Audience accepts Philharmonic’s ‘Invitation’
An “Invitation to the Dance,” offered to an imaginary partner by Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826), was readily accepted by the audience attending the Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s gala, season-opening Classics concert Saturday at Civic Center Music Hall.
Written for solo piano in 1819 and later orchestrated by Hector Berlioz, von Weber’s invitation to waltz was backed up by not one but two harps, a large string contingent, and four bassoons, which conductor Joel Levine quipped might be “every bassoon in Oklahoma.”
Derived from a tune von Weber encountered touring Germany in 1810 (according to his son), the dance invitation was delicate and restrained, yet bracing, and built to a strong finish, in under 15minutes.
Guest piano soloist Richard Goode gave a performance that was wonderfully sensitive, nuanced and attentive to the orchestra in the evening’s second offering, the “Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor,” composed in 1785 by Mozart (1756-1791).
Back and forth interactions between the piano soloist and strings were particularly effective in the number, described in the program as “a brooding, disturbing work” and “one of only two Mozart concertos written in the minor mode.”
Ending the concert in a very satisfying, sustained fashion after intermission was the “Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73,” by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897).
Noting that the work by Brahms is “often described as the pastoral symphony,” Levine pointed out that it also has “a lot of angst, seriousness of purpose, and a constant back and forth between the simple and the beautiful.”
Adding that Tchaikovsky appeals to and manipulates our emotions, Levine said that in Brahms “there isn’t one second you can take for granted, it’s always an experience.”
Lasting about 40 or more minutes, the Brahms symphony bore him out in this, keeping the audience guessing — and attentive — as it progressed.
Swelling powerfully and subsiding suddenly, in more sweet, nuanced passages and repetitive refrains, it ended in a resounding crescendo, which earned a standing ovation from the large, enthusiastic audience.