An air of optimism swept into the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall when the Oregon Symphony came on stage for its season opener (September 21). The audience seemed larger than what I recall from last year’s gala event. Perhaps the return appearance of ever-popular pianist Garrick Ohlsson and the orchestra’s undertaking of Richard Strauss’s “Alpine Symphony” that drew the large crowd. Or perhaps it was just that Covid has finally slipped far enough into the background, making people more adventurous again. Whatever the reason, the overall effect of seeing a fairly full-house at the Schnitz helped to lift everyone’s spirits and put a buzz into the atmosphere.
Ohlsson was back in town to play Chopin’s “Piano Concerto No. 1,” which is a piece that he has probably done a million times. No matter. In Ohlsson’s hands it sounded fresher than ever. Chopin’s music rolled effortlessly off of his fingertips, and with all sorts of nuances that make the piece so interesting. For example, he would play a passage strongly the first time through and softly the second time. He could linger over a note just a tad longer and change the emphasis. His duet with Principal Bassoonist Carin Miller in the second movement was wonderfully cantabile and conversational – one of the highlights of the piece. With his impeccable technique, Ohlsson created a luminous soundscape and wrapped it up exquisitely in the finale.
The audience erupted with unrelenting enthusiasm, which brought Ohlsson back to the Steinway several times. He responded with Chopin’s “Grande Valse Brillante Op.18” and again applied wonderful dynamic contrasts that weren’t flashy, but very thoughtful so that the piece sounded refreshingly new.
When the Schnitz was acoustically refurbished a couple of years ago with the sophisticated Constellation Acoustic System (see my article in The Oregonian here), the amount of real estate on the stage of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall was slightly reduced (the sides were brought in a tad). Ergo, the 100+ musicians needed for Richard Strauss’s “An Alpine Symphony” were packed a bit like sardines – especially the tubas crammed behind the brass section – even with the stage extended over a couple rows into the main seating area. No matter. With Music Director David Danzmayr on the podium, Strauss’s 50-minute tone poem received an inspired performance.
The atmosphere at the outset, depicting nighttime vanishing before as a group of hikers get ready to ascend one of the Alps, was splendidly murky and mysterious. Then came the outburst of a glorious sunrise with the entire orchestra creating a full sonic bloom. As the ascent began, it was easy to imagine how the hiking group absorbed nature in all its glory – with the woodwinds evoking a waterfall and the majestic vistas along the way. The triumphant music at the summit generated a feeling of elation before heading back down the mountain. Another highlight of the piece was the huge thunderstorm with the percussion battery cranking the wind machine. The brass and organ created a muffled chorale of sorts as the hikers returned home – well past sunset and in the gathering gloom of night.
I loved the huge sonic contrasts in this performance. “An Alpine Symphony” demands not only a lot from the musicians but also a lot from the listeners. It’s a work that I would have liked to have heard on Sunday and Monday at the Schnitz, because there is so much going on. It is easy to hone in on the brass and forget the upper strings, and then realize that the lower strings are sawing pell-mell. There’s off stage ensembles and two sets of timpani and two harps too. And with Danzmayr being a native of Salzburg, Austria, where there are lots of mountains, he must have a special affinity for this work. Alas, my schedule allowed me to hear only one performance. Dang!
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