November 23, 2024
Jones Hall
Houston, Texas – USA
Members of the Houston Symphony, Yoonshin Song, leader and violin soloist; Jonathan Fischer and Colin Gatwood, oboe; Mark Nuccio and Christian Schubert, clarinet; Rian Craypo and Elise Wagner, bassoon; William VerMeulen and Ian Mayton, French horn.
Johann Sebastian BACH: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, BWV 1041 (c. 1730)
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART: Serenade No. 12 for Winds in C minor, K. 388 (1783)
Johannes BRAHMS: Serenade No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11 (1858)
Lawrence Wheeler | 25 NOV 2024
Saturday, November 23, was the first of two performances featuring musicians of the Houston Symphony sans conductor. The three works performed spanned 128 years and covered the baroque, classical, and romantic musical periods. It was an opportunity for the Houston Symphony musicians to show their artistic creativity without the direction or watchful eye of a conductor or music director.
First on the menu was Bach’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor. Scored for strings and continuo, all three movements of the concerto follow the baroque ritornello form. In this form, the tutti (or ripieno) plays a main theme, called a ritornello (Italian for refrain), that returns in whole or in part. That alternates with the concertino (solo part), which provides commentary and virtuosic passages. This model was developed by Antonio Vivaldi, whose music was studied by J.S. Bach.
The soloist and leader for the Bach concerto was Yoonshin Song, the orchestra’s concertmaster. Wearing a fuchsia-colored dress, she entered the stage, bowed, and turned towards the 16-member ensemble. Before the piece began, an audience member shouted, “Yeah!” Clearly, she had at least one fan in the audience. She had many more by the concert’s end, including this reviewer.
Yoonshin began the piece while playing instead of conducting. That is actually how it is written, with the soloist being part of the ensemble. The interpretation was not a historical performance practice approach but a centrist, moderate use of vibrato style more akin to Hilary Hahn’s Bach. The melodic lines and sequences informed the flexible use of dynamics. The ensemble was fully engaged, and the soloist was fully engaging. Yoonshin projected well, with clarity of tone and purity of pitch.
The second movement, “Andante,” was more variable musically. The continuo (two celli, bass, and harpsichord) gave secondary accents on the second and fourth beats of the ostinato, or repeated figure that returns throughout the movement. In the score, Bach bars or groups four eight notes together, visually indicating pulses on one and three only. In contrast to the ostinato, Yoonshin played her solo part expressively and with a fair amount of tempo flexibility, highlighting the Baroque duality of strict and free, or stoic and expressive.
The “Allegro assai” third movement crackled with energy. A gigue written in triple compound meter (merrily, merrily, merrily), it opens with a 24-measure ritornello. The following extensive solo part includes intricate string crossings, called bariolage. Supported by an attentive and well-balanced ensemble, Yoonshin played her part flawlessly. The audience responded with a standing ovation.
Mozart’s Serenade in C minor (“Nachtmusik”) is written for four pairs of wind instruments — oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and French horns. Mozart later transcribed the work for viola quintet. As a wind serenade, it was originally composed for a Harmonie, or wind ensemble employed by an aristocratic patron. This could be the wind section of an orchestra, and such was the case tonight. The key of C minor is unusual for the generally light and uplifting serenade genre, and is more often chosen as a key of emotional depth and expression. The first movement of a serenade is a march. Mozart loved cut time, or 2/2, meaning two beats to a bar, but he wrote in two-bar groups, thereby giving the required four beats for a march. Written in sonata form, the first theme is marked forte (loud), while the second theme is piano (soft) and in the relative major key of E-flat. This contrast is an extension of baroque duality, with the sonata form having its origins in the ritornello form. Just as Bach studied Vivaldi, Mozart studied Bach.
Played without a conductor, the final product was enjoyable but not emotionally rewarding, with that musical goal mostly but not wholly achieved. For me, the missing musical link was in the oboes. Playing the highest notes, the first oboe had the melodic lead much of the time. That leadership was not often assumed, with dynamics and tone being somewhat two-dimensional. While this musical approach may conform with the written page, it misses an important point: Mozart wrote block dynamics of forte and piano, along with articulation indicators such as staccato and sforzando (accent or stress). He did not indicate phrasing dynamics, leaving that to the performers’ interpretation. The printed page is only the beginning. The great violinist Itzhak Perlman said if you want to move an audience, the music has to move you first.
Mark Nuccio provided his phrases with expressive dynamics and tone color. His sound had a vocal quality that drew the listener in. The second subject in the first movement and the second movement’s “Andante” opening solo were beautifully done. That was answered expressively by French horns and bassoons, who were comparable advocates of this interpretive approach.
The “Menuetto” third movement is written in canon. The unison oboes have the melody, answered by unison horns one bar later. The “Trio” is a canon in reverse, with oboes answered by bassoons. The inventive yet simple structure was well executed. The fourth movement, a set of variations, featured robust unison French horns, well played by William VerMeulen and Ian Mayton. VerMeulen later tossed off an intricate solo that had several technically tricky leaps. Oboist Jonathan Fischer elected not to avail himself of the opportunity to insert a cadenza, as indicated in the score. Brief applause did not allow for a curtain call.
Yoonshin Song returned to lead Brahms’ Serenade No. 1 in D Major. Wearing black, she sat on a podium in the concertmaster spot. Since the first violins do not play the first 26 bars, principal viola Joan DerHovsepian led the beginning. The orchestra treated the performance like chamber music writ large. While the ensemble was beyond excellent, what impressed me was the unified musical concept, which originated not only from Yoonshin’s leadership but also from a commitment to excellence on an individual level. Without a conductor, the assembled musicians were personally invested in the success of the performance. Excellent balance and precision of dynamics were achieved throughout. Most impressive was the obvious joy from playing so well together.
This serenade features the French horns a lot. Along with a wonderfully unified French horn section, Robert Johnson gave several tonally lustrous solos. Returning after a brief absence, flutist Aralee Dorough sparkled energetically in her solos. Trumpets and timpani were discreetly balanced. To lead the beginning of the “Adagio non troppo” third movement, Ms. Song played the top viola line. Mark Nuccio again played expressively, this time joined by second clarinet Christian Schubert. The clarinets began the fourth movement, “Menuetto I,” accompanied by deliciously bouncy bassoons. That was contrasted in “Menuetto II,” played in the relative minor key by the first violins and joined by bouncy viola eighth notes. This section serves as a precursor to Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations four decades later. The fifth movement, “Scherzo,” danced joyously. Brahms quotes Handel’s Messiah, using his “Good Will” motif from “Glory to God.” Yoonshin’s only conducting was at the very beginning of the final “Rondo” movement. Taken at a brisk tempo, the dotted rhythms had kinetic energy. Oboist Jonathan Fischer played with spirit and precision. Running triplets in the violas flowed effortlessly. The string sections were well balanced, governed by good ears and chamber music instincts. The audience gave a well-deserved extended standing ovation for Yoonshin Song and the orchestra. ■
This concert was repeated on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm, including a livestream broadcast.
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Houston Symphony: houstonsymphony.org/
Read more by Lawrence Wheeler.
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