The Bushnell, Hartford, CT
November 14-16, 2025
by Michael J. Moran
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| Photo by Jim Henkel |
Conductor Adam Kerry Boyles and guest cellist Tommy Mesa presented two favorite masterpieces of the Romantic repertoire.
The concert opened with a stirring performance of Czech composer Antonin Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104. Written during his American period (1892-1895), as the founding director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City, the work’s three movements reflect both Dvorak’s homesickness and the influence of American music on his style. Award-winning Cuban American cellist and music educator Mesa has a rock-solid technique and a magnetic stage presence.
A dramatic and fluid opening “Allegro” (with a lovely solo by HSO principal horn Barbara Hill in what critic Donald Tovey called “one of the most beautiful melodies ever composed for the horn"), a tender, hymnlike “Adagio ma non troppo,” and a rousing, dancelike “Allegro moderato” finale fully met the concerto’s daunting technical and emotional demands. Boyles and the HSO offered rich support.
An enthusiastic standing ovation brought Mesa back to the stage, where, after exclaiming “I’m tired!” he gave a sensitive reading of the “Prelude” from Johann Sebastian Bach’s first suite for solo cello. The audience applauded both his virtuosity and his self-deprecating sense of humor.
The program closed with a sweeping account of Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff’s hour-long second symphony, written in 1907-1908, when he was reaching the height of his creative powers. A forceful opening “Largo-Allegro moderato,” with warm lyrical passages and thrilling full climaxes, was followed by an urgent “Allegro molto.” A sublime “Adagio,” which Richard Rodda’s program notes liken to “an ecstatic operatic love scene” (featuring a gorgeous solo by HSO principal clarinet Sangwon Lee) was the emotional heart of the piece. An exhilarating “Allegro vivace” ended the work on a note of festive joy. Boyles’ animated and inspired leadership drew playing of passionate commitment from the Hartford musicians.
The HSO’s next Masterworks program (December 12-14) will feature HSO Music Director Carlyn Kuan.