SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Pärt, Bartók, Janáček: Twyla Robinson (soprano), Monica Groop (mezzo-soprano), John Mac Master (tenor), Burak Bilgili (bass), Peter Marshall (organ), Norman Mackenzie (chorus director), Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Robert Spano (conductor), Carnegie Hall, New York City, 30.10.2010 (BH)

Pärt: Fratres (1977; rev. 1991)

Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin Suite, Op. 19 (1927)

Janáček: Glagolitic Mass (1926-1927)

 

In this gleaming Carnegie Hall concert by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, led by music director Robert Spano, the closest thing to a warhorse might be Arvo Pärt’s Fratres. It has become arguably the composer’s most well-known work, principally because it appears in so many arrangements—for violin and piano, for twelve cellos, and as here, for string orchestra and percussion. What might have been a surprise for some listeners is the rich quality of the Atlanta ensemble’s strings. In the pianissimo opening, raptly done, the musicians created the uncanny effect of the sound emanating from the upper balcony. Spano placed the percussion dead center in the ensemble, and the entire ten minutes—mostly very quiet—left the impression of a prayer, conveyed from another world. At the end, Spano held his hands in the air for a good ten seconds, and thankfully the audience complied, making not a sound until he dropped them.

 

But all of that serenity quickly evaporated during a highly charged, nervous reading of the suite from Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin. Bartók’s score describes an eerie tale of a young woman being chased by a sinister figure who ultimately dies after she escapes. The suite basically encompasses the first two-thirds or so of the complete ballet, preserving much of the propulsive savagery. After a mildly shaky beginning with some disagreement over tempo, all was resolved, and Spano delivered the tense, quiet moments as well as the fire-breathing climaxes with sweep, energy, and some magnificent playing.

 

After intermission came a thrilling reading of Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass, written in a near-astonishing two weeks. The piece is not a traditional Catholic mass, but a setting of Old Church Slavonic text inspired by the composer’s summer visit in Luhačovice, Moravia. A dramatic orchestral “Intrada” opens and closes the piece, and in between, a chorus and four soloists offer moments both of inward-looking intimacy set alongside passages of luminous power. Although soprano Twyla Robinson at first seemed to be over-singing just a bit, she was terrific in her pinpoint entrance in the “Sanctus,” and mezzo-soprano Monica Groop was warmly effective, especially in the final “Agnus Dei.” Tenor John Mac Master also seemed to be pressing a bit (which made me wonder if the singers felt they had to do so to be heard above the ensemble), but made a fine impression in the “Credo” with bass Burak Bilgili, who mustered a welcome nobility, both in presence and tone.

 

One of the stars of the night was Peter Marshall, the ensemble’s organist, who was sensational in the penultimate section for organ alone. Under Marshall’s expert handling, the fireworks had both depth and detail. And the piece really lives or dies by its chorus, whose members have to navigate treacherous passages in Czech, and here the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus made a huge impact, reaching critical mass in the powerful “Sanctus,” and darkly effective in the following “Agnus Dei.” Kudos to director Norman Mackenzie for the well-drilled sound. The orchestra, too, was at its most effective of the entire evening, hurling thunderbolts in the “Credo,” and in the “Sanctus,” revealing blinding flashes of brass and percussion.

 

Bruce Hodges