Marin Alsop leads the Seattle Symphony in a celebration of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

United States Tchaikovsky, Bernstein, Prokofiev: Seattle Symphony / Marin Alsop (conductor). Benaroya Hall, Seattle, 17.6.2023. (ZC)

Tchaikovsky – Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy
Bernstein – Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Prokofiev – Suite from Romeo and Juliet

The Seattle Symphony’s penultimate program of the 2022-23 season embraced the notion of music as a medium for artistic expression – with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet at the center. This timeless tale has inspired many composers, and guest conductor Marin Alsop led the orchestra in three of the most iconic interpretations of the star-crossed lovers and their sword-crossed clans. For the first half of the program, Alsop drew from the oeuvre of Tchaikovsky and that of her mentor, Leonard Bernstein. But the zenith of artistic expression and enjoyment was in the second half with a captivating rendition of selections from Prokofiev’s celebrated work.

Alsop made her debut with the Seattle Symphony back in 2005, a performance I recall fondly for a vibrant rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Second Symphony. Back then, having earned notoriety in the conducting world at Tanglewood and in Eugene and Denver, Alsop was just entering the public eye and establishing herself as a leading interpreter of the music of Barber, Bernstein and other American composers. The performance was just a few months before she became the first conductor to receive a ‘genius grant’ from the MacArthur Foundation. Several years later, she would take the podium as music director of the Baltimore Symphony, joining JoAnn Falletta as one of only a few women to lead a major American orchestra. Her reputation has rightly soared, but back then it was her expert knowledge and swaying presence that seemed to delight orchestra and audience alike, and it is what I looked forward to with her return.

Given her familiarity with American music, she was set to shine with this return visit to Seattle. The program initially was to feature Bernstein’s Songfest, an orchestral song-cycle composed for America’s 1976 bicentennial. Alsop has been a significant figure in the restoration of Bernstein’s genre-defying religious theater piece, Mass, and I wondered if she could do the same with Songfest – and, just as importantly, if Seattle audiences would enjoy it. Regrettably, the piece was pulled, due allegedly to a scheduling conflict with one of the soloists.

The replacement works lacked the same allure as Songfest. Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, renowned for its luscious and infamous melodies – as well as the intense action – has always been an audience favorite. Similarly, Symphonic Dances from Bernstein’s West Side Story combines all the familiar orchestral bits from the larger piece into a concise suite. Both were played well, the Tchaikovsky alternating between tenderness and explosive intensity, while Bernstein’s dances dazzled with spirited brass, winds and percussion – and a striking solo from principal violist Susan Gulkis Assadi. However, despite the skilled execution, both works felt somewhat restrained. I longed for a more fervent interpretation from Alsop in Tchaikovsky and a richer palette of colors in Bernstein’s work.

Excerpts from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet suites featured in the second half. The ballet is an iconic treatment of Shakespeare’s play, equal to Tchaikovsky and Bernstein, and its numerous lilting sequences are justly beloved by audiences. Alsop pulled from Prokofiev’s suites to form a symphony-length survey of dramatic highlights. Her interpretation kept a firm grasp on each section’s essential dance character and balanced each section of the orchestra marvelously. Prokofiev’s most delicate moments, such as Juliet as a young girl, carried the same weight as the intense brutality of Tybalt’s death and the heart-wrenching sorrow of Juliet’s suicide.

The Seattle Symphony season draws to a close later this week with Mahler’s Second Symphony – conducted by another much-lauded and beloved guest conductor, Osmo Vänskä. It is that time of the year when most orchestras pull out all the stops to punctuate what has happened during the past nine months, while offering a preview of what audiences can hope for when the music returns in the autumn. Alsop and the talented musicians of the Seattle Symphony showcased their immense potential in every piece but, unfortunately, her turn at the podium was also a lost opportunity. The audience was thrilled, and she and the musicians were great. But the program was simply too ordinary for an ensemble whose management asks its audience to ‘listen boldly’.

Zach Carstensen