Hedy Weiss: Theater Reviews

Magical Music at a Chicago Symphony Orchestra Concert: Review

Given the current state of the world there is something particularly wonderful about heading to a performance by the ever-remarkable musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. And proof of this could be found thanks to Thursday evening’s concert that was led by visiting conductor Karina Canellakis, featured two rarely heard works by Sibelius and Dvořák, and peaked with an absolutely superb rendering of Rachmaninov’s brilliant and widely familiar “Symphonic Dances.”

Opening the concert was “The Oceanides,” a 10-minute piece created in 1813-14 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.

Its title, which draws on Greek mythology, is the name for the daughters of Oceanus, the god of the sea. The work’s subtly aching opening features the high strings and winds of the orchestra and then gradually builds into the lively sound of the winds. That’s followed by the entry of the brass and low strings, and the timpani and drums create an intense drama. This explosive sound suddenly shifts to the calming sound of lonely flutes and winds and then explodes a bit more before fading out.

Next came “The Wild Dove,” a 19-minute work composed in 1896 by Antonin Dvořák, who was born in 1841 in what is now the Czech Republic. True to its title, “The Wild Dove” takes flight with a beautiful opening. It subtly builds with the sound of French horns, timpani, strings and winds; there are dreamy horns and drumming as it builds to a big bang from timpani. A lighter sound comes from the harp, triangle and strings before the brass enters, and there is a mood shift. Next is a big blast of sound from the brass and great excitement and speed from the full orchestra before there is a shift into more singing sounds from the strings, winds and harp. Clearly, the piece is marked throughout by suggestions of the flying dove’s many mood shifts — from strong bursts of flight to dreamy, lyrical motion.

Principal bassoon Keith Buncke and assistant principal bassoon William Buchman in a performance of Dvořák’s “The Wild Dove.” (Todd Rosenberg Photography)

The bravura second half of the concert was devoted to the Russian-born composer Rachmaninov’s wildly stirring “Symphonic Dances, Op. 45,” which had its first performance in Philadelphia in 1941 (after the composer fled to the United States and settled on Long Island).

Listening to the work I kept thinking it would be an ideal score for a ballet, and only later, after reading Phillip Huscher’s ever excellent program notes, did I learn that the choreographer Michel Fokine was very taken by the music but died before he could create the ballet.

The 35-minute work is thrilling and moves from a dreamy beauty to a great high-speed segment, with a continual shift of dramatically different moods and speeds. It is simply thrilling on every count as it plays on the emotional potential of every section of the orchestra. Mesmerizing from start to finish.

Last but not least, a few words about the New York-born conductor Karina Canellakis. She could easily be mistaken for a ballerina, but she is a virtuoso violinist as well as the conductor of a wide range of orchestras in both Europe and the U.S.

Note: This concert was repeated at a matinee performance Friday and will be performed again at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave. For tickets, visit cso.org or phone 312-294-3000.

And finally, speaking of ballet, on April 10, 11 and 13, the CSO will present a concert featuring the Joffrey Ballet in two world premieres, with one set to music by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson and another to music by Darius Milhaud.

Follow Hedy Weiss on Twitter: @HedyWeissCritic

---