Known for his gregarious and generous spirit, it wasnot a surprise when Ma declined to play a solo encore, but instead performed acello duo with MSO principal Joseph Johnson. It was a lesson for the many musicstudents there to hear Ma rein in his tone and match the sound of his playingpartner as the two cellos gracefully phrased together.
This was our first experience of Edo de Waart as aconcerto conductor. To his credit he kept the orchestra down to a very quietlevel as accompaniment. Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 was a little less sharp thanthe performance heard the previous Saturday, but more full-blooded. The temposfelt slightly faster as well.
The Friday MSO subscription concert featured DeWaart conducting two MSO principals in the Brahms “Double Concerto.” ViolinistFrank Almond and cellist Johnson play with tone that is complementary incombination. Both took a lyrical approach to phrasing, giving the concertosatisfying and lovely shape. Qigang Chen (b. 1955), a Chinese-born composerliving in Paris,writes what might be called contemporary Asian impressionism. In The Five Elements shimmering orchestralcolors emerged, mostly in pastel hues, occasionally peppered with vividness.
Because of the Ma gala midweek there was likely lessrehearsal available for Beethoven Symphony No. 7. Though De Waart let theorchestra play with more freedom than in the rest of the music heard in thisrecently begun season, his priorities of balance and rhythmic tightness werestill evident. I like how he doesn’t dawdle between movements. It’s too soon inhis tenure to discern how much of the blend and balance is due to his musicalleadership, and how much is because of the new orchestra set up further back onthe stage, more directly under the acoustic shell. Whatever the reason, theensemble improvements are noticeable.
