National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America PLay Carnegie Hall

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Wednesday, 07 August 2024 09:02

Written by Jack Angstreich

Photo by Chris Lee

At Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium on the evening of Monday, August 5th, I had the exceptional privilege to attend a fabulous concert—as part of World Orchestra Week—featuring the superb and precocious members of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America—along with musicians from the Polyphony Ensemble—under the stellar direction of the eminent Marin Alsop.

The event began marvelously with an exciting account of Samuel Barber’s excellent and undervalued Symphony No. 1, Op. 9, which bears the unmistakable imprint of that extraordinary composer, who provided this program note for the work’s New York premiere: 

The form of my Symphony in One Movement is a synthetic treatment of the four-movement classical symphony. It is based on three themes of the initial Allegro non troppo, which retain throughout the work their fundamental character. The Allegro opens with the usual exposition of a main theme, a more lyrical second theme, and a closing theme. After a brief development of the three themes, instead of the customary recapitulation, the first theme in diminution forms the basis of a scherzo section (Vivace). The second theme (oboe over muted strings) then appears in augmentation, in an extended Andante tranquillo. An intense crescendo introduces the finale, which is a short passacaglia based on the first theme (introduced by the violoncelli and contrabassi), over which, together with figures from other themes, the closing theme is woven, thus serving as a recapitulation for the entire symphony.

The opening movement is variegated in character, alternately intense and subdued, while the second possesses a relative and not unexpected levity, if with some agonistic moments. The loveliest component of the score is the lyrical third movement, which is slightly reminiscent of the orchestral music of Jean Sibelius and reaches a powerful climax—and the finale too builds to a forceful conclusion.

The renowned soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet then entered the stage to brilliantly perform George Gershwin’s jazzy, exhilarating Rhapsody in Blue from 1924, orchestrated by Ferde Grofé—this rendition was sparkling, dazzling and unusually lucid. Enthusiastic applause elicited a delightful encore: Victory Stride by James P. Johnson—the author of the “Charleston”—arranged by Nicholas Hersh.

The second half of the concert was even more remarkable: a mesmerizing version of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s enthralling Scheherazade, Op. 35, from 1888. The first movement, titled The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship and marked Largo e maestoso, is stirring and enchanting, while in the succeeding Andantino, The Legend of the Calendar Prince, the exquisite melodies evoke the Orient. The wistful third movement—The Young Prince and the Young Princess, an Andantino quasi allegretto—is somewhat playful at times, and the Allegro molto finale is propulsive and exuberant, although it closes quietly and mysteriously. Another rapturous ovation was rewarded with a second wonderful encore, a new piece by Laura Karpman entitled Swing.

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