Houston Symphony Orchestra– 03/24/24

Sunday afternoon was the third of three performances at Jones Hall with the Houston Symphony conducted by music director Juraj Valčuha. Emanuel Ax was piano soloist. The program consisted of three works, “These Worlds In Us” by Missy Mazzoli, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, and Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony No. 3. The Friday and Saturday concerts were sold out.

Missy Mazzoli’s work was described in the program as “a profound meditation on war and loss.” Her own program notes quoted James Tate’s poem “The Lost Pilot” and indicated the piece is dedicated to her father, who served during the Vietnam War. Her description of the music and its integral parts did not fully translate from a purely listening perspective. While the sentiment of grief and loss is solemn and righteous, the hearing of the assembled notes should stand and be understood without interpretation. What was described as “the relentless energy of electronica drumbeats” sounded more akin to the monotony of unchanging tempo. Too often, the music seemed a good fit for a movie’s closing credits. While the subject matter is important to explore and express (my brother served two tours of duty in Vietnam and suffered from the experience), I found this particular work lacking. The performance afforded it as good a representation as possible.

Emanuel Ax is one of the world’s foremost musicians, and is universally respected and admired as a great human being. His performances eschew flash and artificial virtuosity but reward with tonal and musical purity. Mozart’s great C major piano concerto was the ideal vehicle for him to transport the audience into the rarified world of sensitivity and expression. Valčuha’s collaboration was supportive and never intrusive, allowing Manny to explore the softer range of dynamics. Mozart designed the first movement to contrast the orchestra’s louder and militaristic rhythms with the more delicate piano– the piano’s first entrance is soft and it plays the strong orchestra theme only once. Effortlessly changing from major to minor themes, the first movement is a model of classical period construction. The second movement features the winds in dialogue with the piano. Mozart instinctively knew how to write for winds, and this is an excellent example, excellently played. In the Finale Rondo, Mozart quotes himself using a theme from his opera “Idomeneo.” Again switching from major to minor, it ultimately ends in the affirmative. Pianist Ax and the orchestra led by Valčuha were joyful partners.

Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony is one of the greatest, and is considered the first “romantic” symphony. (I will dispense with the famous story about Beethoven’s changing the work’s title.) Programming it after the Mozart piano concerto, the culmination of the classical style, is informative if not brilliant. Valčuha asked me last week if I was going to this concert. He was looking forward to it, and the reason is simple. While we love the symphonies of Bruckner, Mahler, Sibelius and Shostakovich, Beethoven is the source, the holder of truth. As such, his symphonies are the ultimate measure of conductors and orchestras worldwide.

The performance by the Houston Symphony as led by Juraj Valčuha was as good as it gets. The first movement’s eighth-note motor motion in the strings was taut yet shaped, with interesting voicing choices where the second violins brought out internal harmonies. The celli sang the heroic main theme with unified warmth, joined later by French horns and trumpets. Animated wind solos helped propel the music. Tutti phrases were shaped in an expressive manner, contrasting with martial motifs. The second movement funeral march was performed at a faster tempo than is usually heard. While the score is marked Adagio assai (very slow), it is 2/4, not 4/8. This allowed for a stately rather than lugubrious march. The first violins were expressive and flexible in the main theme. The tempo provided shape for the internal parts, including a fugue. It also left room for the gradually crumbling final bars.

The third movement Scherzo and Trio answered the question of how many string players can dance on the head of a pin. The soft spiccato passages were brilliant in execution, with perfect balance and ensemble. It was world class playing. The Trio was exceptional as played by the trio of French horns. Valčuha asked for and got knee-slapping downbeats after two upbeat lifts (not three, thank you), adding a country dance flair. The Finale is a set of variations based on a theme from Beethoven’s ballet “The Creatures of Prometheus.” The basses provided a firm foundation, followed by brilliant solo winds and majestic ensemble playing, leading to a grand conclusion. Wonderful!

Imagine Simone Biles nailing a ten, Novak Djokovic winning a Grand Slam, or Jose Altuve hitting a grand slam and you get the idea of what Juraj Valčuha is doing with the Houston Symphony. You have to hear it to believe it.