SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Adams, Beethoven, Schumann: Kirill Gerstein (pianist), Oregon Symphony / Gregory Vajda (conductor), Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland 3.2.2008 (JB)


John Adams has a sense of humor, but it’s one that requires hard work.  He wrote his “Chamber Symphony” in 1992 after contemplating Schoenberg and being interrupted by the sounds of a 'Roadrunner' cartoon that his young son was enjoying. I heard a 15-member ensemble from the Oregon Symphony play this exceedingly difficult piece on Sunday evening, and I came away impressed with the constantly shifting myriad of sounds and the rhythmic intensity.

Divided into three movements, the “Chamber Symphony” opened with the  jazz-inspired “Mongrel Airs,” but this wasn’t loosey-goosey jazz. The atmosphere was tightly wound and seemed to relax only slightly when the brass laid down a sustained sound. An ascending series of chords gave me the initial impression of someone climbing a flight of stairs, but this accelerated quickly into a tornado-like blur which ended abruptly.

Next came “Aria with Walking Bass,” which started with a forlorn call from the trombone. A meandering line from the bassoon and double bass entered while the trumpet and French horn added a further layer of melancholy. The violin trilled several times, and the oboe began playing in a stratospheric register. The synthesizer started puttering around before a piccolo got into the act  and  a clarinet started high stepping all over the place. This movement ended with a sense of unfinished business and anticipation.

“Roadrunner,” the last movement, contained a furious amount of mayhem. It was a jumble of cool sounds that sprang from anywhere in the ensemble. At one point concertmaster Jun Iwasaki made a bunch of scratchy sounds as if the music was trying to relieve an itch. The piece ended suddenly, but with very definite finality. Enthusiastic applause from the audience ensued, but I think that some people were puzzled at what they just heard.

This music seemed to reflect a nervous, unsure, yet whimsical world. The last movement made me wonder if Adams had indulged in too much Red Bull. The ensemble, made up mostly of orchestra principals, seemed to have fun and acting principal bassoonist Evan Kuhlmann’s bobbing motions signaled that he was rocking out on the piece.

While the orchestra reconfigured itself for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2, I switched seats to another section of the lower balcony. This was the evening of the Super Bowl, and attendance was a little down. Guest artist Kirill Gerstein delivered a wonderful rendition of Beethoven’s music. I liked how he could turn and listen to the orchestra and play superbly at the same time. He easily changed dynamics, and his feathery touch in the first movement was exquisite. The languid section in the second movement made me sink into a mile long pillow. The third movement was a playful frolic between the orchestra and the pianist, concluding brilliantly.

After the applause died down, Gerstein played Liszt’s arrangement of Schubert’s “Erlkönig.” I really enjoyed the way that Gerstein brought out the different voices in this piece (the father, the child, and the evil Erlkönig).

For The second half of the program, the orchestra played Schumann’s Symphony No. 4. I sat near the topmost row of the balcony for this piece from where  the sound was very balanced, and I could hear the lower strings for almost every time they played. Crescendos and diminuendos were clearer and more dramatic than in the lower balcony and  tn the fourth movement, the point at which the orchestra sounds as if it is breaking through a thick, thick haze, was just glorious.

Resident conductor Gregory Vajda paced this music very well, giving it time to develop and grow. Vajda directed all of the pieces with some subtlety, looking for delicate  nuances and shaping phrases with great care. The concert was  capped off the concert with an encore, Franz von Suppé’s Overture to his operetta “Light Cavalry,” music, whic as Mr Vajda pointed out to the audience, has been used by cartoons and Hollywood countless times. Everyone played with gusto, especially principal trumpet, Jeffrey Work.

James Bash


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