An Evening with the Yale Philharmonia

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Monday, 03 February 2025 20:30

Written by Jack Angstreich

Photo by Matt Fried

At Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium on the night of Monday, January 22nd, I had the uncommon privilege to attend a fine concert featuring the impressive musicians of the Yale Philharmonia under the confident direction of its principal conductor, Peter Oundjian.

The event started auspiciously with the splendidly realized world premiere of the compelling Suite from Concerto for Orchestra by Joan Tower, arranged by Oundjian. He provided the following background on the piece:

The core of the original 30-minute Concerto for Orchestra features three momentous waves, each of which builds gradually and, with extraordinary rhythmic drive, leads to a breathtaking climax. Between these formidable passages are several wonderful episodes that feature virtually every orchestral instrument in its soloistic or chamber element. 

The idea for a condensed version came to me after conducting the original piece many times; the excellent orchestral writing could lend itself to an innovative sampling of this masterpiece, shrinking the duration to around twelve minutes and rendering it more flexible to program.

The concept of a suite is by no means new; think Stravinsky's reduction of The Firebird or Prokofiev's distillation of Romeo and Juliet. 

Thinking carefully about the eruptive power of the grander orchestral sequences, I went to work on a version that can be played as a concert opener. This is not to suggest that the full Concerto for Orchestra is obsolete; it is one of the most dramatic, original, and beautiful works of the last fifty years. I do believe however, that this newly shaped version is extremely compelling and stimulating and I am honored that such a great composer has allowed me to create this new reduction.

The brilliant soloist Augustin Hadelich then entered the stage for a striking performance of Benjamin Britten’s powerful Violin Concerto, Op. 15, from 1939. In the initial movement, after a very brief, hushed beginning, the violin’s song-like, solo theme is played against a contrasting march-like motif in the orchestra; the music grows more animated, although reflective episodes, as well as dance-like ones, then follow before the movement ends very quietly. The ensuing Scherzo is energetic and propulsive at the outset but it becomes more overtly playful, culminating in a bravura cadenza. The very solemn finale is in the form of a very unusual passacaglia that increases in intensity; it closes affirmatively, if very qualifiedly so. An ardent ovation elicited a beautiful encore from Hadelich: the extraordinary Andante from Johann Sebastian Bach’s A major Sonata for solo violin.

The second half of the evening was much stronger, however: a stunning account of Hector Berlioz’s magnificent Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14, from 1830. In a useful note on the program, Liam Viney records that:

For the first performance, Berlioz provided an outline of the plot: the lovesick hero is plagued by images of his beloved and troubled by the peculiar spiritual sickness once described as “le vague des passions”. He finds himself in several unrelated settings, including nature, balls, and towns. Yet he is constantly visited by her image, accompanied by various extreme emotional reactions. In the third movement, disillusionment sets in. He poisons himself with opium to assuage the anguish of unrequited love. Delirium sets in, and he descends into the horrific dream world of the fourth and fifth movements.

The subdued, extended opening of the first movement—which is entitled Rêveries, Passions—is plaintive; with the introduction of the famous idée fixe, the music is more lively, even exuberant, although it finishes slowly and softly. It is succeeded by A Ball, which is a charming waltz that concludes dynamically. The next movement, Scene in the Country, is a gentle pastoral at first but the music turns more passionate, leading to an ominous series of drumrolls before ending quietly. The March to the Scaffold is dramatic, suspenseful and tumultuous, closing forcefully and abruptly. The finale, Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath, is uncanny, sinister and portentous; the tolling of bells invokes the astonishing Dies Irae, which ushers in an energetic section that increases in excitement until the rousing conclusion.

The artists deservedly received an enthusiastic ovation.

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