United States Tanglewood Festival 2024 [3] – Various: Soloists, Boston Symphony Orchestra / Andris Nelsons (conductor). Koussevitzky Shed, Lenox, Massachusetts, 13 and 14.7.2024. (ES-S)
[1] Simon, Beethoven, Ellington: Yuja Wang (piano), 13.7.2024.
Carlos Simon – ‘Warmth from Other Suns’ for string orchestra
Beethoven – Piano Concerto No.4 in G major
Encores: Mendelssohn, Songs Without Words Op.67, No.2; Prokofiev, Piano Sonata No.7 in B-flat major, third movement
Ellington – Three Black Kings, Harlem (A Tone Parallel to Harlem)
[2] Kirkland Snider, Prokofiev, Dvořák: Augustin Hadelich (violin), 14.7.2024.
Sarah Kirkland Snider – ‘Forward into Light’
Prokofiev – Violin Concerto No.2 in G minor
Encore: ‘Orange Blossom Special’ (arr. Hadelich)
Dvořák – Symphony No.7 in D minor
Tanglewood performances on Saturday and Sunday, led by Boston Symphony Orchestra’s music director, Andris Nelsons, presented similarly structured first halves featuring concertante pieces with famous soloists. Preceding these were recently composed works seeking greater recognition.
The second halves, however, diverged significantly. A proficient, though not outstanding, rendition of Dvořák’s Symphony No.7 sounded very Brahmsian in its structural complexity, development of thematic material and dark orchestration. Nelsons meticulously handled details, seamlessly integrating soloistic passages into the musical fabric and skillfully managing intricate rhythmic patterns, such as the overlay of a furiant dance and a waltz in the Scherzo.
On the previous night, the second part of the concert was entirely dedicated to the music of Duke Ellington, orchestrated by Luther Henderson. Inspired by a Sunday walk, Harlem (A Tone Parallel to Harlem) represents a series of reminiscences about the New York neighborhood, its street scenes and its famous or simply picturesque characters. Three Black Kings also seeks to narratively connect the present with the past. A gospel-like homage to Martin Luther King is preceded by two sections that evoke Biblical characters: Balthasar, one of the Three Magi and King Solomon. In the segment dedicated to the former, a percussive, energetic drive anchored by conga drums is permeated by lush, Hollywoodian-Oriental combinations of strings and winds. In the latter, sweet strings and trumpets frame a cabaret-like scene featuring charming solo winds.
These orchestral transpositions were notable in their use of classical instruments like the harp to enhance the jazzy colors and rhythms. Overall, however, employing such a large orchestra for this music seemed excessive – a more intimate band would have better highlighted its qualities. Nelsons and his ensemble did their best to adapt to the jazzy style and its distinct degrees of freedom compared to classical music. They seemed a tad uncomfortable at times, but that was to be expected.
Carlos Simon’s ‘Warmth from Other Suns’ is an expansion for string orchestra of a string quartet initially composed in 2019. The title is inspired by Isabel Wilkerson’s book which describes the tribulations of African Americans during the ‘Great Migration’ – a several-decades-long period when millions moved from rural and impoverished Southern regions to urban areas in the North and West.’
The work is divided into three movements – ‘Rays of Light’, ‘Flight’, ‘Settle’ – linked by a persistent ‘agitation’ theme, noted by the composer in his prefatory remarks. Including improvisatory elements typical of jazz and blues, along with echoes of Copland’s approach to musical colors, the score may reveal a richness that exceeds initial impressions. Nelsons gave his customary ‘attention-to-detail’ treatment to the violin divisi and chromatic inflections.
Sarah Kirkland Snider’s ‘Forward into Light’, titled after a suffrage slogan, was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic as part of ‘Project 19’ which invited nineteen women composers to celebrate the centennial of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, granting American women the right to vote. The composer describes the work as ‘a meditation on perseverance, bravery and alliance’. However, any programmatic connotations in the beautifully orchestrated score are difficult to discern without prior explanation. The sonorities are clearly modern yet not dogmatically so, as gently introduced waves intersect and overlap in a luminous soundscape. Coloristic nuances are occasionally rich, though often just delicately suggested. The instrumentalists seem to enjoy playing music that is neither rough nor overly sentimental, yet deeply meaningful.
Nelsons once again demonstrated his gift as an accompanist in these performances, with the presence of two magnificent younger-generation soloists serving to highlight his talent even further. Augustin Hadelich commanded the spotlight in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No.2, renowned for its daunting technical challenges. He effortlessly navigated passages of immense difficulty, while infusing them with both expected mischievousness and unexpected lyricism. In the slower segments, his dialogues, not only with the orchestra but also with the Koussevitzky Shed birds, were marked by heartfelt elegance. The mysterious solo introduction unfolded like the opening sentence of a captivating ghost story, while the melody in the Andante assai soared gracefully above the pizzicato strings and woodwinds.
The tilting of Yuja Wang’s repertoire balance towards colorful, showy, ‘Rachmaninovian’ exploits often hides the poetic, dreamlike and thoughtful aspects of her playing. At Tanglewood, her rendition of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4 was splendid. In the famed introductory bars, the piano grabbed attention with a tentative rather than assertive statement. Any fireworks seemed bathed in moonlight. Wang approached the gloomy Andante con moto with modesty, allowing the piano to delicately weave its dialogue with the orchestral ‘furies’. Her micro-control of dynamics was consistently astonishing. The main theme of the final Rondo emerged shy and playful, never reaching bellicose dimensions.
Enthusiastically applauded, Wang offered two encores, each highlighting different aspects of her complex musical personality. Mendelssohn’s Op.67 No.2 from the Lieder ohne Worte cycle was full of longing, despite its Allegro leggiero marking, while the third movement of Prokofiev’s Sonata No.7 sounded as if a long-caged devil was finally released.
The proposed program for her forthcoming recital at Tanglewood, linking Shostakovich’s preludes and fugues with Chopin’s ballades via Barber’s Sonata, promises a performance that will once again prove to disbelievers that there is significant interpretative depth beneath Yuja Wang’s sparkles.
Edward Sava-Segal