It’s always exciting when Mitsuko Uchida comes to Cleveland for another in her series of playing all the Mozart piano concertos with the Cleveland Orchestra. Although she isn’t really a conductor, she’s certainly a world-class pianist, and that quality somehow imbues her conducting with magical stardust. The result is sublime music-making.
This concert program formed a sandwich of sorts – the outer layers were Mozart, the filling was Schoenberg, forming a Viennese connection, furthered by the pianist herself having studied there.
Right from the beginning notes of the Piano Concerto No. 16 in D major, K. 451, it was established that this was concert hall Mozart rather than salon Mozart. The interpretation was brisk and vigorous. By contrast, the andante was delicate and graceful. The final movement was light and almost frisky in nature, set off by brief mini-duets with the principal wind players: Joshua Smith, flute; Frank Rosenwein, oboe and Barrick Stees, bassoon. It was gorgeous.
Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony No. 2, Op. 38 is a paradox, actually. Early Schoenberg is vastly different from late Schoenberg, and this short symphony has two movements, one from each of the composer’s two periods. The first movement—adagio—is quite tonal in design, with actual triads and a lovely viola solo, expressively played by Robert Vernon. The second movement is con fuoco, and of course, more modern in construction, but not quite atonal. It really reminded me of 1930s film music, with an almost danceable lilt to it. It wasn’t really ballroom style, being somewhat spare, but not the composer’s usual stark style, either. It was an entirely appropriate vehicle for the subscription concert debut by assistant conductor Andrew Grams, as it was also the first time the orchestra has performed this particular work.
The second Mozart Concerto -- No. 25 in C major, K. 503 – brought forth a slightly larger orchestra than that required by the first one. Trumpets and tympani, plus a few more strings added to the lushness of this more symphonic work. Between 1784 and 1786 Mozart produced a dozen piano concertos, this was the last of that batch.
Ms. Uchida’s hands reach toward the heavens as if to draw the music down from some celestial resting place, while her exquisite body language coaxes the utmost in beauty from each musician. Each note she plays is of crystalline clarity. The winds were transparently gorgeous in the second movement andante. The final movement was both martial and majestic. Wherever he is, Mozart must surely be smiling. The large audience very definitely was.
This week Ms. Uchida plays the much-loved Schumann Concerto in A minor, and the orchestra plays that composer's Symphony No. 4, when Music Director Franz Welser-Möst returns. For tickets or information about these or other upcoming concerts, call (216) 231-1111, or visit the orchestra’s web-site: http://www.clevelandorchestra.com
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATadelphia.net (:divend:)