Spring Break
BSO opens with passion under the batons of Levine and Previn
by Hannah Kirsch
Deputy Editor
Arts | 10/7/08
Posted online at 1:04 AM EST on 10/7/08
James Levine and the Boston Symphony Orchestra returned with panache at the BSO's opening night Sept. 24.
The audience bestowed a standing ovation and a chorus of bravos on James Levine before he even mounted the podium. Whether this was in congratulations for his past achievements, anticipation of a beautiful concert or recognition of his return to action after recovering from kidney surgery was unclear. What was clear is that there was not a cynical ear in the house as Levine launched the BSO into the overture to Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmila.
Symphony Hall's clerestory windows, closed since World War II, were restored and opened over the summer, allowing the view of the purple evening sky to mesh with the golden threads of music that Levine drew from the orchestra with his thumb and forefinger. The Glinka scintillated as tangibly as the gilt ornamentation of the concert hall, filling the room with swirls of notes. It was an appropriate first piece, bursting with joy and refreshment. Even the room seemed lighter, the opened clerestory windows lifting away ponderous weight and import. The experience was, in a word, fun, which Levine confirmed when he gave an exuberant spin in his swiveling chair to follow the overture's equally exuberant close.
Exchanging Russian dance for Russian drama, up-and-coming Latvian soprano Maija Kovalevska performed the "Letter Scene" from Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin. During the scene, the adolescent Tatiana attempts to record on paper her passion for Onegin. The music and libretto are complex and deeply emotional. Kovalevska agilely navigated the piece in her rich voice, but the orchestra tended to overpower her and the drama of the "Letter Scene" fell flat despite the beauty of the composition.
And then came Pictures at an Exhibition, a BSO classic since the legendary Serge Koussevitsky gave the piece its American premiere at Symphony Hall in 1924. Last January's performance of the work was good, but this one was better. The orchestra had the opportunity to show off throughout the fantastic visual composition, led by Levine's astute sense of dramatic timing. Particularly impressive were solos from Kenneth Radnofsky on the saxophone, Thomas Rolf on the trumpet and Mike Roylance on the tuba, who shone in the much-loved Bydlo. From the lush brass chords evocative of Russian liturgical music to the strings pecking and peeping like chickens, the performance of Pictures continued the evening's sense of revitalization even through an old standard.
The audience bestowed a standing ovation and a chorus of bravos on James Levine before he even mounted the podium. Whether this was in congratulations for his past achievements, anticipation of a beautiful concert or recognition of his return to action after recovering from kidney surgery was unclear. What was clear is that there was not a cynical ear in the house as Levine launched the BSO into the overture to Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmila.
Symphony Hall's clerestory windows, closed since World War II, were restored and opened over the summer, allowing the view of the purple evening sky to mesh with the golden threads of music that Levine drew from the orchestra with his thumb and forefinger. The Glinka scintillated as tangibly as the gilt ornamentation of the concert hall, filling the room with swirls of notes. It was an appropriate first piece, bursting with joy and refreshment. Even the room seemed lighter, the opened clerestory windows lifting away ponderous weight and import. The experience was, in a word, fun, which Levine confirmed when he gave an exuberant spin in his swiveling chair to follow the overture's equally exuberant close.
Exchanging Russian dance for Russian drama, up-and-coming Latvian soprano Maija Kovalevska performed the "Letter Scene" from Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin. During the scene, the adolescent Tatiana attempts to record on paper her passion for Onegin. The music and libretto are complex and deeply emotional. Kovalevska agilely navigated the piece in her rich voice, but the orchestra tended to overpower her and the drama of the "Letter Scene" fell flat despite the beauty of the composition.
And then came Pictures at an Exhibition, a BSO classic since the legendary Serge Koussevitsky gave the piece its American premiere at Symphony Hall in 1924. Last January's performance of the work was good, but this one was better. The orchestra had the opportunity to show off throughout the fantastic visual composition, led by Levine's astute sense of dramatic timing. Particularly impressive were solos from Kenneth Radnofsky on the saxophone, Thomas Rolf on the trumpet and Mike Roylance on the tuba, who shone in the much-loved Bydlo. From the lush brass chords evocative of Russian liturgical music to the strings pecking and peeping like chickens, the performance of Pictures continued the evening's sense of revitalization even through an old standard.
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Eric Alterman
posted 10/07/08 @ 8:55 AM EST
While this is nice and all, I think that the Boston Symphony gets enough attention already. Our own Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra performed this weekend, yet it gets no mention. (Continued…)
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