Photo by J. Michel
The great critic Pauline Kael called Laurence Olivier’s 1944 film Henry V “a triumph of color, music, spectacle, and soaring heroic poetry.” Olivier starred in his debut as a movie director in this adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, with music by William Walton. In 1990, conductor Neville Marriner and author Christopher Palmer adapted Walton’s film score in a concert work with spoken narration, following the plot. As part of the worldwide celebration of the 400th year death of Shakespeare, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra performed the concert version of Henry V last weekend.
I’ll borrow Kael’s word: The performance was a triumph. Walton’s colorful, brilliant music is worthy of being the center of attention. Actor Marcus Truschinski was at times narrator, other times speaking the text of the play/film and playing characters, including Henry himself. Truschinski was a convincing hero, bellowing Henry’s inspirational speech that led his outnumbered army into the battle victory of Agincourt.
Walton’s score is operatic, and Edo de Waart, a great opera conductor, brought out all the drama of the piece. The music for the death of Falstaff is mournfully touching. The voyage across the English Channel comes to life with low brass creating imagery of the sway of the ships on the waves. The tension before the attack, the accumulating battle music, and the exultant victory were all thrilling and exciting. This was MSO at its best, playing with sharply drawn, rich color. Milwaukee Symphony Chorus and Milwaukee Children’s Choir joined the orchestra at times, adding to the heroic grandeur.
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Earlier on Saturday evening I heard an unusual program on the Early Music Now series at the Zelazo Center at UW-Milwaukee. Constantinople, a Montreal-based ensemble, performed music by Persian composers who immigrated to Constantinople in the 16th to the 18th centuries. It took my ears a while to settle into the exotic sounds coming from the setar, kanun (a plucked harp-like instrument), oud (a sort of mandolin/lute). Sepideh Raissadat sang expressively, with elaborate ornamentation. The rhythmic, modal music became meditative and hypnotic. Fascinating improvisations from various players freely explored an aesthetic that landed somewhere between classical, jazz and folk music.
