Symphony conjures Beethoven to thrill audience despite rain

REVIEW

The intrepid listeners who packed their ponchos and umbrellas and headed to John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons Friday night enjoyed a onenight-only Picnic With the Pops performance of a finely tuned classic from the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is a towering icon of the classical repertoire, not usual fodder for a pops concert. Still, it is familiar enough to draw together a crowd of pops lovers and classical aficionados.

It also is expansive enough to fill an outdoor space and stand as the only piece on the program.

At 8 p.m., a drizzle of rain was nagging, the local weather radar was a solid block of green, lawn seating was only six rows deep, and tables were sparsely populated.

Perhaps it was fitting that Beethoven’s music so often focuses on fortitude in the face of adversity: Those few who braved the rain were treated to a bold, polished performance led by Music Director Rossen Milanov.

The first movement was stately and precise, with a looming undercurrent of emotional fervor that occasionally surfaced and disappeared into shadow. Milanov’s attention to detail made this less an incidental opening movement than a fully formed lesson in technique and style.

The second movement, still remarkably precise, overflowed with anticipation. Melodies shifted among voices smoothly, and momentum grew with every measure.

In the third movement, the mood switches suddenly from eagerness to tenderness, and the orchestra answered with meticulous, flowing phrases, careful yet transcendent.

As the fourth movement began, with its persuasive glimpses of the “Ode to Joy” theme, spots of the sky began to brighten, and, moments later, a rainbow appeared amid the clouds.

Each variation on the musical theme has its own character, its own unique emotion, and Friday night, the time seemed to pass more quickly than usual. There was no time for stagnation; each moment was a new undertaking. The sky continued to cloud over and brighten, almost as if synchronized with the shifting moods in the orchestra.

Even with outdoor amplification, rapid instrumental passages were clean, and the orchestra was balanced. Unfortunately, the sound system was less than kind to the vocalists, turning the solo quartet harsh and dulling the chorus in quieter sections.

The chorus delivered impressive power and energy in the dramatic sections, though, surprising even listeners who knew to expect their big entrances. Soloists Helen Hassinger, Megan Quick, Jonas Marcel Hacker and David Crawford were spirited and musical.

The intensity of the fourth movement grew furiously as the conclusion drew near, culminating in a bombastic explosion of joy and triumph — and a rainless sky.

Saturday’s Picnic With the Pops will feature works by Beethoven and Coldplay.