Brahms, Messiaen, and Ravel

Last night I went to the Utah Symphony performance of Brahms' 2nd Symphony, Messiaen's Oiseaux Exotiques, and Ravel's La Valse. Overall, I was very pleased with the performance. The conductor, Carlos Kalmar, did an excellent job of bringing out the emotion of the pieces.

Brahms' 2nd Symphony happens to be one of my all-time favorite pieces, so I undoubtedly held the orchestra up to a higher standard than for the other two pieces. However, I was not disappointed. The playing was smooth and articulate, and filled with emotion. The conductor's gestures matched the music well, and it was fun to watch him. I don't think he looked at the score even once (he may not have even had it- I didn't see one), but moved with the flow of the piece. My biggest criticisms are that the first trumpet botched a couple high notes in the first movement, and that at a few points some important woodwind lines were buried by the strings. Other than that, the piece was exhillarating and left me smiling.

Oiseaux Exotiques was also a fantastic piece. I had often heard of it, but had never had an opportunity to listen to it before. The instrumentation was intriguing: piccolo, flute, oboe, Eb clarinet, 2 Bb clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon, 2 horns, trumpet, piano soloist, and 7 percussionists. The piece was well-played and very engaging. Jason Hardink's piano playing was superbly demonstrated; he showed grace and finesse without drawing attention away from the rest of the ensemble. Balance was excellent except for a couple gong strikes which were a little too loud. My biggest criticism, though, is reserved not for the musicians, but for the audience. About 1/3 of the way into the song, a woman two rows behind me loudly declared "That doesn't sound like any bird I've ever heard" and walked out. Walking out is one thing, but to interrupt the performance for the rest of the audience with a smart remark is rude in every way. I was pleased, though, that Hardink received two curtain calls after his performance.

La Valse was an interesting piece. It was full of color and passion as only Ravel could write it. Excellent orchestration and tibral shifts highlighted the different sections of the orchestra. Although a few times the brass and the gong covered up the woodwinds, balance was generally well-maintained. The conductor's loud breathing for cues drew some attention away from the music, but overall it was a very pleasing piece that left me feeling very satisfied.