Review: Oregon Symphony celebrates the return of Carlos Kalmar

Almost two years have gone by since Carlos Kalmar last led the Oregon Symphony. The former music director (now Music Director Emeritus) honchoed the orchestra for 18 years (2003 to 2021) and was praised for raising the musical quality of the orchestra to a level that was admired throughout the nation.

So it was high time for Kalmar to return to the podium at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall over last weekend. I caught his appearance on the podium on March 17th, and he was heartily greeted by the audience – some of whom gave him a standing ovation.

That initial reception must have cheered up Kalmar, who has had some tough going since leaving Portland to become the director of orchestral studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He was hit by a Title IX investigation in 2023 and subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing. But then orchestral students refused to play for him, and he has sued the Institute.

During his time with the OSO, Kalmar was noted for leading programs with an engaging mix of old and new repertoire. He stayed true to form in his return engagement with the orchestra in a program that offered familiar works by Mozart, Schumann, and Liszt, plus a new work by Uzbek-born Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin.

Guest artist Jeffrey Kahane delivered a superb performance of Mozart’s Concerto No. 22. Kahane created a sound that was crystalline and florid yet evoked an emotive intimacy. During his cadenza in the first movement, his cadenza feature, at one point, a delicate balance with the kettle drums. The second movement was exquisite, and included a sensitive duet with bassoonist Vicent Igusa. The final movement had a cheerful, playfulness that had an easy flow that sounded complexly natural and unforced.

Kahane’s performance elicited a continuous stream of enthusiastic applause, which brought him to back to centerstage three times. He responded with a wonderful improvisation of Samuel Ward’s “America the Beautiful” that included a tinge of darkness in the midst of its lovely, melodic lines.

Schumann’s Fourth Symphony received an incisive interpretation by the orchestra under Kalmar. The orchestra expressed the many dynamic contrasts in the work with precision and vigor. Highlights of the performance included outstanding playing by principal oboist Martin Hébert, principal cellist Nancy Ives, and concertmaster Sarah Kwak. The fugue in the fourth movement featured robust horns, gripping orchestral crescendos, exciting cutoffs, and a furious ending that generated thunderous applause.

Kalmar and company followed up with Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody No 1,” which got the audience into a toe-tapping mood. The orchestra painted the hall with lots of sonic colors, highlighted by the evocative playing of principal flutist Alecia DiDonato Paulsen, assistant principal clarinetist Todd Kuhns, and principal harpist Matthew Tutsky. The orchestra polished off the finale in a brilliant, swirling dance.

The concert open in the rhapsodic mode with Elena Kats-Chernin’s “Big Rhap.” It roared out of the gate with a fanfare-like statement that was accented by big slaps from the percussion section. The strings launched into a propulsive and rhythmic passage that climaxed with principal clarinetist Mark Dubac zinging a very high note. Next came a cinematic section that transitioned into a bombastic statement with horns and brass going full tilt. After pause, the orchestra galloped into an ecstatic ending – which made “Big Rhap” a perfect pairing with the Liszt.