SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Stravinsky, Bartók, and Schumann:  Gerard Schwarz, cond., Kyoko Takezawa, violin, Seattle Symphony,  Benaroya Hall, Seattle, 6.10. 2007 (BJ)

If ever a work demanded the putting forth of frenetic activity on the part of the performers, that work would be Schumann’s Second Symphony. Once past the explorations of its slow introduction, the first movement scarcely pauses for an instant to draw breath, and its urgency spills over into the scherzo, which in this symphony stands second. The reason for this relatively unconventional placement becomes evident when the finale picks up, as its second subject, the theme of Schumann’s most eloquent symphonic slow movement, a device that may well have been at the back of Mahler’s mind when he composed the last two movements of his Fifth Symphony. As for the curiously bipartite structure of Schumann’s finale, it may well claim the last movement of Beethoven’s Eight as precedent for its proportions, and that of Sibelius’s Third as progeny in terms of both shape and thematic organization.

In the first concert of the Seattle Symphony’s new season that I have been able to attend, the orchestra sounded in superb form, and Gerard Schwarz met every demand set by a composer whose orchestral technique is too often unjustly derided. All that is needed for a coherent and exhilarating realization of the Second Symphony’s orchestration is a modicum of care in the disposition of instrumental balances. This Schwarz duly exercised, and, with the help of splendid work from every section of the orchestra, and of the conductor’s well-chosen tempos, kinetic energy, and interpretative insight, the result was a resounding success.

The first half of the program comprised Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite and Bartók’s long-lost Violin Concerto No. 1, which, since its posthumous rescue from composer-imposed oblivion in 1958, has emerged as a work of remarkable beauty and a by no means unworthy precursor of the much better-known Second Concerto. The solo part in the Bartók was projected with the most passionate conviction and masterful technique by Kyoko Takezawa.

Another violinist enjoyed moments in the spotlight in the Stravinsky, which provided an early showcase for Emmanuelle Boisvert, one of the four new concertmasters recently appointed by music director Schwarz, after several years of meticulous searching, in a move unusual for an American orchestra but familiar enough in European circles. Ms. Boisvert is a musician of commanding presence who possesses a tone of remarkable richness, and her playing of Stravinsky’s solos gave much pleasure, even if the sheer gorgeousness of the sound seemed a trifle too romantic for the material–I look forward to hearing her in some of the more luxuriant solos in the repertoire.

In the Stravinsky, John Cerminaro’s horn solos were immaculate in articulation and wonderfully subtle in dynamic control. The other orchestral soloists, including associate principal trumpet Richard Pressley, all made suitably brilliant and graceful contributions, and Michael Crusoe’s characteristically crisp and clean timpani strokes brought the Schumann symphony–and the evening–to a suitably climactic conclusion.

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