November 14, 2024
Jones Hall
Houston, Texas – USA
Houston Symphony and Chorus, Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Ellie Dehn, soprano; Tamara Mumford, mezzo-soprano; Stephen Costello, tenor; Stefan Egerstrom, bass-baritone
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus 125 (“Choral”) (1822-1824)
Lawrence Wheeler | 16 NOV 2024
Thursday, November 14, was a single appearance of Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the Houston Symphony and Chorus at Jones Hall. He last conducted the Houston Symphony 35 years ago, with four musicians remaining in the orchestra. Two and a half years ago, he publicly announced he had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He has already surpassed the median survival rate of eight months. Given Tilson Thomas’ serious health concerns, this concert took on special significance, as it is likely the last time we will see him conduct in Houston. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony was the ideal vehicle for lasting memories. It was a great performance and made an indelible impression.
Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) is regarded as one of the greatest conductors of our time. With his many contributions to conducting, composition, and education, he has inherited the mantle of his mentor, Leonard Bernstein. For 25 years, Thomas was music director of the San Francisco Symphony, where he developed a fine orchestra into a great orchestra. He was co-founder of the New World Symphony, a postgraduate orchestral academy for young musicians with 1,200 alumni, including a dozen members of the Houston Symphony. His educational programs and broadcasts have informed countless listeners, and his compositions have received widespread performance and recognition. Along with Bernstein, he is one of the greatest musicians America has ever produced.
MTT was greeted by extended applause from the capacity Jones Hall audience. His beats were clear and precise, indicating a stately tempo for the first movement. Nothing felt hurried as he shaped phrases and dynamics with his left hand. He adjusted balances as needed, asking for more from a solo woodwind or less from the trumpets. Timpanist Leonardo Soto was given free rein in a fortissimo section. Pauses between sections were noble and long. Beethoven’s counterpoint was afforded uncommon clarity due to judicious balancing. A fugato section where all parts are marked forte was treated three-dimensionally, revealing Beethoven’s compositional genius. MTT conveyed Beethoven’s masterful use of functional harmony with intelligence and logic. Attention was given to character and dynamics. The orchestra responded with inspired playing.
The second movement, Scherzo and Trio, utilizes a siciliene rhythm that Beethoven also used in his seventh symphony. The three-note figure (Beet’-ho-ven, if you will) can become fuzzy if the tempo is too fast. MTT established the ideal tempo. Led by the second violins, the spiccato fugue figure was light and clear. Throughout, rhythmic and dynamic surprises were executed with ease. The contrasting legato trio section was highlighted by Robert Johnson’s French horn solo and Jonathan Fisher’s oboe solo.
The third movement is in double variation form. One of the most beautiful slow movements ever written, it provides countless opportunities for expression which MTT masterfully revealed. The opening was delicately played by alternating woodwinds and strings. Clarinetist Mark Nuccio expressively led the winds. The following D-major section featured second violins and violas. MTT shaped their pianissimo melody with understated elegance and simplicity, making it all the more expressive and intimate. This melody was later repeated by solo flute, oboe, and bassoon, perfectly blended. Throughout, the woodwinds were exceptionally well-balanced and tuned, often providing an organ-like effect. Fourth French horn Ian Mayton was stellar in his extensive and challenging solos. The first violins had multiple intricate figures. Sounding like a ballerina en pointe, their music floated from the stage. MTT needed minimal direction to achieve the desired effect.
The final movement exploded with energy. Cellos and basses played their recitatives with power and conviction. The following well-known melody was expressive and elegant. Joined by the violas, this melody and counter-melody sounded gorgeous. MTT’s steady hand provided security through multiple tempo changes.
A reprise of the movement’s opening introduced the first vocal soloist, bass Stefan Egerstrom. His singing was marked by an excessive vibrato and some rhythmic insecurity. The main theme had too much bounce, thereby losing nobility. As is often the case with younger singers, he seems more focused on projection than phrasing. Mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford and tenor Stephen Costello were musically astute and polished. Mumford sang with a burnished tone and compelling expression. Costello projected well with a fine tone and clarity. His Turkish march solo was appropriately joyful and well executed. Soprano Ellie Dehn was radiant in her coloratura passages, raising effortlessly to the high B in her final solo.
The excellent Houston Symphony Chorus was well unified and on pitch in the difficult vocal part. Basses were solid in the fourth movement recitatives, and the sopranos held their high A for 13 measures without strain. The group sang with spirit, expression, and joy. I am not certain if the SATB arrangement used was better than the blended setup in Martinú’s Czech Rhapsody last month. I appreciated that the singers were focused on the conductor for the first three movements even though they were not singing.
The Houston Symphony was in top form from bottom to top. The ever-stellar bass section provided support for Beethoven’s harmonies and recitatives. The Turkish march section featured a tonally beautiful and technically refined piccolo solo played by Kathryn Ladner. The strings were brilliant in the robust triplets that followed the march.
For his part, MTT was superb in all aspects. While focused on the music, he is equally concerned with providing the musicians onstage with a meaningful experience to share with the audience. Following several minutes of applause and a standing ovation (genuine, not the standard kind), he spoke to the audience. He told us how this great symphony was written during the time of Napoleon and has lasted through Bismarck and other machers, and will do the same with those of today. He said how he has enjoyed revisiting “this great orchestra” to make music.
For me, this concert had special meaning. I last saw Michael 55 years ago, at the very beginning of his career. He had just replaced William Steinberg mid-concert with the Boston Symphony at Carnegie Hall. The following week, he led a Juilliard ensemble conducting Copland’s Appalachian Spring to open Paul Recital Hall at the new Juilliard building. I was honored to be one of two violas in that piece. During the rehearsal, he made a mistake and said quietly, “So much for boy genius.” It was a revealing self-deprecating moment. While no longer that boy, he remains a genius. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Houston Symphony: houstonsymphony.org/
- Michael Tilson Thomas: michaeltilsonthomas.com
- Ellie Dehn: elliedehn.com
- Tamara Mumford: opus3artists.com/artists/tamara-mumford
- Stephen Costello: stephencostellotenor.com
- Stefan Egerstrom: muse-artists.com/main/stefan-egerstrom
Read more by Lawrence Wheeler.
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