United States Walker, Brahms, Dvořák: Gautier Capuçon (cello), Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra / Manfred Honeck (conductor). Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, 6.2.2026. (SJ)
George Walker – Lyric for Strings
Brahms – Symphony No.3 in F major, Op.90
Dvořák – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104
Encore: Bryce Dessner – ‘Towards the Forest’
If there was a common thread to the three works on this Pittsburgh Symphony program, it was that music director Manfred Honeck opted for pieces favoring subtlety and understatement. Even the concerto that served as the evening’s banner event was not one of particularly flamboyant virtuosity. Though the backbone of the program was comprised of two late-nineteenth-century pinnacles of Romanticism, matters began with a rarity from a century later.
George Walker’s Lyric for Strings dates from 1990. With gentle beginnings, Honeck teased out the richness of the strings, shaping the melodic contours with his refined baton technique. The expressive strings invite comparison to Barber’s Adagio, and it is a piece that says much in its brief, 5-minute duration. The tonal and neo-Romantic leanings ensured a fit with the works that followed, despite its later date.
Brahms’s Third Symphony has a vigorous beginning, quickly to be dialed back in what is the most inward and intimate of the German composer’s four symphonies. In spite of that, Honeck did much to heighten contrasts, and the intensity of the development was especially gripping. The PSO musicians were in fine form, with standout contributions from the principal clarinet and the warmly blended wind section. The mellow Andante that followed emerged as a gentle processional, closing on some striking chord progressions.
A downtempo Poco allegretto stood in place of a scherzo, with a winding, impassioned melody countered by the amber tone of the horn (William Caballero). There was much pent-up energy to yield exuberance in the finale with plenty of drama to be had, yet the work ended in the soft glow of the twilight, satisfying not in its boldness but in its enigma.
Gautier Capuçon is in the unusual position of having made his PSO debut not in Pittsburgh but across the pond during the ensemble’s 2022 European tour. This was rectified on Friday night, which counted as the cellist’s local debut on the Heinz Hall stage, armed with Dvořák’s evergreen Cello Concerto in B minor – a work which Pittsburgh audiences heard not even a year ago in a memorable performance from Yo-Yo Ma. Capuçon made the piece his own, however, with a probing interpretation.
A deftly-shaped orchestral introduction crested in a radiant horn solo. Capuçon had a commanding entrance, with a burnished tone colored by heavy vibrato. With long-bowed phrasing, he yielded a deep and sumptuous lyricism, pointing to the extensive first movement’s brassy, combustible coda. Capuçon had delicate lyrical poise in the passionate slow movement and brought intoxicating Slavic swagger to the Finale – and in a particularly enthralling moment, was in tight lockstep with concertmaster David McCarroll.
A justly rapturous ovation brought the cellist back for an encore culled from his recent album, Gaïa, a collection of new works concerning humanity’s relationship to nature. Bryce Dessner’s ‘Towards the Forest’ was a touching choice, an essay of subtle effect achieved through Capuçon’s buoyant bow.
Sam Jacobson