Kaupo Kikkas
German-born cellist Alban Gerhardt comes to the Madison Symphony Orchestra as February soloist, bravely bringing a rarely heard concerto — and triumphing in it.
William Walton’s Cello Concerto is the least-known of his three string concertos. It is an unconventional work, in three movements to be sure, but consisting of two slow movements with a fast one in between, rather than the reverse. At first encounter, it can seem a craggy and even gruff work, but Gerhart’s gift for lyrical playing brings out the melodious lines that are present, along with the flamboyant ones.That emphasis gives the first movement a particularly rich beauty. This cellist of such total musicality and artistic dedication really brings to life a work that he obviously wants audiences to discover and understand.
For a Friday encore he played the Prelude from Bach’s Suite No. 6 for unaccompanied cello. He happens to be preparing a record album of all six of these suites.
On either side of Gerhardt’s solo are two audience-pleasing masterpieces. The overture to Rossini’s Semiramide shows the composer in perhaps his best working of his opera prelude formula. Maestro John DeMain leads the orchestra in no-holds-barred bravado, with a lot of lovely wind playing in evidence along the way.
The great Symphony No. 1 by Johannes Brahms grew out of long preparation. He knew that his public wanted him to prove himself the symphonic heir to Beethoven. The outcome, the first of his eventual four symphonies, is a determinedly monumental affair. At least in its massive wing movements, its elaborate expansion of sonata-form is a proclamation of symphonic mastery — the glorious main theme of its finale one of the composer’s finest melodies. DeMain delivers these movements with weighty bluntness and thrust. But he also gives fair justice to the intervening two movements, notably the beautifully flowing second — with its ecstatic early passage for strings.
DeMain does not disdain the “big orchestra” approach in his interpretation. He has at his disposal a particularly large complement of violins (17 firsts and 14 seconds), so he is able to generate quite a lush sound. To his credit, however, he maintains good balance and allows the wind parts to come through clearly.
A final demonstration, too, of our soloist’s dedication: At his own request, he joined the orchestra’s cello section on Friday to play in the Brahms.
The program repeats Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
