March 27 & 29, 2025
Atlanta Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center
Atlanta, Georgia – USA
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Robert Spano, conductor; Jae Hong Park, piano.
Jean SIBELIUS: Tapiola
Alexander SCRIABIN: Piano Concerto
Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade
Mark Gresham | 29 MAR 2025
For Robert Spano, conducting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra must feel akin to wearing a long-cherished, perfectly tailored, comfortable suit. Under Spano’s baton for the second week as music director emeritus this season, the ASO delivered a captivating performance on Thursday at Atlanta Symphony Hall featuring works by Jean Sibelius, Alexander Scriabin, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, showcasing the orchestra’s virtuosic versatility and the talents of guest pianist Jae Hong Park in his ASO debut.
The concert opened with Jean Sibelius’ Tapiola, a tone poem that conjures the spirit of the northern Nordic forest, drawing inspiration from the mythic forest spirit Tapio of Finnish lore, as depicted in the Kalevala. to bursts of vivid energy, evoking the wild spirit of the piece that was to be Sibelius’ final significant composition, composed in 1926 before three decades of creative silence. American music critic Alex Ross has called Tapoila “Sibelius’s most severe and concentrated musical statement.”
Given Spano’s well-known involvement with conducting Sibelius’ orchestral works, it is surprising the program booklet notes claimed that this was the ASO’s first performance of Tapiola, when in fact Spano and the ASO performed it first in March 2008 and again November 2012, and a recording by Spano and the ASO was released on 2013 on ASO media (CD-1004) along with Symphony No. 6 and No. 7.
Spano and the ASO navigated the score’s darkly shifting textures with precision, maintaining a steady hand throughout, allowing the work’s organic ebb and flow to unfold naturally. The climactic storm of sound gave way to a haunting resolution, leaving a lasting impression.
Jae Hong Park (credit: L. Daverio)
Jae Hong Park joined Spano and the ASO as soloist for Alexander Scriabin’s Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor, Op. 20. Composed in 1896 when Scriabin was 24, it is his sole concerto and first orchestral piece. It bears the unmistakable imprint of Frédéric Chopin’s influence, alongside discernable echoes of other Romantic composers such as Tchaikovsky, Liszt, and Schumann to a lesser degree. Chopin’s dominant influence is evident in the concerto’s lyrical, singing melodies, intricate piano ornamentation, and elegant phrasing, which closely mirror the Polish composer’s style—think of the poetic fluidity in Chopin’s own piano concertos. Scriabin’s training at the Moscow Conservatory, steeped in Chopin’s legacy, and his own early reputation as a “Russian Chopin” reinforce this connection.
Park’s approach was fluid and sensitive, particularly in the opening movement, where he shaped Scriabin’s lyricism with a delicate touch. The ASO provided a responsive accompaniment, supporting Park’s nuanced phrasing without overpowering his pianistic subtleties. The concerto’s delicate, introspective central “Andante” allowed Park to bring out the work’s rhapsodic qualities, while the finale’s effervescent energy highlighted his dexterity. Park’s execution was assured, earning an enthusiastic ovation from the audience.
Park returned to the stage for a contrasting, intimate encore: a Prelude in B minor by J.S. Bach arranged by the Russian pianist and composer Alexander Siloti (1863 – 1945). Thus, Bach aficionados might not have recognized it at first as a transcription of the E minor Prelude (No. 10) from the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, with the moving 16th notes transferred from the left hand to the right as well as the key change to B minor.
The program concluded with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, unabashedly a staple of Spano’s repertoire as a conductor, and his relationship to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, ever since an electrifying live performance of Scheherazade in May 2000, which inspired the subsequent CD released Telarc in 2001, marking Spano’s debut recording with the orchestra following his appointment as music director starting in the 2001-2002 season. The album was praised by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, noting the “spine-tingling, ear-ringing excitement” of Spano’s approach. Although it did not win a Grammy award, it contributed to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s strong reputation during Spano’s 20-year tenure, reflecting its high caliber of work.
Interestingly, the most recent ASO performance of Scheherazade before Thursday was also conducted by Spano just three years ago, in April 2022. And Spano recently led the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Scheherazade in early February this year.
In Thursday night’s concert, Spano and the ASO leaned into the work’s narrative flair, painting a sonic tapestry of the legendary tales. Concertmaster David Coucheron brought elegance and warmth to the copious violin solos, capturing the essence of the storyteller with sinuous phrasing and a golden tone. The performance reveled in the work’s lush orchestration, with the brass and percussion lending a thrilling intensity to the stormy climaxes. The second movement’s playful exchanges and the final movement’s sweeping grandeur were particularly effective, culminating in a shimmering conclusion that drew an enthusiastic response from the audience.
Spano maintained a strong rapport with the orchestra throughout the concert, showcasing the ASO’s skill and ability to bring color and narrative depth across the range of repertoire. With Park’s poised debut and Spano’s assured leadership, the program proved a fitting testament to the ensemble’s artistry and cohesion. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: aso.org
- Robert Spano: robertspanomusic.com
- Jae Hong Park: busoni-mahler.eu/competition/en/jae-hong-park-2
Read more by Mark Gresham.
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