Review: Superb Mozart and Prokofiev delivered by the Oregon Symphony under Danzmayr

The Selections from Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet Suites No. 1, 2 and 3” received a tour-de-force performance by the Oregon Symphony (October 30) at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. In particular, the “Death of Tybalt” with its fifteen vicious whacks made a stunning impression that hugely and effectively contrasted with the lovely, conversational tone of Mozart’s “Sinfonia concertante” in the first half of the concert. The superb playing of those works gave the evening a memorable gravitas that will stay with me for a while.

Prokofiev arranged three suites with various scenes from his “Romeo and Juliet” ballet. Orchestras typically perform one of the suites on a given program, but for this concert, Danzmayr selected nine scenes from the suites. Right from the start, the orchestra made the ominous hostility of “The Montagues and the Capulets” from “Suite No. 2” almost palpable. Urged on by Danzmayr, the musicians created the beautiful, carefree nature of Juliet came to life in “Juliet – The Young Girl,” and the boisterous “Masks,” and the tender lushness of the “Balcony Scene,” but then came the helter-skelter gathering storm and the repetitive blows from Jonathan Greeney’s timpani in “the “Death of Tybalt” that became louder and more terrible and so unbelievably intense that I almost wanted it to stop. The release of all that tension in the “Morning Dance” segued marvelously into the yearning and hope and tragic ending of “Romeo and Juliet’s Grave” with serene sounds coming from the extreme high and low sections of the orchestral palate. It was a great way to wrap up an emotionally gripping evening.

For something completely different, the first half of the program featured the one of Mozart’s gemlike confections, the “Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola” (K. 364). Looking splendid in apricot and peach-colored gowns, concertmaster Sarah Kwak and principal violist Amanda Grimm played the Mozart number to perfection with wonderful sonic balance and a terrifically nuanced phrasing. The exchange of passages between them was flawless, and stylishness also had a wonderful verve. The high-spirited exposed dialogue between the two at the end of the first movement caused the audience to quickly respond with applause. The second movement exuded a delicious melancholy with wonderful back and forth between the soloists, accompanied by wafting tones from their colleagues. The third movement refreshed listeners’ ears with an uptempo, playful conversation between Kwak and Grimm. They swept into the finale with a dramatic flourish that resonated joyously with the concertgoers, who rewarded them with thunderous applause. It should be noted that Danzmayr expertly kept the piece from sagging, making it a real treat the everyone enjoyed from beginning to the end.

The concert opened with the “Dance of the Paper Umbrellas” by Elena Kats-Chernin, an Australian composer who was born in Uzbekistan. Her piece was just a few minutes in length, a lightweight number with a springy, propulsive melodic line that was easy to grasp. It featured soothing strings and a percolating tune and a bit of switching back and forth between the piano and celeste for Sequoia. Written to help reduce stress and anxiety for hospital patients and their families, “Dance of the Paper Umbrellas” seemed to suddenly stop in mid-sentence, which seemed odd. But it was an uplifting piece, and that fit well with the arc of the concert program, which concluded with Prokofiev’s depiction of one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies.

Postscript: Still, after hearing that amazing performance of excerpts from "Romeo and Juliet," I felt in need of a stiff drink.