CRESCENDO
Concertgoers get familiar Brahms in unfamiliar mix
Review by Valeria Wenderoth
Special to the Star-Bulletin
A traditional program presented in an unconventional way. A classic performance by the orchestra coupled with a brilliant, unique soloist. It all adds up to create the ticket for attendance and enthusiasm in the concert hall.
All-Brahms programs are common for orchestras: The composer is a proven safe, classic crowd-pleaser. And Brahmsian packages traditionally include a short piece and a concerto first, followed by a symphony in the second half.
On Saturday, at the opening of the symphonic season, the tradition was slightly bent by the Honolulu Symphony and conductor Andreas Delfs. Although the pieces were delivered in a conventional fashion, the order was pleasantly different from what we would have expected.
The "Academic Festival" Overture, Opus 80, opened the concert, followed by the Symphony No. 3 in F Major. The second half focused only on internationally acclaimed pianist Andre Watts performing the Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat.
This arrangement gave Watts the room and attention he deserved, and kept the crowd alert to the end. All in all, die-hard music lovers and experts, untrained curious listeners, students and professional pianists were all satisfied by the formula.
Although the evening took off with a lack of enthusiasm, the evening went on with a crescendo of quality. The overture, a "very boisterous potpourri of student drinking songs," according to Brahms, includes the full orchestra and the chorus and is joyous, sometimes comic, sometimes "academic" in its spirit. But although the stage was full, no big, excited "brio" seemed to come from musicians and conductor.
It took the Third Symphony to warm up the temperature. And Delfs -- conducting without a score -- reached the perfect warmth in the third movement.
In place of the ordinary Scherzo, this "Poco Allegretto" is a jewel of lyricism. The cellos, unmistakably an outstanding section of the Honolulu Symphony, presented the graceful and meditative principal theme, setting the tone for the whole piece. Then the wind instruments took up the task, giving the theme its nostalgic Brahmsian character.
Then, Watts. Although he is not one of those ostentatious, show-off soloists, his presence was magnetic and always significant, even when he "accompanied" the orchestra or did not even play.
An internationally recognized musician and an experienced performer of the Brahms concerto, he did not disappoint the excited audience. Again, it was the third movement that brought out the best of him and of the music itself, with simple and romantic lyricism. And once more, the cellos, and in particular guest principal cellist Joseph Johnson, were exemplary.
Watts and Delfs worked well together. The pianist, always in control of his skilled technique, could push the instrument to strong and loud tones but was delicate and clean in the challenging passages. His large and supple hands, moving quickly all over the keyboard, were a spectacle in themselves. Delfs' gestures, in contrast, were a bit nervous but precise. He shed light on contrasts and nuances, and gave to the soloist plenty of occasions to excel.
Valeria Wenderoth has a doctorate in musicology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she also teaches.