Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 is an icon of European culture. As long as you don’t hear it too often (as with any of the “war horses” of the repertory), it can bowl you over with its expressive power and invention. How this irritable, insufferable deaf man came up with the “Ode to Joy” is a mystery of where art comes from.
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra ended its classical season with a strong account of Symphony No. 9 last weekend, led by guest conductor Jun Märkl. In general, the Friday evening performance was characterized by elegant energy. I always look forward to the cellos and basses playing the free “recitative” section in the fourth movement, which was particularly arresting this time around.
Märkl’s tempos worked very well. He was able to hold together the brief solo vocal quartet section in the last movement, which sometimes verges on disaster. Of the soloists it was bass Morris Robinson who made the biggest impression, with a commanding presence and rich voice. The Milwaukee Symphony Chorus was solid in the piece.
The 100th anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein has been celebrated around the world this season, and also at MSO. Bernstein famously led Beethoven’s Ninth in Berlin in 1989, not long after the fall of the Berlin Wall. One couldn’t help but recall that with Chichester Psalms on the same MSO concert. Bernstein’s most often performed concert work was written for a 1965 summer festival in the British city of Chichester. Sung in Hebrew, it captures both the composer’s Jewishness and his lifelong spiritual quest.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Chichester heavily features the chorus, which did well in the piece. Bernstein’s rhythmic energy drives the first movement. His more sentimental side comes out in the second movement, featuring a boy soprano soloist, Evan Bagwell.
Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 1 obviously plays off Aaron Copland’s famous Fanfare for the Common Man. I don’t find the music to be that interesting, to be honest, but it was an opportunity to hear the agility of the horn section and Dean Borghesani in a brilliant, virtuoso timpani solo.
