Cinematic Moments at MSO Concert

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MSO Carmina Burana & Fate Now Conquers banner

As at the last Milwaukee Symphony concert I attended, the opening remarks set the tone for what to expect. Piccolo player Jennifer Bouton Schaub compared the night’s music to a blockbuster double feature like last year’s Barbenheimer, before shifting into a breezy little pitch about donations and tote bags. She was really charismatic! I’d be happy to see her do more presenting whenever appropriate.

The blockbuster theme rang true, as the night’s program had a flair for the cinematic. The three pieces on the program also shared a tendency toward direct, blunt gestures. Fate Now Conquers by Carlos Simon was an appealing overture, full of near-constant action. A contrasting section lightened the texture with scales passed around the orchestra and a beautiful cello solo from Susan Babini.

Tan Dun’s trombone concerto Three Muses in Video Game, inspired by three different ancient Chinese instruments, was the most overtly cinematic moment of the night. It’s no wonder that Tan Dun has had such success in film music. The three movements brought Chinese folk scenes to life, aided by a large percussion setup and some neat orchestration, particularly in the woodwind section. But the real centerpiece was the trombone soloist, the MSO’s own Megumi Kanda. She showed great skill in her execution of the virtuosic trombone writing. The solo line frequently carried a big melody over the orchestra, and she led those sections with a rich singing tone. Much of the writing was idiomatic for the instrument, especially making use of slides. As a piece of music, it was certainly pleasant, though the second movement plodded along at times. But it’s great to have a colorful, sweepingly melodic trombone concerto in the contemporary repertoire.

Classical Hit

Carmina Burana, Carl Orff’s one-hit wonder, has become perhaps the biggest classical blockbuster of the 20th century. Based on medieval poetry, it embraces the idea of a secular cantata by covering topics that a sacred cantata would never touch: drinking, gambling, and sex. But it’s also deeper than that, reflecting on fate and the changing of seasons and other aspects of human life. I had heard the last MSO performance in 2019, but overall, this one clicked more, and I found myself enjoying the music and the text to a greater degree. It’s all written with great economy, and in a good performance the beauty and humor come off effortlessly.

All three vocal soloists made strong impressions. Baritone Dashton Burton brought operatic power and an animated stage presence in moments like Estuans interius (Seething inside). Tenor Brian Giebler commanded attention in the humorous aria from the perspective of a swan being roasted; his voice was fascinating to listen to, achieving a smooth timbre on high notes almost akin to a countertenor. Best of all was Sonya Headlam, a soprano with mature, expressive tone. I loved her reading of Stetit puella (There stood a girl), emotional and connected to the text.

The MSO choir was polished in this music, with good diction and intonation. There was a slight disconnect between the choir and orchestra in one of the early movements, but then they locked in for the rest of the performance. One of the most impressive moments for me was the quick call-and-response section Veni, veni, venias (Come, come, pray come). Also worth mentioning: singers from the Milwaukee Children’s Choir looked and sounded pretty professional! They were well-prepared, singing from memory and following all the cues from Maestro Ken-David Masur.

Sparkling Interpretation

Masur brought some sparkle to the overall interpretation. In the big springtime section, he created a convincing tableau out of the changing moods. The brass sounded excellent in the short dance movement leading into Silvet flora nobilis(Noble woods).  The chorus Were diu werlt alle min (If the world were mine) featured spirited performance and conducting. In the rousing Tempus est iocundum (Time to jest), I enjoyed Masur’s exaggeratedly slow beginnings of the “Oh, oh, oh” material, allowing for exaggerated accelerandos. By the final iteration, the music had a sexy swagger. In contrast, the O Fortuna choruses were a little fast for my taste, but the feeling of urgency worked.

This wasn’t the last concert of the MSO season, but it had the feeling of a finale, with Masur taking the mic to recognize some retiring longtime members after the applause. The orchestra is sounding increasingly confident and delivering great experiences in this new hall. The one real musical nitpick I’ve had lately is I’ve noticed a handful of cues that don’t land 100% together. That’s something to iron out for a final polish.

A nonmusical nitpick would be the embarrassing lack of legroom in some of the higher balcony seats. I’ve mentioned this before, but it is really a problem. I literally saw some people adjusting their legs and trying to massage their sore knees. It only affects a handful of rows, and I don’t know that anything can be done except maybe a discount akin to the “obstructed view” discounts sometimes seen in hall maps.

Carmina Burana, the great humanist cantata, is here to stay. It connects with audiences in its directness of expression, and the text remains mostly universal after seven hundred years. Matching it with two other pieces that delightedly smashed the epic button, the MSO brought a winning concert that I’m still thinking about.