They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, thousands of notes created some incredible pictures represented in its recent opening concert of the season “Portraits in Sound.” The goal of every composer is to create a musical work that allows the individual listener to hear a story, to feel an emotion or emotions, or to see a scene or picture in their mind’s eye.
The symphony, performing at The Commons on a warm fall October afternoon, worked diligently to fulfill this goal by playing a wide range of musical styles in a challenging program before a small but very appreciative audience.
The concert opened with the familiar “Overture to The Magic Flute” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Written in 1791, the opera was first performed three months before the composer’s death. The orchestra performed the overture with the appropriate historical style elements of lightness and buoyancy associated with Mozart and music from the classical period.
There were a couple of moments of rhythmic imprecision which Maestro Josh Aerie quickly remedied with his precise and articulation conducting. A vivid impression of this beloved opera was artistically painted by this delightful concert opener.
Turning to the music of Hungarian composer Bela Bartok, the symphony performed Two Portraits, Op. 5, ii. One Grotesque. Described by Aerie as a dance, this work was a startling contrast to the Mozart piece with its angular melodic line and use of dissonance. The piece was originally part of a collection of piano pieces written in 1908 but then orchestrated by the composer in 1911.
It is believed to be a musical rendering of Bartok’s unrequited love for Stephi Geyer. The percussion section of the orchestra performed very well in this selection providing the rhythmic pulse necessary to create its dance-like quality. This difficult musical portrait stretched the abilities of the ensemble and they responded well to the challenge by stirring the emotions of the audience in this different portrayal of unrequited love.
The main focus of the afternoon concert was the final piece on the program. Pictures at an Exhibition composed by Modest Mussorgsky was originally written as a solo piano composition but has become better known in its orchestral form, orchestrated by another well known composer, Maurice Ravel. A suite in 10 movements inspired by Mussorgsky’s visit to a retrospective exhibit of Viktor Hartman’s sketches, stage designs and architectural studies, each movement represents one the works on display with a recurring “Promenade” theme interspersed throughout the work representing the composer strolling through the exhibition.
The opening “Promenade” movement featured a full brass sound and a lovely melodic string section. This movement was particularly well-played by the orchestra as were the recurring presentations of this theme, one with a fine French Horn solo by Hiroko Wakana. Movements two, three and four –- portraying an awkward dwarf and a medieval troubadour singing on the grounds of a grand castle — showcased Aerie’s strong conducting technique as he led the orchestra through some particularly difficult rhythmic moments.
Movements five through eight — portraying children at play in a garden and the lumbering of a large ox cart — allowed the CSO to demonstrate their solid musical technique with passages of rapid articulation, use of dynamic crescendos and the rich tone of the low strings, low brass and woodwinds. Movements nine through twelve — portraying a Hartmann costume design for a children’s ballet, a market and the catacombs — allowed the percussion section to shine, the brass section to be featured with a beautiful trumpet solo by Paul Hunt and demonstrated more of Aerie’s ability to lead the CSO through some particularly difficult passages and harmonies.
