Isn’t It Romantic?

The Knights – A “new” chamber orchestra conducted by Eric Jacobsen, Naumburg Orchestral Concerts.

Okay, I don’t know how new they are, but they’re younger than me. Here’s Tuesday night’s program:

Siegfried Idyll (1870), Richard Wagner (1813–1883)
Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129 (1850), Robert Schumann (1810–1856)

Intermission

Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (1894), Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Three Studies from Couperin (2006), Thomas Adès (1971–)
Ascending Bird (2010), Colin Jacobsen/Siamak Aghaei

The first two pieces are solidly in the Romantic era; the Wagner was actually written as a birthday present for his wife and premiered on the stairs leading to the bedroom, on the day after her 33rd birthday! It starts out quietly with the strings, then builds with the winds and then we get some of the sweeping Wagner phrases. A great concert opener (conductor-less, à la Orpheus chamber orchestra) followed by a most impressive cello concerto.

The soloist was Julia MacMillan and she played beautifully. There were the tiniest of fingering mishaps, but that could have been part of the amplification process (microphones on stage and “blended” sound, plus it was being broadcast live via WQXR). Still, beautiful playing. The three movements were practically through-composed; there were soulful, rich solo cello lines partnered with great ensemble writing. The cello was featured, but the orchestra was not just a supporting player. I’d put it at 60:40, cello:orchestra.

“Afternoon of a Faun” is near and dear to my heart. I danced the Jerome Robbins choreography in my pre-New York days, and Mikey and I used it as our “Now we’re on vacation!” music. This was the first time I’ve ever heard it live—I loved it. Central Park, l’heure bleu, what’s not to love? Debussy’s orchestral flourishes were just what I expected; harp, flute—check!—great memories and great music.

The Adès was interesting. It was described ahead of time as “listening to Couperin (1688–1733) underwater in a coral reef, as a fish.” Valid. Still it was a well-thought-out piece starting out with a relatively tame Couperin-esque feeling (with a current spin), followed by a more upbeat dance-like movement, finishing with a slower movement that still had a “dignified dance” feeling. Sorry, that’s the best that I can do.

Mr. Jacobsen’s piece is based on an Iranian folk song. Not my favorite genre, but this had more classical flourishes than last weekend’s klezmer-fest. There were interesting shapings of phrases, but it was still a little bit “new-age”-ish for me.

Two more Naumburg concerts this summer. Note to self: Get there earlier next time!

ConcertMeister