Blaze of orchestral colour in Baltimore Symphony agenda
Baltimore Symphony 1 Usher Hall
Populism seemed to trump coherency when it came to the odd mix of repertoire in this Baltimore Symphony Orchestra programme. Music director Marin Alsop got things off to a thrilling start with a blaze of orchestral colour in Stravinsky’s suite from The Firebird ballet.
The silky textures of the string section were to the fore with brass-driven eruptions kindling the vibrant flames of this mythological creative. Alsop elicited a Hollywood movie score lushness from the musicians, especially the rippling harp and the exotic oriental sounding woodwind in the lullaby.
You would think Gershwin had written his Concerto in F especially for pianist Jean-yves Thibaudet. His dazzling interpretation added an extra layer of brilliance to this well-known work. Ever the showman, Thibaudet was having enormous fun with the punchy rhythms, chirpy crushed notes and zingy faux-jazz riffs as he breezed effortlessly through this idiosyncrat- ic piece. There was good solid back-up from Alsop and the orchestra, but some of the featured soloists could have followed Thibaudet’s lead and swung the beat a bit more.
After the rousing first half, Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 inc major was a strange choice to round off the evening. Once again, the warmth and agility of the string section formed the bedrock of Baltimore’s crisp and precise sound.
Alsop took the scherzo at a fair lick, the restless strings contrasting with the calmer woodwind-led trios.
There was a chance for the oboe and clarinet to shine in the mellow adagio before the orchestra hurtled through the finale.