Post by erik on Aug 31, 2022 8:49:03 GMT -5
It was a night of firsts, and a night of a Ninth, at the Hollywood Bowl last night.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Eva Ollikainen, conductor
Michelle Bradley, soprano
Riah Chaieb, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Blue, tenor
Nathan Berg, bass-baritone
Los Angeles Master Chorale (Grant Gershon, chorus director)
Samy Moussa: ELYSIUM
Beethoven: SYMPHONY NO. 9 (CHORAL)
Ms. Ollikainen, born in Finland and recently appointed to be music director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, was on the podium on what was a hot, sultry evening in the hills above Hollywood. The night began with "Elysium", a work by the contemporary Canadian composer Samy Moussa that was inspired by Greek mythology. Mr. Moussa, who is the artist-in-residence for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conceived of this work as a depiction of the paradise of Greek mythology that is full of wonderment and peace and contentment. For this, the L.A. Philharmonic's size was fairly large, particularly in the areas of brass and percussion, which made this twelve minute-long work initially seem like a cross between the Wall of Sound as personified by the works of Anton Bruckner and the score Miklos Rosza composed in 1959 for the epic movie Ben-Hur, with its visions of Greek procession. It also weaved elements of Gustav Holst's "The Planets" near the end. "Elysium" was receiving its American premiere at this concert, and it was highly welcomed by the crowd of 10,700 at the Bowl, with the composer himself coming onstage with Ms. Ollikainen to receive the plaudits.
During intermission, the size of the orchestra was reduced (most of the large brass and percussion were moved off the stage), while the 100-member Los Angeles Master Chorale took their seats in the risers behind the orchestra.
And then it was time for Ms. Ollikainen and all assembled to perform one of the great masterworks of Western music: Beethoven's immortal Symphony No. 9. The imposing first movement was unusually propulsive under Ms. Ollikainen's direction (perhaps a function of supposedly conforming to Beethoven's original tempo markings when he composed the symphony over a seven-year span from 1817 to 1824, a work that he was only ever able to hear in his mind). The famous (or infamous, if you've seen Stanley Kubrick's ultra-controversial 1971 film A Clockwork Orange) Scherzo had its twists and turns, punctuated by some fairly graphic timpani strokes within, as well as the lighter Trio section in the middle. The short pause between the Scherzo and the Adagio allowed time for our four vocal soloists to take their seats to the left of the podium. The Adagio itself, though taken a bit faster than the tempo marking indicted, still maintained its elegiac feel, given that this was the first post-pandemic performance of the Ninth here in Los Angeles. And then, of course, came the immortal final movement, in which our four soloists and the Master Chorale took their turns in the interpolation of Friedrich von Schiller's "Ode To Joy", which was naturally sung in German, though English sub-titles were there to be seen on the Bowl's HD screens. This work, known as the "Choral Symphony", will soon be approaching its 200th birthday (it was first heard in Vienna on May 7, 1824); and its extreme popularity around the world, boosted by its use in movies, including the aforementioned A Clockwork Orange, and Die Hard, was certainly not lost on anyone at this particular concert.
This was the last all-Classical concert at the Bowl for me this year; the final one this coming Sunday will be primarily about John Williams.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Eva Ollikainen, conductor
Michelle Bradley, soprano
Riah Chaieb, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Blue, tenor
Nathan Berg, bass-baritone
Los Angeles Master Chorale (Grant Gershon, chorus director)
Samy Moussa: ELYSIUM
Beethoven: SYMPHONY NO. 9 (CHORAL)
Ms. Ollikainen, born in Finland and recently appointed to be music director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, was on the podium on what was a hot, sultry evening in the hills above Hollywood. The night began with "Elysium", a work by the contemporary Canadian composer Samy Moussa that was inspired by Greek mythology. Mr. Moussa, who is the artist-in-residence for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conceived of this work as a depiction of the paradise of Greek mythology that is full of wonderment and peace and contentment. For this, the L.A. Philharmonic's size was fairly large, particularly in the areas of brass and percussion, which made this twelve minute-long work initially seem like a cross between the Wall of Sound as personified by the works of Anton Bruckner and the score Miklos Rosza composed in 1959 for the epic movie Ben-Hur, with its visions of Greek procession. It also weaved elements of Gustav Holst's "The Planets" near the end. "Elysium" was receiving its American premiere at this concert, and it was highly welcomed by the crowd of 10,700 at the Bowl, with the composer himself coming onstage with Ms. Ollikainen to receive the plaudits.
During intermission, the size of the orchestra was reduced (most of the large brass and percussion were moved off the stage), while the 100-member Los Angeles Master Chorale took their seats in the risers behind the orchestra.
And then it was time for Ms. Ollikainen and all assembled to perform one of the great masterworks of Western music: Beethoven's immortal Symphony No. 9. The imposing first movement was unusually propulsive under Ms. Ollikainen's direction (perhaps a function of supposedly conforming to Beethoven's original tempo markings when he composed the symphony over a seven-year span from 1817 to 1824, a work that he was only ever able to hear in his mind). The famous (or infamous, if you've seen Stanley Kubrick's ultra-controversial 1971 film A Clockwork Orange) Scherzo had its twists and turns, punctuated by some fairly graphic timpani strokes within, as well as the lighter Trio section in the middle. The short pause between the Scherzo and the Adagio allowed time for our four vocal soloists to take their seats to the left of the podium. The Adagio itself, though taken a bit faster than the tempo marking indicted, still maintained its elegiac feel, given that this was the first post-pandemic performance of the Ninth here in Los Angeles. And then, of course, came the immortal final movement, in which our four soloists and the Master Chorale took their turns in the interpolation of Friedrich von Schiller's "Ode To Joy", which was naturally sung in German, though English sub-titles were there to be seen on the Bowl's HD screens. This work, known as the "Choral Symphony", will soon be approaching its 200th birthday (it was first heard in Vienna on May 7, 1824); and its extreme popularity around the world, boosted by its use in movies, including the aforementioned A Clockwork Orange, and Die Hard, was certainly not lost on anyone at this particular concert.
This was the last all-Classical concert at the Bowl for me this year; the final one this coming Sunday will be primarily about John Williams.