Fate: Love and Death
Zachary Schwartzman conductor
La forza del destino Overture – Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901)
Totenfeier (Funeral Rite) – Gustav Mahler (1860–1911)
Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde – Richard Wagner (1813–1883)
Francesca da Rimini – Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
The Verdi was quite dramatic (actually, all four pieces were) and was a good curtain-raiser. There were brief remarks about the first two pieces on the program from the harp player of the afternoon. As a result, I made an effort to keep my ear out for her, and I wasn't disappointed.
Mahler's piece was gentler than I expected, though it still offered the requisite drama. Well, all four pieces were from operas, just with no words included. It clocked in at 24 minutes, but I was never bored in the least.
The Wagner was as beautiful as you would expect it to be, and it avoided the bombast that is sometimes associated with him. As the spoken intro, by the concert's bass trombonist, to these two pieces told us, the Prelude has lots of unresolved chords which go on for about four hours in the opera, but we skipped the bulk of them, and went right to the Liebestod, which offered a perfectly satisfying resolution—at least musically. Tristan would probably not agree.
Tchaikovsky had the bombast that Wagner had skipped over. In fact, the low brass players provided a lot of that bombast, as we learned from the bass trombonist earlier. Tons of drama in this work as well.
These paragraphs are a little leaner than I usually write, but the darkened auditorium made taking notes an impossibility. Also, the spoken introductions are a nice touch, as they give the players a better interaction with the audience. That's important, as The Orchestra Now is a teaching orchestra. These players are learning the ins and outs of what it is to be a contributing professional orchestra member. I think I've captured the flavor of the afternoon, though. Alas, there was no seating in the balcony, which is my usual hangout.
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