REVIEW: CSO’s ‘The Planets’ is out of this world under guest conductor Guerrero
Cincinnati Business Courier Review by Janelle Gelfand:
Nothing prepared the listener for the visceral power of the brass and the hammer blows of two sets of timpani and bass drum in “Mars, the Bringer of War,” the first movement of Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s electrifying performance led by guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero on Friday illustrated why this orchestral suite remains a top draw for audiences more than 100 years after it was written.
One of the largest crowds of the season was in Music Hall for the occasion, with a near-capacity crowd of more than 2,000 expected on Saturday. Guerrero, who has visited the Cincinnati Symphony before, conducted an inventive and entertaining program, and spoke engagingly to listeners about the music.
As music director the Nashville Symphony since 2009, he has built a remarkable legacy of recordings, including 15 albums featuring American music and six Grammy Awards. He is also music director of the NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic in Poland.
The Nicaraguan-born conductor was a charismatic presence on the podium all evening, yet every gesture was musical. All of these are qualities that the CSO’s search committee will be considering in the search for a music director to succeed the outgoing Louis Langrée.
The program opened with “The Observatory” by the superb American composer Caroline Shaw, a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Music. It is a co-commission of the Cincinnati Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which gave its world premiere in 2019 at the Hollywood Bowl under Xian Zhang. The work is a multi-faceted canvas inspired by Shaw’s visit to the Griffith Observatory overlooking the city of Los Angeles.
Scored for large orchestra with piano, it opened with three exceedingly loud chords and pounding bass drum – which in this program could be viewed as an homage to Holst. Soon, there were minimalist-style repeating patterns that engaged the ear, and fleeting motives that came and went. Endlessly inventive, the music had ever-changing textures, such as flute and piccolo playing with vibraphone, and an antiphonal dialogue in the brass. There were chord clusters and complex cross rhythms.
If you listened closely, you also heard snippets of familiar tunes from Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Sibelius’ Second Symphony, Strauss’ “Don Juan” and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, all listed in her program notes. The work’s episodes could reflect the busy urban environment of LA, balanced with moments of glimmering atmospheres and long tones in the trombones that seemed to point to outer space. Whatever her goal, the composer summed it up with a massive, vibrating chord. Guerrero and the orchestra gave it a vibrant performance.
The centerpiece was a rarity: George Gershwin’s Rhapsody No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra, featuring Michelle Cann as soloist. Overshadowed by the more popular “Rhapsody in Blue,” the neglected masterpiece had its origins in a 1930 film score by George and Ira Gershwin for a musical film called “Delicious.” After George Gershwin performed the Rhapsody’s premiere, the original orchestra parts were lost. In the ‘80s, Michael Tilson Thomas was able to have a set of parts constructed from the original manuscript, which is in the Library of Congress.
This was its first performance by the CSO. It has been performed twice by the Cincinnati Pops under Erich Kunzel, with pianists Michael Chertock and Stewart Goodyear.
A motif of repeating-note figures depicts riveters working on New York skyscrapers in the opening scene of the movie. Reminiscent of “Rhapsody in Blue,” the performance was jazzy, syncopated and cinematic.
Cann, who serves on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music as the Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies, displayed all the technical prowess that this piece demands. The repeating notes were percussive and flashy. She tackled keyboard-spanning figures and leaps with ease. Her phrasing was well-shaped in the lyrical moments.
Guerrero supported with lush strings and dramatic contributions by the brass – which sometimes overpowered the soloist. It was an instant hit with listeners. For an encore, Cann treated with a jazzy, showy arrangement of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C-sharp Minor by the legendary American jazz pianist Hazel Scott.
After intermission, Guerrero led a riveting trip through the seven celestial bodies of Holst’s “The Planets.” Holst wrote the opening “Mars, the Bringer of War” in 1914, just as World War I was brewing. Guerrero led with relentless drive in a dynamic display of orchestral power, with superb playing by the brass. “Venus, the Bringer of Peace” offered the contrast of luminous atmosphere, enhanced by the serene solos of principal wind and string players.
“Mercury, the Winged Messenger,” was light, gleaming and playful, and the audience chuckled audibly at its conclusion.
The heart of the suite is “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity,” a showcase for the horn section. Guerrero called for crisp articulation and his tempos were brisk, which made the entrance of the famous hymn theme, “Thaxted,” all the more profound. (Thaxted was the name of the village where Holst lived most of his life.)
The conductor conveyed the characters of each of the ensuing movements wonderfully: The mystery and refinement of “Saturn,” the Bringer of Old Age,” the quirky character of “Uranus, the Magician” and the otherworldly atmosphere of “Neptune, the Mystic.” In the latter, the orchestra was joined by the treble voices of the May Festival Chorus. Stationed backstage, the choir sang with pinpoint intonation and control as the orchestra faded out, finishing its siren song in the stratosphere. The effect was spinetingling.
Guerrero led with momentum and flair in this vivid and dramatic performance, and the musicians responded with precise and exciting playing.
The concert repeats at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 in Music Hall. Tickets: 513-381-3300, cincinnatisymphony.org.
Janelle Gelfand covers the arts for the Courier. Her work is supported by the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.
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