Whenever
Alan Gilbert comes to town to lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra, one can
always expect a few surprises.
His
program with the BSO, heard Sunday afternoon at Tanglewood's Koussevitzky Shed,
paired a little-heard Schumann gem with a beloved Mozart concerto. Yet it was
Stenhammar's Serenade, the concert's closer, that continues to linger in the
memory.
Wilhelm
Stenhammar (1871-1927) was perhaps Sweden's most iconic composer, though his
music remains largely unheard outside of his homeland. He was versatile,
producing two completed symphonies, several concertos and string quartets, as
well as choral works. It's a wonder why his Serenade remains unknown. Completed in 1902 during a visit to Italy,
the stirring score combines sounds of bucolic serenity with moments of mystery.
Gilbert
described the piece as the "love child of Strauss and Sibelius."
Indeed, the work, with its colorful orchestration and flowering melody, reflect
the more ebullient works of those composers. Yet there are moments of Griegian
melancholy, and the detailed orchestration even recalls Mahler.
The
Overture is full of wild contrasts, where brassy fanfares interject between skipping
string figures. All smooth out into gentle woodwind passages that capture a
brief sense of repose. Lower strings then answer with warm, hymn-like
statements that underscore beaming melodies in the violins, recalling Strauss's
Aus Italien. Moments of stasis—a kind of Wagnerian harmonic mist—break
up the flow, and the movement ends with an elfin flourish to turn the music
once again towards light.
The
Canzonetta, which unfolds as a slow waltz, frames passages of chamber-like
delicacy. Solo clarinet phrases float above undulating strings, and a duet between
violin and cello bring an almost pastoral calm. In Gilbert's reading, the
gentle rubato shading allowed the melodies to flower in the ensemble.
The
Scherzo is a vivacious affair, where chromatic passages bring hints of
darkness. But the Notturno casts the work's largest shadow. There, string lines
create a rich sonority, which segue into burbling woodwind figures when the
clouds lift. In the finale, the music swells into grand statements before breaking
into a final flourish in the spirited conclusion.
Gilbert
led the score with an eye to every detail, coaxing elegant solos from the BSO
principal players. Stenhammar's music, in turn, received bold advocacy.
The
solo spotlight of the afternoon fell upon violinist Stefan Jackiw, who offered
a dramatic performance of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5.
Jackiw
revealed all the grace and energy of this familiar music. His opening line,
shaped in a long, smooth phrase, carried vitality and urgency. The cadenzas,
created by Robert Levin, explored colorful pizzicatos and fiery technical
flourishes without sacrificing musicality.
The
Rondeau took on appropriate dance-like flair as Jackiw's arpeggios and running
scales brought live-wire intensity. The violinist dug in for the country dance
that falls mid movement to capture a tasteful rustic verve.
But
the heart of this performance was the Adagio, which took on supple lyricism.
Jackiw answered the orchestra in hushed tones, shaping the melodies in long
arcs, swelling them in gentle crescendos, and then resolving the line in a
breathless cadence. Gilbert led a sensitive accompaniment from the orchestra. Mozart,
this reading suggested, was a true master of the intimate moment.
The
concert opened with Robert Schumann's Bride of Messina Overture.
Schumann composed this eight-minute score as the introduction to an opera,
based on Friedrich Schiller's tale of incest and fratricide, that never
materialized.
Gilbert
led an incisive reading that realized the work’s sense of tension and release.
The orchestra answered with conviction, the ensemble taking on dimension and
depth.
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