Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank. Balcony Center (Seat J104, $29.)
Program
Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 (1806) by Beethoven
(1770-1827).
Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life), Op. 40 (1898) by Strauss
(1864-1949).
There is now no doubt in my mind.
New Jersey Symphony is a much better orchestra under Lacombe. Tonight’s performance was totally enjoyable.
I am sure I have made similar remarks before. One summer during graduate school Anne (then
my girlfriend) was visiting from California, and we heard the Beethoven violin
concerto over and over again. Even
though having a small record collection might have been a reason for the
repetition, that recording of David Oistrakh became for me the definitive way
the concerto should be played. I am
quite sure my recollection is not accurate, but in my mind I am clear what a
great performance of the concerto will sound like.
Other than a slight intonation problem here or there, Ehnes
met all my expectations. The tone from
his 1715 “Marsick” Stradivarius was clean, and he made it sing in a most
enjoyable way. From where I sat, the
balance between the soloist and the orchestra was just perfect. The orchestra has its own statements to make,
sometimes together with, often times apart from, the soloist. But neither party overwhelmed the other: an
easy accomplishment with an engineered recording, not so easy in a live
concert.
It was just beautifully done.
I last heard the Strauss piece played by the New York
Philharmonic in December 2013 and remember walking away not particularly
impressed one way or another. Today’s
experience was much much better.
A particular standout was how the concertmaster Eric
Wyrick played the solo lines in the Hero’s Companion section. It was so much clearer and cleaner than the way it was
done by Glen Dicterow. I did worry a bit
if Wyrick was going to make any mistakes; he didn’t as far as I could tell. Lacombe asked for, and got, a huge dynamic range
from the orchestra, which made the story behind the tone poem come to life.
Interestingly, the Program Notes also speaks to the fact
Strauss wrote this about himself when he was only 34 (he lived to be 75.) The annotator took all that with a grain of
salt, attributing the idea behind Strauss’s reverence for Beethoven and the
music’s satirical nature (portraying his wife Pauline as a quick-tempered
person and his critics in an unflattering light, for instance.)
I got two tickets for this concert at a discount. Anne couldn’t go because she had to babysit
Reid, so I was hoping someone would be asking for a ticket at the venue. Turns out the concert had many empty seats –
the balcony section wasn’t even half full – which was just too bad. Also, there was more of a tendency for the
audience to whisper among themselves during a performance. I am beginning to feel the same way I do
about the Hong Kong Philharmonic – the orchestra deserves a better audience.
I found this review in examiner.com, the reviewer saw the
performance on May 30. He had a lot of
good things to say about the performance, which I agree with. His description of the tone poem is particularly
interesting and informative. Reading the headlines of
some of his reviews, he appears to be a fan of the NJSO, and his reviews are
all examples of the “it’s all great” category.
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