Hartford Symphony, Hartford, CT
May 30 – June 2, 2013
by Michael J. Moran
HSO Music Director Carolyn Kuan jokingly introduced the
first piece on her season finale program as likely to make some audience
members "want to riot" against the "unexpected sounds" it
produces, just as the audience at the world premiere of Stravinsky’s "Rite
of Spring" rioted a century ago this week in Paris.
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| Wu Wei |
That piece was selections from "The Color Yellow"
Concerto for Sheng and Chamber Orchestra by 37-year-old Chinese born composer
Huang Ruo. The sheng is a mouth-blown traditional Chinese reed instrument with
a series of vertical pipes. Chinese sheng virtuoso Wu Wei played the
unwieldy-looking instrument with amazing dexterity, as he coaxed sounds from
piercing squeaks to soothing drones out of it. Also featuring an expanded
percussion section that included whistles and conch shells, the piece drew a
riot of delighted applause from an audience which had probably been exposed to
far more challenging sounds over the years.
The concert continued with seven numbers from Tchaikovsky’s
ballet "Swan Lake," which captured a range of dramatic moments in
exuberant, committed performances by the orchestra. They were joined in the
Couples Dance scene by two members of a revolving cast of four dancers from the
Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts. The graceful motions of Phoebe Magna and Jack
Sprance brought a welcome new dimension to the beauty of the music.
The account of the "Rite of Spring" that followed
intermission made its roots in the romanticism of Tchaikovsky sound clearer
than usual, while also throwing the novelty of its primitive and harsh energy
into sharper relief. The HSO played the score with discipline and abandon, and
dancers Jane Cracovaner and Christopher LaFleche from the Hartt School Dance
Division wrenchingly portrayed the sacrifice of the "Chosen One" in
the closing moments.
With dancers performing on stage with the orchestra, this
concert could also have been titled "Unexpected Sights and Sounds."
But perhaps the least "unexpected" outcome of this memorable season
closer was that the Rite of Spring still sounded as radical and new as ever.
