Milwaukee Symphony brings Mozart to Basilica

Associate conductor Yaniv Dinur led the Milwaukee Symphony orchestra through a well-constructed all-Mozart program Friday evening at the Basilica of St. Josaphat, 2333 S. 6th St.

The program featured soprano Alisa Suzanne Jordheim, singing “Exultate, jubilate,” and MSO principal bassoonist Catherine Chen, performing the Concerto in B-flat for Bassoon and Orchestra.

Jordheim gave a soaring, stirring performance of Mozart’s “Exultate, jubilate.” The extremely live acoustic of the Basilica created a rather atmospheric effect, with Jordheim’s ringing, silvery sound running through the echoing orchestral sounds like a bright, metallic thread through a dense tapestry.

She sang with ease and facility, making a piece Mozart wrote for a specific singer with uncommonly fine technique sound free and relaxed. She opened up to fill the space with a glorious sound and beautifully shaped phrases during the highest passages.

One rarely hears the Mozart bassoon concerto and, for that matter, rarely hears bassoonists performing concertos. Chen’s performance was a lovely reminder of the lyrical and technical possibilities of the instrument.

She played with a polished, warm sound, full of color and nuance. Although the acoustic blurred much of the piece’s fast passagework into the sound of the orchestra, the cadenzas, which she had written, revealed some technically pristine, wonderfully musical playing.

Working with Jordheim and Chen, Dinur and the orchestra gave clean, well-balanced performances, playing with sensitivity to the soloists and to important, exposed passages with the orchestra writing.

The program opened with Mozart’s Symphony in D major, K. 196, and closed with his Symphony No. 29 in A major, both of which were played with lovely musical style, energetic momentum, and a constant ear to acoustic of the space.