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Hindemith, Bloch, and Franck: Gerard Schwarz, cond., Joshua Roman, cello, Seattle Symphony, Benaroya Hall, Seattle, 20.6.2008 (BJ)


For once, this program with the Seattle Symphony came fairly close to the conventional pattern of overture-concerto-symphony, though Hindemith’s Concert Music for Strings and Brass is more substantial than the average overture and Bloch’s Schelomo is a concerto only in instrumental layout, not in form. The latter work did, however, afford Joshua Roman his solo debut with the orchestra that he is now, at the age of 24, leaving to pursue a solo career.

Since taking up the post of principal cello only two years ago, Roman has consistently electrified audiences, and there were all the usual signs of his popularity to be observed in both pre- and post-performance ovations, liberally scattered with “whoops” of the kind usually associated with the response to rock stars rather than classical performers. I do worry about this gifted young man, because his sheer breadth of musical interests, coupled with the adulation that has very rapidly come his way, could easily draw him away from a really concentrated career playing the kinds of music I love best. It’s true that Yo-Yo Ma now practices a similar eclecticism in his choice of venues and styles–but in his case the classical career was more firmly established before he began to branch out so much. I recall a Japanese countertenor, Yoshikazu  Mera, who dazzled in recordings of Handel’s Messiah and other baroque works, only to disappear very soon into the maw of pop-Mammon, and I fervently hope the same thing will not happen with this charismatic young cellist.

Well, that concern is for the future.  On this occasion, Roman played, as always, beautifully. He phrases with aristocratic poise, demonstrating a superlative technique and a beguiling tone that is at its best in the upper registers of the instrument–rather as with one of those baritones that you feel might be more comfortable singing tenor. I am sure he will be back as a guest to show us his talents in works perhaps more musically challenging than Schelomo, which is not so much a dramatic as a melodramatic piece, and in my judgement greatly inferior to the composer’s too-rarely-heard Violin Concerto. Maybe it suffered by the juxtaposition with Hindemith’s Concert Music: one local review informed us that “the Hindemith's flaws are readily apparent,” but I am at a loss to think what those flaws might be; I have always found it to be a thoroughly satisfying work, and Gerard Schwarz drew a polished and ebullient performance from his string and brass sections.

The same adjectives might well be applied to the performance of César Franck’s Symphony after intermission. If there were no special revelations to be discovered in his interpretation, this quintessential romantic war-horse of a symphony was nevertheless realized with all the appropriate warmth, vigor, and clarity. Stefan Farkas’s eloquent english horn solo was one among many fine individual contributions from the woodwind and brass, including some lovely phrases from principal horn John Cerminaro, and the tuttis–including the rather blatant ones that occasionally disfigure the piece–were meticulously balanced and sumptuously bodied forth.

Bernard Jacobson


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