By Eileen Wingard
SAN DIEGO — The Italian, Grammy-Award Maestro, Fabio Luisi, newly appointed principal conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, led his forces in an engaging concert of works by Nielsen (1865-1931), Wagner (1772-1822) and Mahler (1869-1911). The program, at the Jacobs Music Center last Thursday evening, was sponsored by the La Jolla Music Society
Luisi is quoted as saying that the most important element of the relationship between musicians and conductor is “trust.” There seemed no doubt that Luisi could trust his players, who seemed to be performing their best. The honeymoon between conductor and orchestra appeared to be in its prime.
In addition to his collaboration with the Danes, the 58-year-old Luisi is, currently, the principal conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and the General Music Director of the Zurich Opera.
The evening’s soloist was the renowned American dramatic soprano, Deborah Voigt, singing Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder, five songs set to the poetry of the wife of Wagner’s loyal patron, the Swiss silk merchant, Otto Wesendonck. Voigt’s pure and powerful soprano projected the songs with dramatic gusto, from the ethereal Der Engel (the Angel) and the anguished Schmerzen (Pains) to the sad finale, Traume (Dreams).
Luisi, no doubt, conducted Voight in productions at the Met, where she is a frequent performer. The accompaniment was stellar, with even the thickest orchestral sections never covering Voight’s penetrating voice.
The concert opened with the Helios Overture by Carl Nielsen, the most famous Danish composer. This piece, named after the Greek sun god, Helios, was composed while Nielsen and his wife were in Athens. Away from icy Copenhagen, the composer was bathed in Greek sunlight and translated that experience into music.
The overture expressed the rising and setting of the sun. From the darkness of soft, murmuring low strings, the horns reflected the sun’s appearance and a fugato of the entire orchestra marked the midday light, then, the setting orb was described with the decrescendo of horns and lower strings. This was a beautifully rendered example of programmatic music.
After intermission, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra gave a spirited performance of Mahler’s First Symphony. Although begun when the composer was24 years old, it already reflected the mature writing style he would use in subsequent symphonic works.
The opening, with cuckoo sounds and bird trills, was carefully calibrated, so that the following passages of excitement came forth with surprise. This movement contains quotes from Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer. The second movement is a Scherzo, using a rustic sounding Laendler as the opening section, and a contrasting legato string melody for the trio section, with idiomatic slides in the violins. The third movement opened with what is usually a string bass solo, the Frere Jacques tune in minor. Luisi chose to have two basses play the theme together. The klezmer-like passages in this movement were played with charm. The final movement, with its startling opening in the woodwinds, brings in thematic material from the first movement. It has several false climaxes, but finally comes to a dramatic ending with seven horns blaring forth to a raucous climax.
The ovation of the audience was so enthusiastic that it brought an encore, the famous tango, Jealousy, with a virtuosic introduction by the concertmaster, Christina Aastrand, who stood up to perform her showy opening.
The strings were particularly noteworthy, playing with strength and passion. The orchestra boasted eight string basses for a firm foundation of sound. There were also a large number of women, especially in the upper strings. From the names, one can surmise that, although the majority of musicians are Danish and from the other Scandinavian countries, there was a sizeable number of musicians from Spain, as well as musicians from England, USA, Russia, China, Poland and France. It was a testament to the fact that classical music is, indeed, an international language. Under the leadership of the talented Italian conductor, Fabio Luis, the concert was a multinational thrill to hear.
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Wingard, a retired violinist with the San Diego Symphony, is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. She may be contacted via Eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com