Houston Symphony Orchestra– 01/19/24

Friday evening was the first of three performances at Jones Hall with the Houston Symphony conducted by music director Juraj Valčuha. The program consisted of two works, both Requiems– Tōru Takemitsu’s Requiem for Strings and A German Requiem by Johannes Brahms. Soprano Lauren Snouffer and baritone Andrew Foster-Williams were soloists along with the Houston Symphony Chorus for the Brahms. The program was performed without intermission.

Pre-concert, principal clarinet Mark Nuccio, principal French horn William VerMeulen, and principal keyboard Scott Holshouser performed a trio by Carl Reineke. The performance was excellent, and typical of these musicians’ stellar work in the orchestra. Nuccio’s exquisite dynamic and color control was balanced by VerMeulen’s dark and rich French horn sound. Pianist Holshouser offered virtuosic playing with a crystalline tone and a fine sense of balance. The programming of this work had special significance since Reineke conducted the premiere of the final version of the Brahms. For this performance, the ushers were more careful than last week about late audience members and open doors. However, an audience member made several vocal outbursts during the concert which went unabated.

Takemitsu’s Requiem has an extraordinary amount of tonal variety and emotion packed into an eight minute work. Stylistically, it more resembles Messiaen or Penderecki rather than music of Japanese origin. Takemitsu effectively contrasts lyrical melodies with musical gestures resembling spoken words that were at times angry or mournful. One could hear the five stages of grief. Valčuha gave rapt attention to musical details. The strings played beautifully, which included several violin and viola solos. From the beginning of the concert all forces were onstage, even if not performing the Takemitsu. This resulted in a few inconsistent details of performance. When Valčuha entered the stage, the orchestra stood, as usual, but the chorus stood up somewhat randomly, as if unsure what to do. Likewise, at the conclusion of the Takemitsu, some applauded and some did not. Apparently, these matters were not discussed.

Brahms’ German Requiem is one of the greatest requiems and is his longest work. Written when he was in his mid-thirties, it includes some of his most passionate writing. A unique feature is the absence of violins in the first movement, which he did six years earlier in his Second Serenade. This gave the viola section an opportunity to play the leading voice, which they did excellently. The first-class cello section was tonally cohesive and warm. Valčuha was in his element, as with the Verdi Requiem during his inaugural weekend a year and a half ago. He carefully controlled dynamics in the orchestra, mostly in the softer range, but let loose in the several magnificent moments that Brahms’ combination of chorus and orchestra provides. The chorus sang admirably, often passionately. There were, however, a few times when the sopranos were not secure with high notes. With the chorus placed at the back of the shell, the hall provides sufficient projection where no voices need to strain. This was the case in the fourth movement, “How lovely are thy dwellings.” The heart of the seven movement work, it follows a magnificent fugue, perhaps the greatest since Handel, built on an earth-bound pedal D note. The next note (which should come after a pause) is an A-flat in the flute, which is as far away from D as possible, just as heaven is far removed from earth. The chorus was more corporal than etherial, diminishing the dramatic change described in the music. Soprano Snouffer projected quite easily in her fourth movement solo while capturing the sensitive feeling of the words. Baritone Foster-Williams conveyed appropriate frailness and vulnerability in his third movement solo asking God for guidance, and projected confidently in his sixth movement solos. Under Valčuha’s excellent direction, the Houston Symphony sounded wonderful throughout. A tentative trombone solo and a few flat flute pitches were fleeting exceptions to a glorious performance.