An uncommon heat wave brought the air conditioning system at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall to its knees, and that forced the Oregon Symphony to relocate its concerts to the cool confines of the Keller Auditorium (née Civic Auditorium) for the first time in over forty years. The switch didn’t deter the enthusiasm of the audience, which was treated to an outstanding program (May 13) led by Dutch conductor Antony Hermus that featured pianist Aaron Diehl in Gershwin’s Concerto in F Major, Unsuk Chin’s “Frontispiece for Orchestra, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10.
As the orchestra took positions on the stage it quickly became apparent that the size of the stage at the Keller is much bigger than that of the Schnitz. The musicians could really spread out, and the piano seemed to have the space of a football field all to itself. On top of that, from my perch in the first balcony –just under the lip of the second balcony – the ensemble seemed far, far away… and that was because the distance to the stage is indeed much further than the distance at the Schnitz. The acoustics were surprising good – probably because I was sitting in the center section.
Diehl (age 37) is an acclaimed jazz pianist, who can also hold his own in the classical field. Delivering the Gershwin with immaculate technique, he generated a clear yet warm sound that was instantly appealing. The jazzy sections bounced along with a carefree, jaunty looseness, and he wrapped up the first movement with such a terrific flair that the audience immediately broke out with applause. He made the bluesy segments sing (with additional kudos to principal trumpet Jeffrey Work) and sailed through the piece with panache. His playing brought the audience to its feet with loud cheering, and Diehl responded with a slow, gentle encore – Thelonious Monk’s “Ruby, My Dear.”
The Shostakovich received a trenchant performance that was genuinely thrilling. From the moody, broody beginning to the electrifying ending, the sound was stellar. The helter-skelter passages, the unrelenting drives, the incredibly soft and tender phrases, the shifting dynamics with exciting tempo changes – they were all superbly executed by the orchestra. Highlights included the somber double-basses, the plaintive clarinet of James Shield and the first violins, lovely lines from the flute of Martha Long, a wonder bassoon and contra-bassoon number with Carin Miller and Kai Roche, the dark woody cellos, a poignant melody from the English horn of Jason Sudduth, and the four horns of the apocalypse with Jeff Garza in the lead. The cumulative effect of the orchestra was riveting and caused an immediate standing ovation.
Chin’s “Frontispeice for Orchestra” was a short and esoteric piece in which the composer obfuscated references to music by Strauss, Scriabin, Stravinsky, and others. Extended techniques like the breathy tone from the flutes made the first part sort of chaotic, but then it briefly coalesced into a sound that was more familiar – at least one passage seemed to imitate Bruckner – before staggering to the finish line. For those of us who are interested in all sorts of sounds – even unusual ones – it was fun to hear, but that made it a connoisseur’s piece for sure.
Hermus conducted the orchestra without a baton and with a terrifically crisp downbeat. He looked at times like he was chopping a block of cheese or some huge vegetable. The first beat of each measure seemed always at the bottom of his hand-movement instead of the top, except for the bluesy segments of the Gershwin when he shifted his gestures from side to side. I’ve seen other conductors use a downbeat now and then, but Hermus consistently did so, and it worked spectacularly!
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