October 23, 2024

PSO Presents “Triple Header” of Classical and Neo-Classical Music 

By Nancy Plum

The works performed by Princeton Symphony Orchestra this past weekend may not have all been from the Baroque and Classical periods, but they were all tied in some way to the 18th and early 19th-centuries. The trio of pieces by Michael Abels, Sergei Prokofiev, and Ludwig van Beethoven demonstrated to the audience at Richardson Auditorium how music from these earlier eras has stood the test of time in a concert also showcasing two of the Orchestra’s own members.

Music Director Rossen Milanov and the Orchestra began Saturday night’s performance (the concert was repeated Sunday afternoon) with a compositional new twist on an old favorite. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Michael Abels has been commended for his “unique ability to blend diverse elements.” In his 1999 More Seasons, the “elements” blended were themes from Antonio Vivaldi’s popular The Four Seasons, with Abels using motives from the “Spring” and “Summer” movements to create what he has called “Vivaldi in a Mixmaster.”

Abels’ piece was immediately engaging, with a Baroque lower string ostinato and numerous melodic sequences reminiscent of Vivaldi’s time. Milanov led the Orchestra through refined dynamic contrasts and shadings, complemented by violin solos from concertmaster Claire Bourg. Harmonic progressions and patterns were derived straight from Vivaldi, but the use of trumpets, horns and timpani brought this music into the modern era. An intense duet between Bourg and principal second violinist Jeremiah Blacklow well captured the fierce heat of summer, and Milanov consistently maintained steady control over passages of swirling thematic activity.

Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev composed Symphony No. 1 in D Major (known as the “Classical” Symphony) in 1917, an ironic year to be looking back through music history for inspiration with the Russian Revolution underway. In this work, Prokofiev fused early 20th-century harmonies with late 18th-century form and structure. The Symphony was unusually short for the early 20th-century, harking back to the music of the early Classical Period, and freely borrows from the compositional style of Franz Joseph Haydn.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra began Prokofiev’s Symphony with a delicate opening theme punctuated by timpani and horns. Milanov took a gentle tempo to the opening, with clocklike rhythms from a pair of bassoons and the upper strings. The subsequent “Larghetto” was marked by a lyrical melody from the violins, with all sections playing in a detached manner reminiscent of the Baroque era. Conductor Milanov kept a stately lilt in the third movement “Gavotte,” based on a French dance from the 17th and 18th centuries. The closing “Finale” moved along at a brisk clip, with clean wind solos from oboist Gilles Cheng, clarinetist Pascal Archer, flutist Ji Young Kim, and bassoonist Bard Balliett. Throughout, the players executed the rhythmic motives precisely, maintaining clarity within the instrumental texture.

The chamber music combination of piano, violin, and cello was popular in the early Classical Period, both in private salons and on the concert stage. Beethoven, being the revolutionary that he was, took this tradition into new territory by not only incorporating these instruments into symphonic form but also utilizing the newly-evolving and fashionable 18th-century piano. In the 1804 Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C Major, Beethoven transformed what had been a salon ensemble into a symphonic work combined with a Classical musical form.

For soloists, Princeton Symphony turned to its own roster, with violinist Basia Danilow and cellist Alistair MacRae, with the addition of pianist Steven Beck. The Orchestra began the Concerto gracefully, building tension and volume and successfully conveying the many familiar Beethoven melodic figures. Knowing that the cello could be buried within the orchestral texture, Beethoven composed the solo cello lines in the instrument’s upper register and assigned the cello to introduce many of the themes. From the outset, MacRae played with sensitivity, building intensity in tandem with the Orchestra. Danilow expressively the challenges of demanding solo violin lines, while Beck demonstrated consistently fluid and clean keyboard playing.

The soloists well brought out the serenity of the second movement “Largo,” as MacRae again introduced the principal theme and then smoothly passed the material onto Danilow and Beck. The Concerto closed in typical Beethoven joy, with an elegant dialog among the three soloists in music rooted in the aristocratic “polonaise.” There was an overall martial effect to the texture at times, reflecting Napoleonic-era roots, and Milanov well led the Orchestra through a quick final coda requiring nimble playing from all participants. Although now popular in the orchestral repertory, this Concerto was met with little interest after its premiere, even with the composer as pianist. The success of this piece rides on the soloists, and in Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s presentation this past weekend, there was no question that both soloists and ensemble players well achieved a heroic Beethoven musical task.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s next Classical Series performances will be on Saturday, December 14 at both 3 and 6 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium. Conducted by John Devlin, this “Holiday Pops” concert will feature vocalist Andrea Ross and the Princeton High School Choir, conducted by Vincent Metallo. Ticket information can be obtained by visiting princetonsymphony.org.