Béla Bartók: Divertimento for String Orchestra

Allegro non troppo
Molto adagio
Allegro assai

Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 12 in A major, K. 414
Allegro
Andante
Allegretto

Schumann:Symphony no. 2 in C Major, Op. 61
Sostenuto assai – Allegro ma non troppo
Scherzo: Allegro vivace
Adagio espressivo
Allegro molto vivace

A concert by the masterful Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by the seasoned conductor Christoph von Dohnányi can offer insights into familiar works, and this was the case on 21 November 2009, with a well chosen program. The opening piece, Bartók’s Divertimento for String Orchestra, is a work which exists between the late string quartets and the composer’s Concerto for Orchestra. This impeccable reading brings out the fine writing Bartók contributed to this three-movement work, which deserves to be heard more often in concert. The first movement was the strongest of the three, and it benefited from both Dohnányi's ability to bring out nuances of tempo and the CSO's immediate response to his leadership. If the second movement may be, perhaps, less inspired melodically than the other two, the final movement compensates for it. The Finale is particularly worth hearing it receives the kind of enthusiastic performance which took place this evening.

A stronger work in a different style, Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 12 in A Major, K. 414, received an attractive reading with the British pianist Paul Lewis as soloist. While the performance involved a modern grand piano, Lewis approached the work with a crisp, clean style. He made the best use of the acoustics of Symphony Center to allow the sounds to emerge easily. More, Lewis’s technique matched his approach to the piece, in which the exchanges between piano and orchestra conveyed spontaneity. Working closely with Dohnányi, Lewis brought out the formal aspects of the first movement while never losing site of the character of the theme groups involved. Likewise, the slow movement was appropriately lyrical. In the larger theme groups it was possible to hear more of Lewis at greater length and appreciate his deft playing. The colors of the movement were clear, as Dohnányi worked closely with the CSO and highlighted particular instruments from time to time . The interplay between soloist and orchestra especially integral to the last movement was nicely apparent, especially when Lewis would bring out certain gestures or phrases that showed Mozart’s full awareness of the conventions of the form. Throughout this performance the balance between the piano and orchestra was more than effective, and clearly resulted from the solid accord between the conductor and soloist. All in all, Lewis’s performance was convincing for its faithfulness to the score, and Dohnányi’s orchestral balance gave an entirely appropriate shape to the reading.

The last piece in the program, Schumann’s Second Symphony, was most impressive for Dohnányi’s virtuosic interpretation of this fine score. Falling between the well-known “Spring” and “Rhenish” Symphonies, the unnamed Second has a charm all its own, and this performance made those qualities readily apparent. In bringing out the extended sostenuto quality of the introduction, Dohnányi set up the first theme area well, and brought out its spirited quality. The second theme group was distinct and appealing, qualities enhanced by its rich tone colors.  Throughout the piece, Dohnányi never lagged, and it is much to his credit that the breaks between movements were minimal since that contributed even more to the cohesiveness of his interpretation. The Scherzo was breathtaking in terms of speed, and while the lightness of Mendelssohn was present in this reading, so too was the levity found in some of Schumann’s character pieces for piano. Propelled forward, the Scherzo was exciting, and such emotional pitch was matched perfectly by the more elegiac slow movement. It too had a character of its own, and once again benefited from the rich colors that the various soloists and individual orchestral sections of the CSO brought to it. With the Finale, Dohnányi communicated especially well with the audience, which was clearly fully engaged in the performance. The fact that Dohnányi conducted this work from memory clearly helped here, as he moulded sounds and fine-tuned balances. His virtuosic approach to the Symphony clearly captured the attention of everyone present, as the audience responded enthusiastically to Dohnányi's insightful reading of a familiar item of orchestral repertoire.

Yet again, the sheer caliber of performers for this concert made the strengths of the works on the program unusually apparent. Between Lewis’s deft approach to Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 12 and Dohnányi’s masterful reading of the Schumann Symphony this program was full and satisfying. And impressive as Dohnányi's reading of Schumann's Second was, the other two works on the program were equally compelling. 

James L Zychowicz