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Where's the beef? Or: Wagner sans drama
Philadelphia Orchestra plays Wagner (1st review)
Steve Cohen
The rich sound of the Philadelphia Orchestra would seem perfect for Wagner's Ring. One would think.
An instrumental arrangement of The Ring by Henk de Vlieger was performed this weekend, with Neeme Järvi conducting. Vlieger assembled this adaptation in 1991, with no vocals, and entitled it The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure. Something important was missing, and I don't just mean the voices. The rendition was beautiful, but it lacked the tragedy that's the essence of the Ring.
For example, the entry of the gods in Valhalla was so lyrical that it missed the irony and the portent of gods using ill-gotten treasure to build a monument to themselves. Later, Siegfried's funeral music lacked the shattering shock that it should. (Blame the style of the Ring's libretto for my slip into this alliteration.)
Whether it was Vlieger's arrangement or the conductor's interpretation is hard to differentiate, but I heard lovely sound rather than drama. Three people near me dozed off. Wotan is supposed to put his daughter, Brünnhilde, to sleep, not the audience.
The Orchestra's playing itself was excellent, especially the horns. The off-stage calls and the on-stage responses were equally superb.
Father and son
The program's first half featured the world premiere of George Walker's Violin Concerto, with the composer's son Gregory as soloist. Walker Sr. is a distinguished 87-year-old who blazed trails for black musicians. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris and Rosario Scalero at the Curtis Institute of Music, and his style seems influenced more by them than by African music.
This piece opens with blocks of orchestral sound contrasted to a slithering violin solo. One wonders: Where is it going to lead? The answer is ambiguous. Normally, in a concerto, we hear a theme or two, then a development and, finally, we get a cadenza in which the soloist recapitulates and embellishes what's been presented. This piece seems a long, meandering cadenza in search of a theme.
Or, to be more charitable, perhaps this is a meditation accompanied by orchestra"“ a summing up of a long and productive life. The writing is romantic, with strong contributions from the winds and brass. There's colorful percussion, a guitar and a plethora of plucking from the strings.
At times, Walker's composition resembles a baroque concerto, with responses back and forth between the soloist and the violin section.
The younger Walker handled his solos expertly, through many meter changes and loads of double stops. It was heartwarming to see the composer take bows with his son.♦(br>
To read another review by Tom Purdom, click here.
To read a response, click here.
An instrumental arrangement of The Ring by Henk de Vlieger was performed this weekend, with Neeme Järvi conducting. Vlieger assembled this adaptation in 1991, with no vocals, and entitled it The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure. Something important was missing, and I don't just mean the voices. The rendition was beautiful, but it lacked the tragedy that's the essence of the Ring.
For example, the entry of the gods in Valhalla was so lyrical that it missed the irony and the portent of gods using ill-gotten treasure to build a monument to themselves. Later, Siegfried's funeral music lacked the shattering shock that it should. (Blame the style of the Ring's libretto for my slip into this alliteration.)
Whether it was Vlieger's arrangement or the conductor's interpretation is hard to differentiate, but I heard lovely sound rather than drama. Three people near me dozed off. Wotan is supposed to put his daughter, Brünnhilde, to sleep, not the audience.
The Orchestra's playing itself was excellent, especially the horns. The off-stage calls and the on-stage responses were equally superb.
Father and son
The program's first half featured the world premiere of George Walker's Violin Concerto, with the composer's son Gregory as soloist. Walker Sr. is a distinguished 87-year-old who blazed trails for black musicians. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris and Rosario Scalero at the Curtis Institute of Music, and his style seems influenced more by them than by African music.
This piece opens with blocks of orchestral sound contrasted to a slithering violin solo. One wonders: Where is it going to lead? The answer is ambiguous. Normally, in a concerto, we hear a theme or two, then a development and, finally, we get a cadenza in which the soloist recapitulates and embellishes what's been presented. This piece seems a long, meandering cadenza in search of a theme.
Or, to be more charitable, perhaps this is a meditation accompanied by orchestra"“ a summing up of a long and productive life. The writing is romantic, with strong contributions from the winds and brass. There's colorful percussion, a guitar and a plethora of plucking from the strings.
At times, Walker's composition resembles a baroque concerto, with responses back and forth between the soloist and the violin section.
The younger Walker handled his solos expertly, through many meter changes and loads of double stops. It was heartwarming to see the composer take bows with his son.♦(br>
To read another review by Tom Purdom, click here.
To read a response, click here.
What, When, Where
Philadelphia Orchestra: Wagner’s The Ring (arranged by de Vlieger); Walker, Violin Concerto. Neeme Järvi, conductor; Gregory Walker, violin. December 10-12, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. 215.893.1999 or www.philorch.org.
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