Concertgoers got an early start on Springtime at the recent Oregon Symphony, which played a program of works by Copland, Barber, and Sibelius, suggesting that seed time is around the corner. The concert (March 8) at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, marked a return visit for conductor Hannu Lintu and the debut of up-and-coming violinist Stephen Waarts with the orchestra.
A tall and lanky fellow, Waarts has studied at the Kronberg Academy (Kronberg in Taunus, Germany) and at the Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia). In 2015, he was one a prize-winning finalist at the Queen Elizabeth Competition and in 2017 received an Avery Fisher Career Grant. He has recorded the music of Mendelssohn, Bartok, Schumann, Mozart, and Hindemith for several different labels.
Samuel Barber’s “Violin Concerto” received an elegant interpretation by Waarts. His sound shimmered and conveyed warmth and a generous spirt. He evoked wistfulness and tenderness in the second movement. The fast, motoric third movement sped by with elan, and he made it look effortless.
The orchestra, guided by Lintu, supported him eloquently, especially principal oboist Maritn Hébert, whose expressive playing elevated the plaintive mood in the second movement.
Waarts elicited a light touch with the Barber. When the orchestra grew to its loudest point, it was difficult to hear him. I talked with a retired string player after the concert, and he thought that Waarts’ violin, which is not a Strad, might have been the culprit. Strads are very expensive. The 1715 Baron Knoop Stradivari violin sold for $23 million a few weeks ago. Waarts is 28 years old, and might one day receive a Strad via a loan from an extremely wealthy person.
Waarts gave an encore, Eugène Ysaÿe's “Sonata No. 5.” Using a minimum of vibrato, Waarts created an ethereal and exotic soundscape and deftly transitioned to the stirring and heroic ending. It was a real tour-de-force of a piece, that took the audience on a memorable, five-minute journey.
Lintu, who hails from Finland and boasts an extensive international resume, conveyed the American flavor of the Suite from Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” extremely well – as if he had internalized the music. Some instrumental combinations sounded better than ever from the stage of the Schitz. For example, the piano (Sequia) and harp (Matthew Tutsky) had a wonderful crispness that signaled the sunrise. Also, the horn (Jeff Garza) and bassoon (Carin Miller) blended perfectly. The fluttering the flute (Alecia DiDonato Paulsen), the woodsy clarinet (Mark Dubac) and perky oboe (Karen Wagner) enhanced the bucolic quality of the piece. When the orchestra finally settled into sunset at the end, the only thing that marred the lovely atmosphere was a cellphone that went off.
Another cellphone interrupted the beginning of Sibelius’ “Symphony No. 5,” which, otherwise, received a superb performance by the orchestra under Lintu. The extended tremolo of the strings and the fog of sound created by the bassoons, horns, and double basses suggested an emerging landscape of lakes and wildlife. Passages built tension that was released with dramatic intensity. The finale, sweeping melodic line bobbed up and down like a swan on the water and then taking off, becoming more and more majestic until it all ended with a sequence of suspenseful chords – which has got to be one of the most nerve-wracking things for the conductor and musicians to line up. It all sounded terrifically taught with Lintu and the orchestra.
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