February 27 & March 1, 2025
Atlanta Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center
Atlanta, Georgia – USA
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Nathalie Stutzmann, conductor.
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 (“Pastorale”)
Mark Gresham | 28 FEB 2025
The third installment of the “Beethoven Project” by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann, was delivered on Thursday night at Atlanta Symphony Hall, presenting the composer’s Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93, and Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 (“Pastoral”).
Each poses its distinct challenges for a conductor.
Premiered in 1814, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 is often called his “little symphony” (paired with the longer Seventh). It’s a compact, witty, and energetic work, sometimes overshadowed by its more dramatic neighbors, but it’s a masterpiece of classical restraint and humor. Its four movements demand precision and a light touch, yet there’s depth beneath its surface playfulness. It is Beethoven’s shortest symphony in duration, typically around 25 minutes. While his Symphony No. 1 is also relatively short, the Eighth is more compact and tightly structured.
From the outset, the “Allegro vivace e con brio” first movement needed a sharper focus. That would have given it a more buoyant, forward momentum reflecting its brisk, cheerful vigor. A conductor can shine by keeping the orchestra tight and lively, without losing the clarity of the rhythmic interplay and the movement’s wit. I did not feel it in this instance.
The second movement, “Allegretto scherzando,” is a gem—a playful nod to the metronome with its “ticking” woodwinds. To maintain the movement’s character, conductors must balance crisp staccato articulation with lyrical strings and occasional tutti outbursts without the latter becoming gratuitously overblown (despite the fortissimo markings), and sforzando accents should stand out without sounding harsh or disrupting the movement’s playful character. They (ff and sf) seemed excessive in this instance.
The third movement, “Tempo di menuetto,” is a throwback to classical elegance but with Beethoven’s muscular stamp; highlight its robust charm by giving the trio’s horn calls a bold, rustic flair while keeping the menuet graceful. Too delicate risks underplaying Beethoven’s irony (it’s not Haydn), but too heavy-handed loses its dance-like lilt.
The “Allegro vivace” finale is a whirlwind of energy and surprise (e.g., the sudden C♯ interruptions). Managing abrupt dynamic shifts—like the pianissimo-to-fortissimo outbursts—can make this a thrilling ride if the performance (as with the first movement) is clear and focused, buoyant, with forward momentum.
The Eighth is deceptively simple. Its smaller scale and cheerful tone require a conductor to resist over-dramatizing while still uncovering its subtleties. There is a risk of a conductor trivializing it with a superficial reading. However, in Thursday’s performance, Stutzmann overcompensated with unnecessary weight, in addition to the aforementioned lack of clarity and focus. Success with this work lies in crisp execution, a keen ear for balance, and letting Beethoven’s humor breathe. At intermission, it occurred that the previous week’s guest conductor, Matthew Halls, would likely have hit the right sweet spot with the Eighth.
Stutzmann did, however, do better with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 after intermission, but not quite as well as the last time she conducted it in April 2023, of which I wrote at the time:
This time, that distinct feeling of “Austrian-ness” simply wasn’t there.
Premiered in 1808, the “Pastoral” Symphony No. 6 is Beethoven’s love letter to nature and the Austrian countryside outside Vienna. As such it is a programmatic work in five movements: “Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arrival in the Country,” “Scene by the Brook,” “Merry Gathering of Country Folk,” “Thunderstorm,” and “Shepherd’s Song.” It’s lyrical and evocative, but its narrative arc and orchestral colors demand a conductor’s careful shaping.
The “Allegro ma non troppo” first movement opens with a serene, expansive feel, and a conductor can craft a sense of organic growth by letting the repetitive motifs unfold naturally, building subtle tension toward the climaxes. The “Andante molto mosso” (“Scene by the Brook”) is a masterclass in tone painting, with woodwinds mimicking birds (nightingale, quail, cuckoo). The “Allegro” (“Merry Gathering”) is a boisterous peasant dance.
The “Allegro” fourth movement (“Thunderstorm”) is Beethoven’s unleashed fury—timpani rolls, string tremolos, brass blasts. It’s important to shape its narrative by building from eerie quiet to cataclysmic peaks, then easing into the finale’s resolution. I felt Stutzmann began overblowing the dynamics early, leaving no room to escalate, flattening the drama and the effect of the storm’s dissipation, making the transition to the fifth movement feel more abrupt than redemptive.
That “Allegretto” finale (“Shepherd’s Song”) is a hymn of gratitude. An astute conductor will draw out its warmth and serenity, letting the horn theme glow and the string variations bloom without rushing. Sentimentalizing it with excessive rubato cheapens the sincerity; a cold, mechanical reading misses the heartfelt closure Beethoven intended.
Why does Stutzmann seem to do somewhat better with the Sixth Symphony than others we’ve heard so far in the “Beethoven Project”? Perhaps it is the programmatic elements; after all, she has shown that tone poems are more in her wheelhouse, as is Wagner.
However, the “Pastoral” requires a conductor to balance its programmatic vividness with structural integrity. The pitfall is either overplaying the “story” versus its purely musical architecture or underplaying its emotional stakes and making it blandly pretty. Success comes from pacing the journey, shaping the overall architectural arc, highlighting orchestral detail, and honoring Beethoven’s fusion of nature and humanity.
The programming of these two symphonies on the same program itself works well: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 demands precision, wit, and restraint—a conductor’s test of clarity and lightness in a compact frame. Its challenges are technical: articulation, balance, and dynamic surprise, while Symphony No. 6 calls for imagination, color, and narrative sweep—a conductor’s chance to paint and emote across a broader canvas while maintaining the music’s architectural integrity.
Both require a deep understanding of Beethoven’s intent—humor and structure in the Eighth and nature and sentiment in the Sixth. A great conductor tailors their approach to each, avoiding the trap of applying a one-size-fits-all Beethoven style. (The last thing we need is a “beige wall” Beethoven.) The ASO musicians’ acumen and musicianship are demonstrably in place for excellence (witness the last two weeks of concerts). These two symphonies require wielding the baton with consummate skill, with equal parts discipline and soul, letting them resonate with the audience as distinct voices.
However, I came away from this concert with continuing doubts about Beethoven and Stutzmann being a musical match, with neither insightful new interpretations nor solid mainstream renderings forthcoming—a feeling that unfortunately increases with each new hearing. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: aso.org
Read more by Mark Gresham.
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