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Rossini, Lalo and Tchaikovsky: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Charles Dutoit (guest conductor) Symphony Center, Chicago 19.9.2008 (JLZ) 

Rossini -   Overture to La gazza ladra

Lalo -   Symphonie espagnole for Violin and Orchestra

Tchaikovsky -   Symphony No. 5


The first actual concert of the 2008-2009 season of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra took place on Friday, 19th  September 2008, the evening before the formal gala opening. By no means a dry-run for the official season premiere, this inaugural concert offered a different program than the oGala, and in this case, the Friday evening concert offered some interest trade-offs. In lieu of Sibelius’s Finlandia, there was Rossini’s Overture to La gazza ladra; instead of Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 2 (with Lang Lang as soloist), Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole and the Friday night concert concluded with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 5, instead of Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Both are solid programs, with, perhaps, the most important  difference being in the exquisite performance of Lalo’s well-known work for violin and orchestra played by the CSO’s concertmaster, Robert Chen,  as soloist.

Composed for the virtuoso violinist Pablo de Sarasate, Edouard Lalo completed the Symphonie Espagnole in 1874, a time full of French interest in Spanish culture. Unlike Lalo’s Violin Concerto, the Symphonie espagnole is a work in five movements, thus suggesting more of the structure of a symphony. Familiar as this work is, the performance on Friday evening was full of details that demand a rehearing. With both conductor and soloist sensitive to tempos, this interpretation of the Symphonie espagnole stands out for the element of clarity that emerged in the playing. This included the marvelous detailed solo work from Robert Chen, as well as the orchestral lines that supported and developed ideas found in the solo part. Rhythms were never ambiguous; harmonies never muddy.  Above all, the virtuosic writing that earmark’s Lalo’s work was never lost in Chen’s hands, with each note sounding clearly and elegantly phrased. Chen is a gifted performer who commands both technical virtuosity and impeccable expression, such that the flourishes at the ends of some of the phrases contain the kind of inflections that resemble vocal phrasing. Fully in keeping with the style of the music, the approach that Chen takes is refreshing for its combination of brilliance along with respect for the score. From the familiar opening gesture that is now almost a cliché in this nineteenth-century work, the expression of  line is never routine or overly studied. Rather, Chen makes the first movement as dramatic as it needs to be to suggest both the sparkling opening of a concerto and the gravity of a nineteenth-century symphony. The orchestra supported Chen well, with the woodwinds exhibiting particularly effective ensemble work; at the same time, the strings were rich and warm.

Charles Dutoit achieved a similar effect in the second movement, which continues in the hybrid concerto-symphony style, and in which Chen was tireless in exhibiting the demanding line. The third movement, the Intermezzo, deserves attention for its equally strong solo violin line, which culminates in  cadenzas which Chen rendered with great conviction. The only weakness was the somewhat tentative performance of the horn in the first half of Lalo’s Symphonie, something which did not occur in the last two movements.

When it comes to the end of the Symphonie, the penultimate movement is notable for its solid expressiveness which, again, arises from the symphonic elements in this work. Chen brought out nuances in the score that are not always apparent in other performances, and which make a marked difference in the work. His grasp of structure allows him to give proper expression to the sometimes filigree-like writing which has the solo violin accompanying the orchestra. Yet he also brings to the fore the solo line when necessary to deliver a virtuosic performance that stands with the best of modern violinists. A thorough and captivating violinist, Chen is never ostentatious or overly dramatic. Within his controlled playing, he easily renders every note with outstanding precision. With his expert command of the score, Dutoit gave a compelling reading of this familiar masterpiece, which brought the audience to its feet.

Likewise, Dutoit opened the concert with a fine reading of the overture to Rossini’s opera La gazza ladra (“The thieving magpie”), a piece that contains motives and themes which are readily familiar. Dutoit played out the antiphonal sounds of the snare drum to great effect, but also built the wonderful Rossini crescendos with spirit and panache. While the low brass section was, at times, a bit strong, the upper brass, particularly the horns and trumpets contributed a fine sense of style to the piece. Overall, the woodwind timbres characteristic of Rossini were nicely rich in Dutoit’s hands.

The second half of the program was devoted to Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, a work which remains one of the staples of the repertoire. In the hands of the CSO and Dutoit, the reading was impressive and masterful. The low strings offered solid drama at the beginning of the first movement, which set the tone for a convincing display of emotion. Dutoit was intense throughout, and brought out nuances that are best heard live in the concert hall, including some of the woodwind doublings that are characteristic of Tchaikovsky’s style. With the second movement, the performance has a moment of repose in the elegiac piece. Dale Clevenger played the horn solo with style and grace, as well as evenness, qualities that describe the ensemble as a whole in a telling movement like this, and the third movement contained some delicate touches that placed it well above the ordinary. It is the Finale that is telling in the kind of per aspera ad astra aesthetic, and successful performances require a sustained effort to bring the work to a convincing conclusion. Dutoit had no problems in accomplishing this, and the tempos, while somewhat brisk, supported the structure of the movement perfectly. The pacing of the final section of the fourth movement contributed to the successful ending that brought the house to its feet yet again.

This was an auspicious opening of a season for the CSo. In a year devoted to various national traditions,  the inaugural program represented the theme well. The solid performance  of such a familiar work as Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony was complemented nicely  by the fresh and nuanced rendering of a well-known, but less often programmed work like Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole. The concert schedule includes other such programs, which should offer some fine music-making in the weeks and months ahead.

James L Zychowicz

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