conductor Ilya Ram, both bringing fresh energy to the organization. Ram, a prize-winning conductor with experience leading prestigious orchestras, opened the CSO’s 2024 season on September 26.
Because of the huge size of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium, the sound of the CSO was amplified to augment the sound. Credit is due to the sound designers for effectively enhancing the sound without overshadowing the orchestra itself.
The program began with Atlantic Overture, written by 21-year-old composer Matthew Kimbley. The Overture is, according to the author, an orchestral work illustrating the majesty of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the amazing biological and cultural diversity that can be explored across its coast. It is a short piece (14 minutes) that shows Kimbley’s potential for composition. It is structured like an overture to a Broadway musical that highlights its musical content, with the transition between each highlight. The piece is full of ideas, some feeling more integral than others, and the orchestration is admirable. There are several brass-heavy climaxes throughout that do not flow well from the rest of the material. I salute the CSO for giving this young composer the opportunity to hear his work performed.
The next work was Rachmaninoff’s sparkling Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (1934), with pianist Steven Beck. This is one of the more popular and frequently played works of the very Russian, very late-romantic composer. Structured as a single continuous movement, it consists of 24 variations based on the theme from Niccolò Paganini’s Caprice No. 24 for solo violin. One of the most famous sections is the 18th variation, which inverts Paganini’s theme to create a lush, romantic melody. It is full of passion and, well, schmaltz. Beck played with power and conviction, with an occasional idiosyncratic phrasing that demonstrated his creativity. The CSO played well, with incredible performances by the trumpets and the woodwinds, although the violins lacked precision in their playing that sometimes inhibited a strong ensemble.
Beck played a richly satisfying encore of Rachmaninoff’s Melody in E Major Op.3 No. 3.
Next was Chopin’s piano version of Les Sylphides, orchestrated by Glazunov. The work is problematic in that it takes the pianistic elegance and style of the composer and attempts to turn it into a Slavic orchestral showpiece. The challenge is to balance the two without harming either. Maestro Ram was particularly energetic in trying to get more from the orchestra, which they sometimes delivered, and sometimes not. The sound was thick where it should have been airy, and the CSO’s overall heaviness mitigated the balletic quality of the music.
The final work on the concert was Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” Suite (1919). This popular work has been popping up as either a season opener or closer by many orchestras. Based on Russian folk tales, it tells the story of a prince who captures a magical firebird and uses its power to defeat an evil sorcerer. The suite highlights Stravinsky’s innovative use of orchestration, blending lush harmonies and rhythmic vitality with elements of Russian folk music. Here, the CSO performed admirably. Again, the brass playing was excellent, and the bass drum drew one’s attention. The famous “Berceuse” section was elegantly played, and “Kastchei’s Dance” was suitably ominous, yet even in the tumult, some of the figures in the harp came through surprisingly clearly. The ending was powerful, showy, and loud as it should be.
Maestro Ram is an active conductor, using his left hand to shape the performance and the right to keep the beat. Every so often, he is prone to leap off the podium when he feels a musical point has to be made. His energy and charisma should do a lot to bridge any enthusiasm gap between the CSO and the community, although the audience was large for this opening, ranging from 1000 to 1200, by my guestimate. I hope that, over time, Ram can instill in his musicians a new love for the music they are playing. They often looked dazed with little physical expression of their affection for playing, except for most of the first chairs. Part of the wonder of seeing a live orchestral event is seeing and taking cues from the musicians as they express their feelings about the music they are playing. Simply sitting and drawing a bow over a string just doesn’t have the same effect. Also, as already mentioned, the violins can up their game by playing together more precisely to increase the refinement of their sound.
In all, the CSO is poised for a bright future under its new leadership. Ram, a strong musical interpreter, seems to be the kind of personality that can draw people in musically and help build a strong connection to the community. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Chattanooga Symphony & Opera: chattanoogasymphony.org
- Ilya Ram: ilyaram.com
- Steven Beck: stevenbeck.me
Read more by William Ford.
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