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BEETHOVEN'S Ninth Symphony looms larger than life; larger, even, than itself. The last symphony of a master symphonist, the Ninth still casts a formidable shadow. Wherever, whenever, it is performed constitutes An Event, and audiences flock to hear it. However many times they have heard it before, people leap to their feet as it ends, clapping passionately. Ninth inspires,
despite flaws in
performanceBy Ruth O. Bingham
Special to the Star-BulletinThe performance hardly seems to matter: They applaud The Work. And while the music does matter, it is not all that matters: Audiences applaud Beethoven (the great tragic genius), the work's hopeful sentiments (almost maudlin without the music), Classical music (which some people believe ended with the Ninth), inspiration (what other piece has inspired so many?) and even gratitude (for the opportunity to hear it live).
Cynics claim people simply applaud the fact that it's over, because the piece lasts so long and because no live performance runs perfectly.
In Saturday's performance by the Honolulu Symphony and the O'ahu Choral Society, under the direction of guest conductor Eiji Oue, for example, an unnerving whistle persisted into the second movement, a flickering light on stage distracted listeners, the timpani sounded "dead" owing to its center placement, intonation occasionally wavered, balance was uneven and gently wheezing snores punctuated the slow movement.
But none of that made any difference. The Ninth worked its familiar magic and a predictably full house predictably loved it: It was the perfect way to welcome a new millennium with hope.
TIMOTHY Carney's O'ahu Choral Society, a large community choir arrayed far back on risers, blended and balanced well with the orchestra, contributing several fine moments. The four local soloists delivered fine performances: soprano Georgine Stark, mezzo-soprano Lorna Sterling Mount, tenor Les Ceballos and bass-baritone John Mount. Mount's opening solo was especially arresting, his large voice and clear enunciation chiding the orchestra in a commanding tone.
Beethoven's Ninth rarely stands alone; its companion for this concert was Beethoven's Eighth Symphony, a finely wrought but comparatively little-known work.
Maestro Oue proved to be an energetic, demonstrative conductor who generated the kind of over-the-top excitement that appeals to younger audiences. Oue worked every phrase, even every note, up to fever-pitch, producing unrelenting fortes that often exposed weaknesses in the ensemble, such as uneven intonation and, especially, poor balance.
At times, a strikingly different interpretation can jar a piece out of its homogenized familiarity and inspire a rehearing, but Oue's version proved unconvincing.
Beethoven's dramatic, witty innovations -- his awkward extensions, irregular repetitions, abrupt shifts -- play out within a Classical context. If the entire piece becomes overly dramatic, however, his innovations no longer delight. Oue's conducting style better suited the Ninth Symphony's grandiose structure, which provided him the temporal and emotional "space" to dramatize.
Maestro Oue's dramatic readings inspired Saturday's audience to a standing ovation. Even after almost 200 years, even in this age of mixed and remixed recordings, very little can rival a live performance of Beethoven's Ninth.
Ruth O. Bingham has a Ph.D. in
musicology from Cornell University.
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