October 10, 12, and 13, 2024
Jones Hall
Houston, Texas – USA
Houston Symphony, Juraj Valčuha, conductor; Daniil Trifonov, piano (October 10); James Ehnes, violin (October 12 and 13).
Vítězslava KAPRÁLOVÁ: Military Sinfonietta
Antonín DVOŘÁK: Piano Concerto (10/10)
Antonín DVOŘÁK: Violin Concerto (10/12 & 13)
Leoš JANÁČEK: Sinfonietta
Lawrence Wheeler | 15 OCT 2024
Juraj Valčuha’s Bohemian Rhapsody Festival came to a close with three Houston Symphony concerts featuring two world-class soloists. Either one of these artists would be cause for celebration, but having both is even more so. Added to that was the incomparable Sinfonietta by Leoš Janáček and a seldom-heard gem by the very young Czech composer Vítězslava Kaprálová. These concerts also featured a true orchestra setup, sans chorus, in the recently renovated Jones Hall.
Five years ago, I reviewed Daniil Trifonov’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1 with the Houston Symphony: “Although only age 28, Daniil Trifonov has already caused music critics to run out of superlatives in describing his prodigious talent. So, I will not even try, except to say his is simply some of the most amazing piano playing and music making that can be heard anywhere on the planet. It would appear he is destined to become one of the dozen or so greatest pianists of all time.” This has been all but universally confirmed. The only difference this week was the choice of piano concerto. Antonín Dvořák wrote three concerti: the popular Violin Concerto (heard two days after this), the great Cello Concerto, and the Piano Concerto, a distant third. Trifonov is preparing to record the Piano Concerto for Deutsche Grammophon following several upcoming performances in Europe.
Dvořák’s Piano Concerto has enjoyable Czech folk melodies and a virtuosic cadenza in the first movement. Trifinov (the soloist on Thursday) played the folk melodies with joyful abandon, changing to focused introspection in the cadenza. There, he hunched over the keyboard and appeared to be reading great poetry, with likeminded musical expression. The second movement plumbed deeper musical depths. Here, Trifonov was able to sustain a legato line in the highest register of the piano, which was difficult to do since the notes provided little natural resonance. The finale made a return to folk music-inspired themes, with Trifonov providing joy. Trifonov certainly made the most of the concerto’s virtuosic elements and expressive offerings. Such is the case with a great artist. The hall was not completely full, perhaps due to the unfamiliar concerto. Valčuha led a respectable accompaniment, highlighted by Robert Johnson’s French horn solos.
For an encore, Trifonov performed the Pas de Deux from Act 2 of Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Sleeping Beauty, as arranged for piano by Mikhail Pletnev. This was perhaps the most enjoyable and musically rewarding part of his appearance. He will be performing the whole Concert Suite several times, including at Carnegie Hall.
Violinist James Ehnes (the soloist on Saturday and Sunday) is highly regarded for his impeccable intonation and technique. Popular with the orchestra, he appears with the Houston Symphony every four to five years. When last in Houston, he performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto during the pandemic and before that, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in 2015 and Brahms’ Violin Concerto in 2011. While his accuracy and brilliance is a given, tonight’s Dvořák Violin Concerto shows continued growth as an expressive artist, with a highly refined tone and a wide range of dynamics and vibrato. That silky Stradivarius sound was occasionally covered in the first movement, mostly by the winds. This was not the case in the second movement where he was accompanied by the strings, or the last, where the soloist alternates with the winds, including several strong French horn solos well played by Robert Johnson. As for the balance, it may be the placement on stage needs some tweaking. Ehnes was near the front edge of the stage. It would be interesting to hear the soloist positioned more inside the box.
The highlight of his appearance was the encore, Eugène Ysaÿe’s iconic Ballade. He started the Ballade with a whisper of sound, as if waking from a dream, and continued in an improvisatory manner, engaging the audience with every note along the way. Rarely has Jones Hall been so absolutely silent. It reached full and rhythmically energetic fortes with technical brilliance and ended with a flurry of down-bows that almost defied belief. Symphony musicians’ comments included “stunning,” “spell-binding,” and “amazing.” But perhaps the most endearing was, “I am so thankful that I live in a world where I get to perform with an artist like James Ehnes.” When an orchestra hires a soloist, it is not only for the audience’s benefit but also to inspire the musicians on stage. Ehnes and Trifonov — done and done.
Vítězslava Kaprálová (1915-1940) was the daughter of two prominent Czech musicians. Her genius was recognized at an early age, allowing her to study composition and conducting with the foremost Czech musicians of her day despite the prevailing bias against female musicians. A student of Vítězslav Novák, himself a student of Dvořák, she wrote the Military Sinfonietta between 1936 and 1937 as her graduation work. She was only 21 and would die of tuberculosis at age 25. Given this work’s amazing orchestral writing, one can only imagine the extent of her contributions had she lived a normal life.
The Military Sinfonietta was written 10 years after Janáček’s Sinfonietta. Not generally known is that the original name of that work was also Military Sinfonietta. It shares some of Janáček’s stylistic ideas, along with glimpses of Dukas, Martinů, and Poulenc. Kaprálová alternates rhythmically charged subjects with lyrical sections, all with compelling originality and brilliant orchestration. While the piece is not overtly militaristic, she wrote that it expressed her “emotional relationship to questions of national existence, a subject permeating the consciousness of the nation at the time. The composition does not represent a battle cry, but it depicts the psychological need to defend that which is most sacred to the nation.” Valčuha led detailed performances on both nights, presenting the full emotional content of this gifted composer. The second hearing made the work’s motivic complexity clearer.
Janáček’s Sinfonietta is one of the most impressive and colorful orchestral works. Recordings of it are routinely used to show off stereo systems. Juraj Valčuha and the enhanced Houston Symphony gave performances that sounded as fine as any recorded version of the work. The five-movement piece begins and ends with 13 brass players and timpani playing a Fanfare equalled only by the Fanfare from La Perí by Paul Dukas. The star-studded group of brass musicians, assembled and led by principal trumpet Mark Hughes, stood on a raised platform at the back with additional individual platforms. Placed high at the center of the back wall, they produced a thrilling collective sound. Alternating figures were cleanly controlled with sparkling ensemble. Leonardo Soto’s timpani part was perfectly balanced.
Janáček wrote using multi-tiered motives of varying rhythmic complexity combined with melodic fragments, usually repeated. Short motifs provide commentary on the highlighted material. The resulting dialogue has a seemingly limitless variety of tone colors. In the orchestra, section after section brought off often awkward figures with deceptive ease. Each solo instrument had an opportunity to shine, and all did a great job. Special mention to 2nd trombone Bradley White for a well-played solo in the fourth movement. Valčuha showed a talent for keeping several plates spinning simultaneously in this complex work. He can keep his cool under great musical pressure, but perhaps the musicians are providing the sweat.
I heard two performances of both orchestral works, first from the center of the orchestra section and second from the first row center of the mezzanine. While both positions provided tonal clarity, I preferred the mezzanine. The complete view of the orchestra added to the experience. Ether way, the sound is detailed yet warm — quite different from the velvety plush acoustics of the former Jones Hall. Judging from the output, it appears that the individual musicians can hear themselves more clearly.
The unified ensemble points to excellent cross-platform communication, and the balance between sections is very good. Individual woodwind and brass tone colors are defined rather than homogenized. Not all flutes, horns, or trumpets sound the same. There are clear tonal differences between the string sections — the two violin sections have different tones, the violas are uniquely violas, and low celli don’t sound like double-basses. The basses sound exceptionally good. These pieces made extensive use of the harp, a favorite instrument of Czech composers. Allegra Lilly played her hand-picked Lyon and Healy harp, the gold standard of harps, with digital clarity and rhythmic precision. Whole sections of the Janáček had the harp maintaining the pulse, and the hall reproduced each note clearly.
While these acoustical factors enhance the musicians’ ability and confidence to create their desired sounds, they also engage the audience to listen more carefully to avoid missing a single special moment. While live music has no substitute, this hall would make great-sounding recordings. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Houston Symphony: houstonsymphony.org/
- Juraj Valčuha: jurajvalcuha.com
- Daniil Trifonov: daniiltrifonov.com
- James Ehnes: jamesehnes.com
Read more by Lawrence Wheeler.