SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Schoenberg and Janáček: Christine Brewer (soprano), Nancy Maultsby (mezzo-soprano), Lance Ryan (tenor), Mikhail Petrenko (bass), Paul Jacobs (organ), Duain Wolfe (chorus master), Pierre Boulez (conductor), Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Symphony Center, Chicago, 4.12.2010 (JLZ)  

Arnold Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht

Leoš Janáček: Glagolitic Mass

The final concerts of Pierre Boulez’s recent residency with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra included two works: Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (1899, rev. 1943, for string orchestra in six parts: 16/12/12/10(6/4)/8), and the first version of Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass (1926; reconstructed by Paul Wingfield). In Verklärte Nacht, Boulez shaped a work that had once shocked audiences into a piece that impressed. The solid intonation and fine ensemble playing of the CSO allowed Schoenberg’s expressionist piece to resound like a carefully scored tone poem, and above all, Boulez showed sensitivity to the structure. Each section had clear definition, and the recurring ideas unified it as the composer intended, thus accomplishing the sense of transformation implicit in the title and explicitly written in the score. Considering the Richard Dehmel poem on which this work is based, it is easy to imagine it forming the basis of a vocal work, and Schoenberg’s treatment as an instrumental composition only amplified the words. It was useful for the audience to have a translation of Dehmel’s text in the program. The strings of the CSO responded to Boulez’s direction with warm, rich, and persuasive playing.

For the second half, Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass received an equally impressive interpretation. With its expanded orchestra, four soloists, mixed chorus, and organ, this extraordinary Slavic setting of the Mass benefits from a live performance; the rich sounds and vivid textures work best in concert. Here Boulez gave an exuberant reading, with fine contributions by the soloists. Christine Brewer, familiar to Chicago audiences for her excellent interpretation of the Dyer’s Wife in Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten at Lyric Opera of Chicago several seasons ago, here gave an impassioned performance. Her solo line in the “Kyrie” led directly to the opening of the “Gloria,” a transition making the most of Brewer’s expertise. Likewise, her ensemble work, notably in the “Agnus Dei,” was sensitive to the balances required, even within the sometimes thick textures. Lance Ryan was equally impressive in the solo tenor part—a demanding role, even for this fine interpreter of Siegfried (in Zubin Mehta’s recent Valencia Ring cycle released on Blu-ray). While the solo parts for Maultsby and Petrenkov are less extensive, the performers acquitted themselves admirably.

At the core was the polished chorus, prepared by Duain Wolfe, which gave an almost flawless performance. Their focused sound and clear diction stood out from the beginning, with the Slavic “Kyrie” having an appropriately plaintive tone. In response to Brewer’s intonation of the “Gloria,” the chorus shifted to a more celebratory sound, an element that was clearly present in the almost ecstatically repeated “Amen’s” (“Amin” in Janáček’s text). Boulez impressively shaped the longest movement, the “Credo,” in a way anchoring the interpretation.

Nearing the conclusion, Boulez gave a fine reading of the “Sanctus” and “Agnus Dei,” each distinctive, yet fully in character. Instrumental passages worked well, too, such as Paul Jacobs’s compelling organ solo after the “Agnus Dei.” This led nicely to the reprise of the “Intrada,” a wonderfully evocative movement that Janáček used both to introduce and conclude the Mass, capping a masterful performance.

James L. Zychowicz