The first two of our three concerts here in Portland are done, and they’ve gone very well, indeed. (Salem residents, you get your chance on Tuesday night at Smith Auditorium at Willamette University.)
I have to say, playing the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 with Canadian violinist James Ehnes has been a supreme pleasure. He’s an amazing violinist and musician, and seems to be just a very kind and wonderful person as well. I’m not a huge fan of the Bruch, but the way he plays it, especially the slow movement, is beautiful beyond words, and he brings out the most the piece can offer, brushing away the cobwebs of hearing way too many mediocre performances, making the piece shine. That’s all any artist can hope for, and Ehnes delivers.
The Walton Partita for Orchestra was written as a piece to demonstrate the prowess of the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell for their 50th anniversary, and it is quite the showpiece, indeed! It is one of those works that keep your head in the music every second – if you lose focus for even the slightest amount of time, you’ll “fall off” and have a tough time getting back on. However, the orchestra has been sounding great so far, and it’s like riding in a powerful 12-cylinder race car, being both in control and on the edge at the same time. It’s terribly exciting, and the audiences have seemed to find the same to be true as well.
Finally, there’s Beethoven’s Third Symphony “Eroica”. Beethoven is clearly in the heart of Carlos’ wheelhouse, and he has had a clear vision of the piece from the moment of our first rehearsal. This is not our first time in this piece with Carlos, but his ideas have changed over time, and though we didn’t do extensive rehearsals (much time was spent on the Walton) like we would if we were encountering the piece for the first time together, the synergy has been there. Especially enjoyable from the performer’s point of view is the fact that there were subtle but clear differences in how the energy of the piece went on Sunday night vs. Saturday night. Carlos is clearly reacting to our energy and vice versa, and it’s a wonderful time of music-making for all of us, I suspect.
All in all, the Oregon Symphony is playing very close to its best right now, and we’re peaking just in time for our debut at Carnegie Hall on May 12th. This really is the height of a golden age for the OSO – and it’s a blast.