At Musical Buffet, the Entree Need Not Be Served First
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Version 0 of 1. “Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.” At first glance, the program for Thursday evening’s concert at Alice Tully Hall by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra with the soprano Nina Stemme put me in mind of this much-quoted maxim by Ernestine Ulmer. The substantial fare appeared to have been reserved for the second half, which was given over to Brahms’s Symphony No. 1. The first half looked like a patisserie box, filled with an assortment of a dozen songs and orchestral pieces of the kind often reserved for encores, among them Ravel’s “Pavane Pour une Infante Défunte” (“Pavane for a Dead Princess”), Elgar’s “Nimrod” and an orchestral version of one of Brahms’s “Liebeslieder Walzer.” That was on paper. Fired up by its kinetic Danish conductor, Thomas Dausgaard, this versatile ensemble performed the musical selections in the first half without breaks, drawing a dramatic arc that proved emotionally satisfying and intellectually stimulating. Ms. Stemme, singing with her distinctive darkly hued soprano and finely tuned theatrical instincts, became an active participant even in the purely instrumental numbers. She assumed the characters of her wide-ranging repertory with a handful of minimal costume changes: a black leather coat pulled on over her dress for Weill’s “Saga of Jenny,” a velvet bustle for Berlioz’s “Spectre de la Rose.” She took up different positions onstage too, singing one of Wagner’s “Wesendonck” lieder in between the double basses and the timpani, and Strauss’s “Morgen” while standing next to the horns. Ms. Stemme showed off her range in songs that encompassed the sweet and simple, in “Jeg Elsker Dig” (“I Love You”), by Grieg; dramatic narrative, in Sibelius’s “Flickan Kom Ifran Sin Alsklings Mote” (“The Girl Came Home From Meeting Her Lover”); and multilayered symbolism, in Wagner’s “Stehe Still!” (“Stand Still!”). Though she identifies herself as a soprano, her lower range has a depth and clarity to it that many mezzos would envy, and there is a fullness to every note that allows her to project intensity even in the quietest passages. Ms. Stemme’s dark timbre was particularly effective in Weill’s street-smart “Saga of Jenny” and in Schubert’s chilling “Death and the Maiden.” (“Jenny” was performed in an arrangement by Olov Helge; “Death” in one by Brett Dean. Other songs were effectively orchestrated by Mr. Dausgaard.) Each song was followed by an orchestral work that illustrated unexpected connections between their composers. Following the syncopated sass of the Weill, Brahms’s “Nein, Es Ist Nicht Auszukommen” (“No, There Is No Getting Along”) sounded just as fresh and impertinent. Elgar’s cathartic “Nimrod” smoothed the way from Schubert’s death scene to Strauss’s “Morgen” (“Morning”), which ended the first half on a note of hushed optimism. Mr. Dausgaard drew a spectrum of colors from the orchestra, including a grainy French sound in the Ravel, an alluring lightness in Wagner and broody suppressed passion in Sibelius. In Brahms’s Symphony No. 1, he used that color palette to great effect, particularly in the final movement, where multiple musical ideas tussle for the upper hand before uniting for a triumphant conclusion. Loud ovations drew several encores after each half, including another beautiful “Wesendonck” lied, “Träume” (“Dreams”), from Ms. Stemme and a thrilling performance of Brahms’s “Hungarian Dance No. 1,” which the orchestra performed with wild abandon. |