September 12 & 14, 2024
Meyerson Symphony Center
Dallas, TX – USA
Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner, conductor.
Igor STRAVINSKY: Petrushka (1947)
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 4
Gregory Sullivan Isaacs | 16 SEP 2024
The opening concert of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s season on Thursday evening in the wonderful sonic surrounds of the Meyerson Symphony Center featured two completely different masterpieces by Russian composers. We heard Stravinsky’s 1947 revision of his 1911 ballet, Petrushka, followed by Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony. This difficult interpretive task was ably undertaken by guest conductor, Edward Gardner, principal conductor of the London Philharmonic.
After the boffo success of Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird, the impresario Sergei Diaghilev asked the composer for another ballet for his 1911 Paris season. Originally planned to be The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky saved that for later and substituted his idea of a work about the popular tragic/comedic character of Petrushka—also known as Punch (and Judy) to Western audiences. One of the “puppet coming to life” concepts was already explored in the 1830 children’s novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by the Italian writer Carlo Collodi.
In Stravinsky’s ballet, three puppets are brought to life by Charlatan, a magician, during the celebratory Shrovetide Fair in Saint Petersburg in 1830. The action is based around their jealousies and murderous rampages, much to the glee of the gathered fairgoers. In 1946-1947, Stravinsky created this version, slimming down the original instrumentation of the score to make it more performable for concert presentations (such as this one). It is a complex score to perform, with cross-rhythms, harmonic complexities, and melodic intersections, while setting the standard for what came to be known as the Neo-classical style of composition.
Gardner delivered a precise reading of the score with clarity, using expressive yet minimal motions. Occasionally, his second beat in a four-pattern would shoot out to his side with alacrity, but it didn’t interfere with his overall podium technique. (This gesture also appeared in his performance of the Tchaikovsky symphony that followed.)
Although excellently played by one and all, the performance of Petrushka could have used more polish here and there. That was probably due to a lack of rehearsal time, especially for an orchestra just returning from summer vacation.
One comment: Since this score is for a ballet, some action-related supertitles projected above the orchestra would have helped the audience to better keep up with all the puppet’s machinations.
Gardner gave well-earned solo bows to trumpeter Stuart Stephenson and pianist Gabriel Sanchez. Flutist David Buck, clarinetist Gregory Raden, and David Matthews on the English horn were also deservedly acknowledged.
Tchaikovsky’s emotionally fraught Symphony No. 4 couldn’t offer a bigger programming and interpretative contrast to Stravinsky’s angular and transparent ballet. For one thing, the tempi in this symphony are hotly contested among various conductors, as well as between conductors and players over playability.
Gardner chose deliberate tempi for the first two movements but sped up the last two to a blur of sound. One famous tempo-dependent piccolo passage in the third movement came across as more of a whistle than Tchaikovsky’s intended musical depiction of a drunken sailor.
While Gardner brought the final movement to a rousing conclusion, his super-fast tempo, right from the opening, aurally obscured the passage work. However, the second theme, with its repeated notes, fared better. While the orchestra rose to Garner’s technical demands with élan, the music in the last two movements needed some more space to catch its breath. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Dallas Symphony Orchestra: dallassymphony.org
- Edward Gardner: lpo.org.uk/people/edward-gardner
Read more by Gregory Sullivan Isaacs.
RECENT POSTS
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, the Atlanta Symphony delivers poetic Mahler and powerful Shostakovich • 03 Oct 2024
Breaking barriers: flutist Adam Sadberry honors civil rights legacy, brings his powerful music to Spivey Hall • 02 Oct 2024
.png){kind=logo}