By Eileen Wingard
SAN DIEGO — Mendelssohn’s overture, The Hebrides, otherwise known as Fingal’s Cave, opened the Nov. 15 concert of the San Diego Symphony in its beautifully renovated hall at the Jacobs Music Center. The overture was inspired by the 20-year old Felix Mendelssohn’s visit to Scotland’s Hebrides Islands.
The ominous opening in the strings describes the surging seas.
Although it is in strict classical sonata-allegro form, its descriptive mood suggests a tone poem.
The program was further influenced by Mendelssohn, the grandson of the great Enlightenment Jewish philosopher, Moses Mendelssohn. In addition to the brilliant composer, conductor and pianist’s having brought Bach to the fore, when he presented Bach’s St. Matthews Passion and his B minor Mass, during Mendelssohn’s tenure as conductor of Leipzig’s Gewandhaus Orchestra, he gave the premiere performance of Franz Schubert’s Great C minor Symphony. This took place eleven years after Schubert’s untimely death at the age of 31.
It was because of Robert Schumann’s visit to Vienna to pay homage at Schubert’s grave and visit Schubert’s brother, Ferdinand Schubert, who showed Schumann the score of the symphony, that Schumann sent the music to Mendelssohn.
Schumann, who furthered the careers of many fellow composers, immediately recognized the greatness of the work, as did Mendelssohn, when he received it. The Great C minor Symphony is now one of the most important works of the symphonic repertoire. Were it not for Schumann’s discovery and Mendelssohn’s premiering it, the symphony might have never seen the light of day.
The opening passage of the first movement, two horns in unison, sounded as one. That theme permeated the first movement. Prominent were three trombones that sang forth with beauty and power. What a fine brass section the San Diego Symphony has, their musicianship and skill on strong display in this symphony.
The second movement had a delicious theme exchanged between the first oboe and the first clarinet, showcasing the fine woodwinds of the SDSO.
The Scherzo movement came forth with a powerful opening theme. The Trio was a frolicking romp before returning to the Scherzo.
The final movement, Allegro vivace, which conductor Raphael Payare took at break-neck speed, illustrated the technical prowess of the SDSO’s string section as they triumphantly sailed through the difficult score.
Soloist for the evening was the acclaimed violinist, Augustin Hadelich, playing the Sibelius Violin Concerto. Hadelich has become a favorite of the SDSO, since he soloed with the orchestra during its tour of China in November 2013.
The 41-year-old artist, born in Tuscany of German parents, studied in Italy and at the Juilliard School with Joel Smirnoff, first violinist of the Juilliard String Quartet and head of the violin department.
Hadelich played with great confidence, performing the gorgeous melodies with ravishing tone and skillfully managing the virtuosic passages. Particularly impressive was the last movement with its rapid runs.
Adding to the excitement of this concert was the announcement that Raphael Payare has renewed his contract with the San Diego Symphony until 2029. The audience greeted the news with excited applause, since the Venezuelan-trained conductor has become a favorite, bringing the orchestra to new levels of musical achievement.
Eileen Wingard, a retired violinist with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts.