September 24, 2005

SYMPHONY WOWS SOLD-OUT CROWD

by Michael

The four soloists sang wonderfully, although in their ensembles tenor Michael Hendrick overpowered the other three (soprano Kelly Nassief, mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson and bass Kurt Link.)

UTAH SYMPHONY AND CHORUS, Abravanel Hall, Friday; additional performance tonight 8 p.m. (355-2787)

The last time conductor Stanislaw Skrowaczewski led the Utah Symphony, he was blessed with a wonderful program in which he conducted Bruckner’s cerebral Eighth Symphony but cursed with a paltry attendance in Abravanel Hall.

This weekend, Skrowaczewski makes a return visit to Salt Lake City, and this time he was blessed not only with a remarkable program but also with a sold-out house at Friday’s performance.

The venerable 81-year-old conductor led the Utah Symphony in two works by Beethoven — the “Grosse Fuge” and the Ninth Symphony.

As much as the Ninth is well-known to everyone — at the least, everyone knows the main theme from the finale — the “Grosse Fuge” is the Ninth’s antithesis.

Originally the closing movement of Beethoven’s B flat Major Quartet, op. 130, it was quickly replaced by a new movements at the urging of the composer’s publisher, who considered it too long and difficult. Beethoven subsequently published it as a separate work. And since the early 20th century, it has also found a home in the concert hall as a work for the string sections of symphony orchestras.

As a piece for a large string ensemble, the “Grosse Fuge” works remarkably well. It has large gestures, it’s laid out on a grand scale and, consequently, has symphonic proportions.

Skrowaczewski’s reading, with his deliberate tempos, captured the relentless energy and drive of the work as well as its intense expressions. It was a dynamic performance, not only for Skrowaczewski’s lucid and intelligent interpretation, but also for the crystalline and near flawless execution by the strings of the Utah Symphony. They gave a luminous performance that was a study in clarity.

No less striking was Skrowaczewski’s interpretation of the Ninth Symphony. He captured the intense emotional upheavals and the drama that unfold throughout the work forcefully. He probed the music and uncovered the various layers and brought them to light.

Except for occasional shrillness, the Utah Symphony Chorus sang wonderfully, as did the four soloists, although in their ensembles tenor Michael Hendrick overpowered the other three (soprano Kelly Nassief, mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson and bass Kurt Link).

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