Sequenza21/The Contemporary Classical Music Weekly

Levine and the BSO Bring New Works by Harbison and Wuorinen to Carnegie

Last night New York enjoyed some of the spoils from James Levine�s commissioning spree for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The BSO gave the New York premieres of John Harbison�s "Darkbloom: Overture for an imaginary opera" and Charles Wuorinen�s Fourth Piano Concerto (with Peter Serkin). In addition Levine led the orchestra in performances of Stravinsky�s "Movements for Piano and Orchestra" and Brahms�s Symphony No. 2.

Harbison�s "Darkbloom" brings together some ideas the composer had for an attempted operatic adaptation of Lolita. The music opens with the strings sequencing a passionate, restless motive which eventually is overtaken by more aggressive music for brass and percussion. The orchestra comes together for an intense, contrapuntal presentation of the thematic material and then dissolves into a wonderful violin solo. After a brief return to the brass music, the piece concludes with an oboe solo (with harp and xylophone) that complements the earlier one for violin. The piece is a model of clarity, and the hazy orchestration gives an unfamiliar tinge to an otherwise familiarly lush, romantic idiom. However, I wasn�t satisfied with the overall gesture: after the earlier broader sections, the more mercurial ending seems a bit out of balance. Of course had the final oboe solo led into staged action, I probably wouldn�t have minded: this is, after all, an overture.

Following the Stravinsky, which featured an improvised obligato line for colicky-audience, was Wuorinen�s Fourth Piano Concerto � his first in twenty years. Organized into three connected movements, the concerto presents a fairly traditional view of what a concerto should be: virtuosic piano writing and sensational contrasts between the orchestra and soloist abound. At the same time, however, there are wonderful orchestral moments (especially for percussion) which keep one�s ears constantly on their toes and the mind always engaged. The fantastic opening movement gradually shakes free from its static beginning into sections of jagged polyphony. These subside into a sleepy, nocturnal atmosphere before the second movement enters with bang and the piano thunders on parallel octaves. In contrast to the opening movement�s broad arch, the middle movement juxtaposes passages of great agitation and tranquility. The last movement is a motoric whirl that rises to a spectacularly sustained scream, which, in turn, resolves into the softest of tonal clusters. End of concerto.

This is a fabulous piece, one whose depths should cause concert-goers to marvel as long as there are ears for music. The quiet energy of the opening of the third movement, and the mysterious, underwater conversation between the piano and timpani in the first are unforgettable. That said, I did feel the energy starting to flag toward the end of the first and second movements, and my gut feeling is they�re both a tad long. Also, Serkin�s poky performance, while formidable, missed some of the lyricism present in the music.

P.S. Random thought: I think Wuorinen is the Brahms of our time. More later . . .

P.S.S. For my favorite quote about Brahms, and a quick story about its background, click "comments."

posted by David Salvage 3/29/2005