Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra – Louis Langree, conductor; Joshua Bell, violin. July 31, 2018.

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center.  Orchestra (Seat V5, $50).

Pre-Concert Recital

Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor (1886-88) by Brahms (1833-1897).

Stephen Waarts, violin; Henry Kramer, piano.

Program

Tromba Lontana (1985) by John Adams (b. 1947).

Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor (1868) by Bruch (1838-1920).

Symphony No. 2 in D major (1877) by Brahms.

The Brahms sonata was performed by a very young-looking violinist.  I have attempted to play all three of Brahms’s violin sonatas; indeed the first was one of the pieces I played for an exam I took as a violin student (and passed.)  They are all lovely pieces, with much give and take between the violinist and the pianist.  The violin parts were difficult enough, I am still amazed – despite my familiarity with the music – how much more complicated the piano part appeared.

In any case, this was a lovely performance by two upcoming artists.  The violinist was a bit too technical in my view, so the emotional aspects were a bit reserved.  However, somewhere I heard Brahms gets better as a player matures, so I am sure Waarts will get there.

This is one of the few four-movement sonatas that I know of, and the movements are Allegro, Adagio, Un poco presto e con sentiment, and Presto agitato.  Anne told me she knew the piece from beginning to end, either it was because I played it a lot (many years ago), or that it was often on our stereo (also many years ago.)

Waarts and Kramer after performing Brahms's third violin sonata.

One can really ask the question why the John Adams piece was program in a Mostly Mozart Festival, but the Program Notes at least make it sound interesting.  It was part of a commission of “fanfares” for the Houston Symphony, but no one who hears the piece would associate it with a fanfare, especially for the trumpet.  Phrases like “profoundly evocative sound of two faraway trumpets” and “behind them, the orchestra tintinnabulates gently …” (I had to look up the word, it was invented by Edgar Allen Poe to describe the lingering sound of a bell.)  In reality, the two trumpets were situated *behind* the orchestra, and were only at the two ends of the orchestra.  Many percussion instruments were used, including the musical saw.

Even for the short four minute duration, the music sounded exactly as the composer intended it: … passes by almost unnoticed like nocturnal clouds.  I may have taken his statement out of context, and it wasn’t meant as a compliment.

We saw Bell in March with the St. Martin in the Fields orchestra, performing the second concerto by Wieniawski.  Bruch’s concerto is probably better known, and is more “intellectual” than the more flamboyant Wieniawski work.  The three movements are Vorspiel: Allegro moderato; Adagio; and Finale: Allegro energico.  I remember remarking the last time I saw Gil Shaham that there was a little “day at the office” feel to his performance, Bell certainly was putting in everything he had, if the profuse sweating was any indication.  In any case, he made great music with the orchestra, and brought out both the virtuoso and emotional aspects of the concerto.

Langree and Bell after performing Bruch's first violin concerto.

For encore Bell played a piece from the movie "The Red Violin" in which he was the violinist.  That was 20 years ago.  The composer was John Corigliano.  The piece certainly ended with a theatrical flourish.  I am sure Bell has progressed a lot as an artist, but wonder how tonight's performance would compare with what he did 20 years ago.  I probably saw the movie inside a plane, and enjoyed the violin music as well as the story.

David Wright’s writeup was uncharacteristically short today.  He did put in a couple of interesting facts: (i) Bruch started sketching this work when he was 19 (he was 30 when it was completed, though); and (ii) Joseph Joachim considered Bruch’s “the richest and most enchanting of the four” violin concertos by Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Bruch.  That was one man’s opinion, I like them all.

I am quite sure my familiarity with Brahms’s second symphony stems from my days in the Cornell Symphony.  This is one symphony where I can catch several things at the same time, which makes any listening quite interesting.

The movement markings are uncharacteristically complex for a work by Brahms: Allegro non troppo; Adagio non troppo - L’istesso tempo, ma grazioso; Allegretto grazioso (Quasi andantino) – Presto ma non assai; and Allegro con spirit.  The horns led off the second movement, and they sounded chaotic.  The woodwinds did much better with the start of the third movement.  Despite these and other miscues, I thought this was a good performance.  Perhaps most surprising was how grand the sound was despite the relatively small orchestra.

The traffic reports were not encouraging when we were driving up, yet we got to the area early enough to eat some street food before hitting the recital.  It was also straight forward coming home.