ASPEN — Classical music devotees look forward to each summer’s debut of the Aspen Music Festival the same way baseball fans eagerly await opening day.
There is always a sense of anticipation, an air of new possibilities: Who will stand out this year? What surprises are in store? What young unknown will grab the spotlight?
The first segment of this year’s edition of the festival — among the largest and most prestigious such events in the world — began Thursday and reached its climax Sunday afternoon with a first-rate, kick-off concert by the Aspen Festival Orchestra.
Towering over all else was Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58, with keyboardist Richard Goode. Just four days into the festival, he managed to set a high-water mark that the season’s remaining guest artists will have to work extra hard to match let alone top.
Although he might lack the star power of some of his peers, Goode is one of the great pianists of our time, and he might well be without equal when it comes to the music of Beethoven. Both assertions were borne out in this memorable performance.
An eloquent, probing artist who can draw stunning sonorities from the piano, he seemed to inhabit this concerto, to be one with it. Every element no matter how minute was carefully in its place, yet at the same time there was a liberating freedom of expression, a total sense of being in the moment.
I did not want the extraordinary first movement to end, but, fortunately, there were two more to go. Goode brought an aching delicacy and, at times, tinges of vulnerability to the slow movement, taking it to some transcendent dimension, and ended with a spirited take on the third section.
Music director David Zinman and the orchestra were with him every step of the way, with commendably balanced, responsive accompaniment that did justice to Goode’s high-level artistry and made for a complete, well-rounded interpretation.
Nearly sending the first movement off the rails was a loud, startling pop, but somehow Goode and the other musicians kept their composure and were able to keep going. The same thing happened Friday evening, oddly enough during another Beethoven piece.
Alan Fletcher, the festival’s president and chief executive officer, said both incidents were caused by problems with lighting that was added to accommodate the taping of the concerts for live streaming on . At intermission, he said the supplementary lights would be shut off, and no further problems developed.
Opening the second half was the world premiere of John Harbison’s “The Great Gatsby” Suite (or “Great Gatsby Orchestral Suite,” as it is listed on the music publisher’s website), a well-integrated compilation of musical excerpts from the noted composer’s largely well-received 1999 opera.
The 25-minute piece, which was commissioned by the festival, possesses a taste of the dramatic sweep of the opera, but what audiences are likely to remember most are snatches of the rollicking songs and dances the composer convincingly wrote in a vernacular Jazz Age style.
Performances of those sections were led by a dandy combo, including banjo, trap set and, at times, soprano saxophone, all skillfully integrated into the larger ensemble. Overall, it is an entertaining, immediately likable work that many other orchestras will no doubt be eager to perform.
Rounding out the program was a bold, sweeping version of the Overture to Richard Wagner’s opera, “The Flying Dutchman,” and Richard Strauss’ “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks,” Op. 28, an ideal pairing with the Harbison suite.
The Aspen Music Festival continues through Aug. 17 with more than 350 concerts, classes and other events.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
