The center and circumference of this weekend’s symphony concerts is a romantic repertoire that evokes the sweeping landscapes of Finland, Norway and erstwhile Czechoslovakia.
Bedrich Smetana’s Vltava (The Moldau) from his symphonic poem Má Vlast (My Country) is familiar and widely performed, yet music director Jeffrey Kahane transformed this homage to a great river into something personal and contemporary.
The river is always moving and headed forward, and Kahane expertly navigated the Colorado Symphony Orchestra through each signpost along its course. From the river’s start as a trickling mountain stream, building momentum as it weaves through a forest to its fully realized state as the mighty water that flows through Prague, Kahane’s dependably impeccable pacing and nuanced interpretation held sway.
Less sophisticated however, was pianist Andre Watts’ reading of Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16.
The work is an audience favorite and, as expected, the rousing final movement jumped the audience to its feet. But Watts’ playing was less than stellar: While the veteran pianist captured the stylistic sensibility of a concerto that marries the lyricism of German composers Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann with a measure of grandiose Scandinavian bravura, his delivery was often technically slipshod and rhythmically uneven.
Still, from the opening drumroll to the crescendoing cadenza, Watts’ physically powerful approach was compelling. And in the structurally straightforward Adagio movement in which the muted strings underscore the rhapsodic piano passages, he played with tenderness and warmth. But when it came to the vivid, angular themes, Watts’ one-dimensional interpretation neglected the drama therein.
Also on the program were three works by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, featuring a standout performance by English horn player Jason Lichtenwalter and a brief reading by principal cellist Silver Ainomäe to demonstrate the tone and timbre of the Finnish language.
The darkly-hued, nationalistic selections include Sibelius’ enduring Finlandia, Op. 26, as well as “The Swan of Tuonela” and “Lemminkäinen’s Return” from the folkloric “Four Legends of the Kalevala,” Op. 22. The program repeats at Boettcher Concert Hall today at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
