Wednesday, January 20, 1999
Burning up the strings
MUSIC: The L.A. Philharmonic emphasizes musical emotion
to enthrall the young and old alike
By Brent Hopkins
Daily Bruin Staff
It was a varied crowd that received the Los Angeles
Philharmonic’s Friday concert. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion held
both young kids in Adidas warm-ups and gentlemen in suits, and just
about every sort of outfit in between. It didn’t matter what they
were wearing or how old they were, however. By the time the
afternoon concluded, they were all on their feet, saluting an
exceptional performance.
The settling fog of the afternoon’s sky suited the Orchestra’s
mood perfectly. In the opening piece, Sir Edward Elgar’s Cello
Concerto in E minor, soloist Ronald Leonard tapped into a gloomy
mood that gripped the music for the remainder of the half-hour
piece. With violins building to a solid swell of support, Leonard’s
gripping cello took hold, refusing to relinquish the musical
spotlight.
No matter what the rest of the orchestra was playing, the
cello’s mournful notes were ever-present, guiding the piece along
smoothly. The orchestration called for sparse accompaniment,
allowing for Leonard to carry the music on his own.
Finally, it seemed that the program had drawn to a close, with
all the instruments falling silent. This proved to be a false
conclusion, however, as they suddenly took off once again, filling
the hall with a thundering crescendo. This unexpected onrush of
energy was an impressive cap to a moving piece.
Though this initial offering was quite an accomplishment in
itself, the L.A. Phil outdid itself handily in the afternoon’s
second half. With conductor Salonen at the helm, the expanded
orchestra stunned the audience with a standout performance of
Stravinsky’s "The Firebird." From its initial, lightly ominous
opening to its dramatic final cadence, the score was riveting, and
Salonen conducted it masterfully. Sometimes using a mere flick of
the wrist, at others gesturing vigorously, he eased the orchestra
through the 44 minute masterpiece.
The distinctively creepy strings, discordantly buzzing like
mosquitoes, lent a foreboding air to the music. When combined with
throbbing horns, an urgent tension surfaced, which only amplified
the mood. The musicians seemed so in tune with the rhythm, even
their pauses to turn their pages of music sounded like small,
precise, percussive strokes.
Though the mood was predominantly dark, Stravinsky did not leave
"The Firebird" with a completely unhappy feel. Airy flutes and a
playful xylophone provided a refreshing contrast to the turbulent
horns and strings. It didn’t linger too long, however, with the
musical malaise returning quickly.
Excellent percussion contributed to a large part of the tension.
The thunder of the bass drum cut through the cacophony of the
orchestra, and the increasingly quick strokes of the timpani echoed
a racing heart. All this culminated in a violent crescendo, so
stirring that audience members broke out in applause in the middle
of the piece, unusual for an orchestral concert.
This unpredicted bit of appreciation caught the normally
reserved musicians off guard, and several broke out into visible
laughter as they continued to play.
Salonen gracefully guided his crew through the remainder of the
piece, dramatically steering them into the triumphant finale. As
the rich blast of vibrant notes echoed through the hall, the
audience sprung to its feet, erupting in applause.
This may have been a bit over-dramatic, but it was hard to deny
the power and feeling the Philharmonic had created with a little
help from Stravinsky and Elgar.GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin Senior
Staff
Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic
in an exuberant performance of Stravinsky’s "Firebird" during
a matinee performance in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
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