PV Orchestra

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Orchestra concert
  • Classical orchestra
  • Popular orchestra
  • Orchestra opera

PV Orchestra

Header Banner

PV Orchestra

  • Home
  • Orchestra concert
  • Classical orchestra
  • Popular orchestra
  • Orchestra opera
Popular orchestra
Home›Popular orchestra›Under the direction of a guest conductor, the performance of Beethoven’s Ninth by the Minnesota Orchestra does not elicit joy

Under the direction of a guest conductor, the performance of Beethoven’s Ninth by the Minnesota Orchestra does not elicit joy

By George M. Ortiz
November 19, 2021
0
0

If there is a perfect time to experience the journey through the trials of triumph found in Beethoven’s music, this might be it. The collective trauma of COVID-19 continues, with Minnesota now one of America’s hotbeds of new diagnoses. Where to find joy?

Well, joy is on the program at this weekend’s Minnesota Orchestra concerts. More precisely, the “Ode to Joy” which concludes Beethoven’s symphonic swan song, the Ninth. You can’t be faulted for thinking that this is the booster shot your mind needs.

But I left Thursday morning at noon saddened, disappointed that the orchestra had missed the opportunity to deliver the healing touch that Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony can provide. Instead, it was a relatively punchless, oddly quirky Ninth, mostly devoid of that “fair spark of Elysium” sung in the finale.

Not that the singing was not splendid. Although masked, the Minnesota choir was magnificent, and the four vocal soloists – soprano Melody Moore, mezzo Kelley O’Connor, tenor Sean Panikkar, and bass Mark S. Doss – beautifully intertwined their voices, especially on their last slow hauling section.

But guest conductor Juraj Valčuha sometimes chose to accelerate the tempos to speeds that I had never encountered with this work. Therefore, it seemed that the orchestra was having a hard time staying together.

This impression was amplified by some unusual accents in Valčuha’s unbalanced interpretation, such as when the interjections of the winds trampled the main theme in the strings. And pity on poor Panikkar, whose lonely solo was forced into overdrive by the conductor’s haste.

Rhythm doesn’t necessarily mean energy, and there was rarely as much of it as an inspiring performance of the Ninth demands. Fire and intensity were largely absent from the stormy opening movement, as was sharpness and, for lack of a better term, punch. And while the Adagio movement provided a nice respite from the storms that surrounded it, the orchestra’s beautiful wind solos seemed like enjoyable parts that never totaled a hefty sum.

I had high hopes for the performance after a precise and propulsive interpretation of the opening concert Sinfonietta No. 1 by the 20th century American composer Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson. It’s a job Valčuha clearly has a passion for, as he has requested on programs he has run elsewhere. He was flamboyant and demonstrative in conducting the orchestral strings, which responded with a thrilling performance that was sad and charming in its central slow movement.

On previous visits, Valčuha has proven popular with the Minnesota Orchestra audience. As a result, there was talk of his candidacy to succeed Osmo Vänskä as Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra. But the Houston Symphony ripped it off.

When my concert mate later asked me to recommend a recording of Beethoven’s Ninth, I told him which one this orchestra and choir recorded with Vänskä in 2006.

Judging by the thrilling performance of the Fifth Symphony which opened the season in September, I know that something magical can still happen when Beethoven, Vänskä and this orchestra come together.

Can the orchestra also play the work of the composer when it adapts to the style of another conductor? May be. Indeed, they can sound great on Saturday night, offering some of that much-needed joy.

Rob Hubbard is an independent classical music critic from Twin Cities. wordhub@yahoo.com.

Minnesota Orchestra

With: Conductor Juraj Valcuha, Minnesota Choir and vocal soloists. What: works by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson and Beethoven. When: 8 p.m. Fri-SatOr: Orchestra hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls. Tickets: $ 30 to $ 114. 612-371-5656 or minnesotaorchestra.org.

Tagsclassical musicmusic director

Categories

  • Classical orchestra
  • Orchestra concert
  • Orchestra opera
  • Popular orchestra

Recent Posts

  • The Irish Chamber Orchestra presents a festive concert at Birr
  • Could It’s a Wonderful Life prove ENO’s saviour? National Opera Arts Council cuts funding to London Coliseum
  • West Australian Opera announces 2023 season
  • Alive Music Orchestra will perform an annual Christmas concert at Valley Church – The Vacaville Reporter
  • NTD’s Special Thanksgiving Program – Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra Concert

Archives

  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • November 2016
  • September 2016
  • February 2016
  • April 2015
  • January 2013
  • November 2012
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions