Review: Oregon Symphony concert is for the birds!

With Vaugh Williams “The Lark Ascending,” featuring violinist Julian Rhee, and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 6,” aka “Pastoral, the Oregon Symphony turned Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (April 14) into a sonic aviary for a good portion of the evening. But it was Tan Dun’s “Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds” that set things in flight right from the top of the program.

Usually when smartphones are heard in an orchestral setting, it’s an annoyance that every audience member has to ignore somehow. The worst offenses occur when an orchestra has reached a very intimate point in a piece only to be interrupted by the phone that has been set to jingle of some sort. But with Tan Dun’s “Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds,” smartphones are preset with recordings of traditional Chinese instruments imitating songs from birds. For the Oregon Symphony concert, these smartphones were operated by members of the orchestra, but Tan Dun originally intended for the smartphones to be operated by the audience as well. The program even had a OR code, which could upload the prerecorded sounds. In that way, as per a signal from Music Director David Danzmayr, patrons could get in on the action and later tell their friends that they played with the Oregon Symphony!

But alas, that was not to be. The orchestra OR code didn’t work, and only orchestra members with smartphones on hand were allowed all of the fun. The recorded sounds, by the way, were absolutely stunning. The passacaglia – an eight-bar sequence repeated in a variety of ways throughout the orchestra – was invigorating and gradually became more propulsive. After a sudden break in the action, members of the orchestra vocalize a whispery ooh – kind of like a breeze – followed by whistles and the snapping of fingers. Then the orchestral passacaglia got underway again – even more vigorously, and it all culminated in a loud “hey!” That was terrific!

Next came Vaughn Williams “The Lark Ascending,” which portrayed a peaceful and idyllic countryside. Violinist Julian Rhee, who received a 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant, conveyed the beauty and mystery of the titular songbird with grace and an understated elegance – set against slow-moving blocks of chords from the orchestra that got me to image a fog lifting from a marshy lakeside. It was a heavenly combination.

As an encore, Rhee played Eugène Ysaÿe's “Sonata in A minor for Solo Violin” ("Obsession"), Op. 27, No. 2. Rhee immaculately switched between quotes from one of Bach’s partitas with inventive variations that were laced with the “Dias Irae” theme from the Catholic Mass for the Dead. Rhee’s virtuosic talent impressed the audience once again, and he left the stage to enthusiastic applause.

In his remarks at the beginning of the concert, Danzmayr confessed that in his youth he was not a big fan of Beethoven’s “Sixth Symphony,” but that over time, he has grown so fond of it that it has become the symphony he has conducted the most often. According to the program notes, he led the OSO the last time it was played at the Schnitz just three years ago

Of course, familiarity with a great symphonic work like the “Pastoral’ allows conductors to dig deeper and deeper into its music. Danzmayr and company gave a thoroughly convincing performance, bringing out all sorts of nuances that made the music fresh and inspiring. The woodwinds evoked babbling brooks and forest creatures, the strings created a vigorous barnyard dance, and the timpani drenched the hall with a pummeling thunderstorm. But everything arrived at a sunny and happy space, bringing the journey to a satisfying conclusion.

Going back to the smartphones, I am wondering if there is an orchestral piece that ties cellphones and symphonic music more interactively. That might be an interesting way to attract younger audiences. I’d love to see Danzmayr signal concertgoers in different ways. The left side of the audience could play recordings of dogs barking, for example, followed by the right side which would unleash cat sounds, and later by bird sounds from the balcony. Okay, that might also require a rehearsal. But what the heck. It could be a short piece that would require just one practice with the audience. Hmm...