February 7 & 9, 2025
“Viva Italia!”
Jones Hall
Houston, Texas – USA
Houston Symphony, Juraj Valčuha, conductor.
Ottorino RESPIGHI: Overture to Belfagor
Alfredo CASSELLA: La donna serpente Suite No. 2
Giuseppe VERDI: “Ballet Music” from Act III of Macbeth
Giacomo PUCCINI: “Intermezzo” from Act III of Manon Lescaut
Giacomo PUCCINI: “Intermezzo” from Suor Angelica
Giacomo PUCCINI: “Intermezzo” from Madama Butterfly
Gioachino ROSSINI: Overture to William Tell
Lawrence Wheeler | 8 FEB 2025
Music Director Juraj Valčuha returned to Jones Hall after a two-month hiatus to lead the Houston Symphony in a program titled “Viva Italia! Opera Beyond Words.” Consisting of a medley of opera overtures, suites, and interludes by Italian composers, the program showcased Valčuha’s love of opera. While the rich orchestrations were superbly performed, the highlight of the evening was Valčuha’s committed, communicative, and impassioned conducting. In a season where he shared the podium with eminent conductors Donald Runnicles and Christoph Eschenbach, tonight was no less impressive. Valčuha has always been prepared with clear concepts and equally clear beats, but often with emotional reserve. He appears now to be replacing tension with intensity, eliciting rather than demanding his desired results, and has found trust—with his orchestra and himself. This is the path to greatness.
The program began with Respighi’s Overture from Belfagor. Published a year after the opera (1924—the same year as his Pines of Rome), it functions more as a suite. Respighi’s masterful orchestrations are colorful and descriptive. The opening describes the archdemon Belfagor with dissonant music and forceful bass punctuations. This morphs into love music representing the opera’s heroine, Candida, introduced by the oboe. Both themes return in a musical struggle. We hear hints of Pines of Rome, including timpani beats that conjure up The Pines of the Appian Way. Valčuha led a sparkling performance with a joyous and brilliant ending.
Casella’s opera La Donna Serpente (“The Serpent Woman”) produced two suites. The Second Suite draws from all three acts of the tale about the fairy Miranda and her love for the mortal King Altidór. If he curses her she will be transformed into a snake for 200 years. Cassella serves this fantastical story with a fabulously orchestrated score that includes effective use of bass clarinet, beautifully played by Alexander Potiomkin. Valčuha directed long wind lines followed by the strings. Expressive oboe solos were joined by solo violin and a mournful bassoon that mirrored the “Berceuse” from Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. A brilliant fugue included a battery of percussion. Clearly enjoying himself, Valčuha’s conducting was exceptionally passionate and dynamic.
Verdi’s ballet music from Macbeth sounded repetitious and pale compared to the two previous works. Perhaps the product of composition deadlines, it seems to fall short of his desire to write music worthy of Shakespeare’s great tragedy. Valčuha kept the ensemble tight even in the face of syncopated after-beats.
Puccini’s “Intermezzo” from Manon Lescaut is the epitome of passion in Italian opera without words. The tender opening features solo cello, beautifully played by Brinton Smith. Principal viola Joan DerHovsepian produced a gorgeous sound with secure intonation in her extensive solo, which ends quite softly. After a deceptively calm melody, the music explodes with a thoroughly passionate melody led with equal passion by Valčuha. Using broad circular motions he encouraged heartfelt playing from his orchestra. Aided by the sensitive harp playing of Margaret Davis, he effectively used smaller motions and rubato (slight changes of tempo) to give intimate expression to softer passages. This was a goosebump-producing performance.
Featuring another beautiful cello solo, the “Intermezzo” from Suor Angelica provided slight emotional relief before the declamatory opening of Act II, Part 2, “Intermezzo” from Madama Butterfly. Puccini was a master of using orchestral tone color as an expressive vehicle. This was exploited and realized by Valčuha, with the Houston Symphony responding in kind. The stage sparkled with virtuosic playing as the orchestra gamely adhered to Valcuha’s brisk tempos. Alternately, the underlying dark subject matter was portrayed with subdued playing and reduced vibrato in the strings, and a haunting tone from the double-reeds. The effect was magical.
Rossini’s Overture to William Tell is one of the most recognizable pieces due to the Lone Ranger reference in the fanfare. At that point, many audience members smiled and nodded in recognition. Less known is the cello quintet opening that imitates an ensemble of male singers. Principal cello Brinton Smith led an exceptionally fine account, with Christopher French providing the all-important second voice. An orchestral storm featuring thunderous timpani and bass drum along with fortissimo celli, basses, and trombones was expertly executed, even at Valčuha’s brisk tempo.
After the storm died away, English horn Adam Dinitz played expressively, joined by principal flute Aralee Dorough in a stellar account of the intricate flute solo. (For those interested, Dinitz played a B instead of an A at the end of bar 208.) Trumpets followed by French horns introduced the famous fanfare, and it was off to the races. Literally. Valčuha led a tempo on the edge of playability, but the ricochet (bounced) string bowings sounded unified and effortless, and even the treacherous first-violin 16th-note passage came off with precision. The brasses and percussion acquitted themselves admirably, leading to a thunderous standing ovation. This was a thoroughly enjoyable concert.
This program will be repeated on Sunday afternoon at 2:00pm CT at Jones Hall. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Houston Symphony: houstonsymphony.org
- Juraj Valčuha: jurajvalcuha.com
Read more by Lawrence Wheeler.
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