Benjamin Ealovega
Guest violinist James Ehnes delivered a passionate and delicate version of Brahms' Violin Concerto.
The Madison Symphony Orchestra’s February concert program is a many-splendored affair, featuring violinist James Ehnes — a 2019 Grammy winner — playing the Violin Concerto of Johannes Brahms.
A work of symphonic stature, it involves a kind of stylistic split personality. The first movement juxtaposes two elements: one of bold virtuosity, the other of sweet sensitivity. This proves to be perfectly suited for Ehnes. He is fully up to the showy challenges of this demanding work, but he also takes every opportunity to convey a gentle delicacy where possible, using a soft expressive tone, with great flexibility of tempo and volume. The great cadenza becomes a kind of debate between these two elements.
The two remaining movements serve as showcases for each element. The slow movement features the expressive sensitivity in which Ehnes is so adept. Then the finale cuts loose with boisterous display, seasoned with sensitive moments where possible. It is a truly wondrous performance.
As an encore, on Friday evening, Ehnes played a piece by the great violinist Eugéne Ysaÿe, a study in technique, without much musical content.
To open the program, conductor John DeMain connects the MSO to this month’s extensive celebrations of the 80th birthday of the distinguished American composer John Harbison. (A concert at Mills Hall on Feb. 17 presents the world premiere of a new work.)
The Most Often Used Chords is based on an old Italian textbook providing systematic guidance on chordal practices. Taking its advice as a starting point, Harbison created a work for large orchestra that explores chordal opportunities. It is cast in four sections that freely revive old Baroque forms of toccata, variations, and chaconne, plus a finale playing with the circle of fifths. There is little thematic material, but the rhythms and colors are lively. DeMain leads this with obvious delight and the orchestra responds vigorously.
Then the one work of the program’s second half is Ravel’s orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. His original set of pieces reacting to sketches and paintings by the artist Victor Hartmann, written distinctively for piano, was quite transformed by Maurice Ravel, in the best-known of its orchestral versions. Ravel was one of the greatest master’s of orchestration, and his transformation of Mussorgsky’s keyboard original is a veritable miracle of sound, a textbook of the art.
It is also a surefire crowd pleaser, and DeMain pulls a glorious sound spectacle from his inspired players.
This program is repeated at Overture Hall Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
