The program for the Santa Cruz Symphony on October 29 and 30 was fitting in several ways. The works performed fit in perfect conjunction with Halloween /Dia de los Muertos (the day to honor those who have passed away) and the lives of the composers who suffered during the last days of their lives.
One could hardly think of a more appropriate work to open this concert. Prayer for Ukraine (2014) by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov (1937) arranged for orchestra by Andreas Gies in 2022 opened the concert at the Mello Center.
Composer and pianist Silvestrov celebrated his 85th birthday last September 30, in what we hope might be better times for him and his compatriots. However, at present, he and his family are living in Berlin after fleeing from Kyiv in March.
Prayer for Ukraine was composed for mixed, unaccompanied choir and was written in response to the Euromaidan protests and forms part of a cycle of songs called Maidan Cycle of Cycles. Silvestrov visited the Maidan Square encampment in Kyiv on many occasions, hearing the prayers and songs of the peaceful demonstrators before the shooting began. His cycle of songs was his way of fighting for his country with music. The text of Prayer for Ukraine reads “Lord, protect Ukraine. Give us power, faith and hope our Father.”
The version that was performed at two concerts in London and Brighton was specially arranged for symphony orchestra in March this year, along with a version for chamber orchestra. All three versions are now being performed all over the world as an expression of solidarity. The tone set by the orchestra at this concert was somber and evoked the sad state of affairs in Ukraine, a country that longs for peace and tranquility, an idea shared by the entire world.
In the winter of 1944, violist William Primrose commissioned Bela Bartók to compose a work for viola and orchestra. Primrose said Bartók should not “feel in any way proscribed by the apparent limitations of the instrument.” Primrose stated, “When I commissioned it, Bartók, if you can believe it, was an obscure composer.”
The timing of the request couldn’t have come at a more inappropriate time. Most unfortunately, Bartók was suffering from the terminal stages of leukemia when he undertook the commission. Time took its toll and Bartók never completed the concerto. This task was done in 1945 by Tibor Serly, Bartók’s student and friend.
To amplify any misunderstanding, Bartók became, and remains, one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th and 21st centuries! The six incredible string quartets he composed represent the apogee of his art. One can trace an arc of development beginning with late Romanticism and ending with a musical language distinctly of his own artistic imagination that has influenced string performance until today. This work was not without its dark side.
This afternoon’s concert at the Mello featured soloist Yuchen Lu, whose performance was stellar! Both soloist Lu and orchestra achieved wonderful clarity, balance and fine overall ensemble. Rhythmically alert, warmly lyrical and dazzlingly virtuosic, Lu negotiated Bartók’s very tricky writing with admirable virtuosity. Stewart demonstrated his orchestra could support and blend with Lu’s wonderful poise and instinctive elegance. There wasn’t a note out of place and his playing created the sense of the musical whole.
Timely percussive punctuation at the 17:30 mark carried over into the following work. The Bartok work was well received by the audience and Lu demonstrated his artistic ability!
It should be pointed out that Maestro Danny Stewart is himself an accomplished violist who will perform as viola soloist in the World Premiere of Carl St. Jacques’ The Elemental Prayer Suite on April 29 and 30, 2023.
Santa Cruz Symphony had this Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 ‘Pathetique’ performance down with attacks as sharp as a razor. Maestro Stewart’s Tchaikovsky portrayed everything in this performance: passion, precision, and a real interpretive point of view. Given the consistent musical quality of Stewart’s previous symphonic performances, it’s very satisfying to hear this conductor comfortably in his element, both sonically and artistically.
As a point of curiosity, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring begins with the bassoon playing on the very top of its register (C above middle C) and Tchaikovsky began his Symphony 6 also with the bassoon, but in its more comfortable range on E just below the bass clef and was masterfully sculpted by Principal bassoonist Brian McKee. The double basses provided the perfect canvas for the bassoon, one of the most difficult instruments in the orchestra to play!
The Sixth Symphony is a much more emotional, dramatic, and skillfully crafted work. It is apparent Tchaikovsky no longer felt he needed to follow classical conventions to the letter, thus giving himself new freedom to compose in ways that suited his compositional tendencies more favorably. Stewart guided his orchestra through each phrase employing the colors of his sound palette with great care to establish the suitably abandoned soul-searching atmosphere that meandered between the dark and bright sides of the work.
The Allegro that followed revealed the orchestra’s excellence with cascading lines. The winds and brass were balanced allowing us to hear a wealth of orchestral detail. The strings sang with precise articulation, excellent depth that created a rich tapestry of sound colors.
Stewart’s second movement was entirely successful, the playing was especially light and graceful. Stewart observed the music’s darker moments more acutely, suggesting that even at our happiest times, sadness is never far away. In the words of composer Luciano Berio’s Sinfonia, he states: “The unexpected is always upon us,” words certainly appropriate for this work.
The third movement, marked Allegro molto vivace, was also fabulous, technically assured and again perfectly weighted. The woodwinds, especially the clarinets, were particularly characterful, and the clarity brought to the various descending lines and shifts in color were masterly and signaled the deeper emotional connection the music demands. In true fashion, this movement alludes to the work’s Finale, and without hesitation the audience, fooled again, let out an appreciative applause.
The final 4th movement was laden with Romantic grieving despair throughout. The searing desperation and angst of this moment was intended to overwhelm the listener, and this was accomplished. The melody on the first and second violins appeared frequently and with impressive balance. The challenging dynamics ffff and sextuple piano (that is, pppppp), and the last note of the work pppp were articulated with phenomenal precision, a trademark of Stewart’s keen ear and orchestral understanding. This performance was sensitive, technically assured, and virtuosic throughout. The iambic rhythmic organization by the double basses and perfectly placed tam-tam strokes gently carried the work to its completion.
Tchaikovsky died eight days after the premiere, mission accomplie.
Maestro Stewart and his superb orchestra achieved an emotional, artistic height that will not be forgotten!
JOSEF SEKON, D.M.A.