Springfield Symphony, Symphony Hall, Springfield, MA
February 23, 2019
by Michael J. Moran
A more appropriate title for this concert might have been “A
Superstar Is Born.” When the scheduled violin soloist, SSO favorite Rachel
Barton Pine, was forced by a short-term health issue to cancel, William Hagen
stepped in to replace her with less than two weeks’ notice. To retain the
original program, he learned a new piece and prepared one of the most difficult
works in the standard repertoire, both of which he did in a triumphant local
debut.
Continuing the SSO’s 75th anniversary seasonal focus on
American women composers, the program opened with short pieces by two of them.
First up was the four-minute “Prayer and Celebration,” an “homage to Mahler,”
which Augusta Read Thomas wrote in 2006 for her alma mater, St. Paul’s School,
in New Hampshire. Next came Amy Beach’s 1893 “Romance,” originally for violin and
piano, in a recent transcription by Chris Trotman for solo violin, harp, and
strings.
Both received lush, lyrical performances from an ensemble
which included members of the SSO and the Springfield Symphony Youth Orchestra,
also celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. The “Romance” featured Hagen
as well, who shaded his tone from robust to delicate in capturing the warmth of
this lovely eight-minute confection.
The SSO then turned in a powerful rendition of Mendelssohn’s
fourth, or “Italian,” symphony, to round out the concert’s first half. From a
surging opening “Allegro vivace,” to a fleet “Andante con moto,” a flowing “Con
modo moderato,” and a rambunctious closing “Saltarello-Presto,” Rhodes coaxed
an urgent energy from his musicians that never flagged.
 |
| William Hagen |
After a thunderous standing ovation, Hagen presented a
whirlwind solo encore of the “Allegro assai” finale from Bach’s Sonata in C.
The return of this charismatic artist to Springfield would be welcomed in a
heartbeat.
