Honeck and Capuçon captivate in new Auerbach concerto - Chicago Symphony goes beyond the beyond in Shostakovich 5

Manfred Honeck, Lera Auerbach, and Gautier Capuçon - photo by Todd Rosenberg

The Chicago Symphony, under guest conductor Manfred Honeck, reached way down deep to deliver an outstanding concert on November 17 at Symphony Center. That was no mean feat because they were following the Berlin Philharmonic, which had just transported a packed house into sonic bliss the night before with an over-the-top Mahler Seven. So, with Honeck on the podium, the CSO dug into their best stuff to unleash stellar performances of works by Glinka, Shostakovich, and Lera Auerbach.

Since Auerbach was born in Russia – when it was still the Soviet Union – and her piece, “Diary of a Madman,” Concerto for Cello, was inspired by Nikolai Gogol’s short story of the same name, it would be easy to characterize the concert as filled with Russian music. But Gogol, as Auerbach’s program notes pointed out, was Ukrainian (originally Mykola Hohol), and the story tells of a low-level government bureaucrat who succumbs to delusions of grandeur, believes himself to be a king, and winds up in an insane asylum. Now, Vladimir Putin seems to be under the same kind of spell, and time will tell if he ends up in the looney bin.

With the concert, Auerbach’s Cello Concerto received is US premiere. It had its world premiere in January of 2021 by the Munich Philharmonic, but the composer was unable to attend. I know that for sure, because I attended the CSO dress rehearsal and Auerbach was there. She sat just across the aisle from me and a couple of my music critic colleagues (Nancy Malitz and Larry Johnson), and I got to talk with her briefly after the rehearsal. I was also able to look at a copy of the score. She wrote the cello solo for Gautier Capuçon, who preformed it in Munich and was the featured soloist in Chicago. The pieces was jointly commissioned by the CSO, the Munich Philharmonic, the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic, and the Royal Philharmonic Stockholm.

Auerbach’s “Diary of a Madman” began quietly and right off the bat seemed to portray someone whose mind was slipping. Capuçon negotiated treacherous cadenzas that were filled with eerie high notes and segments of furious bowing. One moment, he made silken tones that would slip and slide at a leisurely pace and the next moment, everything became forte and feverish, like someone becoming unhinged. He also generated ghostly tremolos that had a slight edge. The intensity and care at which Capuçon played was off the charts. You would have thought that he might accidentally drag his bow or break a string, but that never happened. Through it all, the sound from his cello was aways remarkably beautiful.

The orchestral ensemble used a lot of extended techniques to accompany Capuçon. At one point, it collectively growled like someone beset with an upset stomach and in a super-foul mood. In another segment, the orchestra sounded like a car driving over gravel. There was a brief passage that was akin to the Dies Irae theme. The percussion created wiry – springy sounds, and interspersed here and there were lovely, almost heavenly sonic collages.

Near the end of the piece, Capuçon executed a tour-de-force, diabolically difficult cadenza. Finally, he fashioned a whisp of sound of that suggested someone hanging by a thread and wiggling heavenward, and after the last note, he held his bow for a long, long, long, long, long time before putting it down.

Auerbach ascended to the stage to warm and enthusiastic applause that continued for a long time as she thanked Capuçon, Honeck, and members of the orchestra. I have to admit that I was very impressed with the CSO audience, which readily stretched its ears to hear Auerbach’s complex music.

After intermission, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 received a superb performance by the orchestra. From the outset Honeck and company carefully crafted the piece but didn’t restrict its wild side. The first movement resplendently contrasted lovely moments like the flute solo against the menacing march that followed. An ultra-soft entry by the clarinet, snarling horns, terrifically unified violins that organically grew their lines, and a fantastic gong marked some of the most memorable sounds. The second displayed a delightful balance between urgency and playfulness that was absolutely captivating. The third quickly established a serious mood and extended it with plaintive contributions from throughout the ensemble, including an arresting passage for two flutes and harp. All that became stirred up with trenchant passion and intensity before subsiding into a quiet, soothing ending. The fourth movement burst out and galloped ahead with all the musicians playing their hearts out. The gong added to the invigorating grandiosity of the finale, and the audience clamored vociferously in response.

The concert opened with a scintillating performance of the Overture to Glinka’s “Ruslan and Ludmila.” It had spark and verve and terrific zing and was absolutely perfectly played.

It was a pleasure to see and hear what Honeck can do with an orchestra. As music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony, he has earned plenty of accolades, including a Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance in 2018. He led the major orchestras in Europe and the US and conducted in most of the European opera houses. In September of this year, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut with Mozart's "Idomeneo."

This season is Riccardo Muti’s last one as the Chicago Symphony’s music director. Honeck would be an excellent choice for the next one.