Budapesti Festivali Zenekara
May 31, Ivan Fischer conducting in Suntory Hall -- Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Op. 56a (Johannes Brahms, 1833-97), Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 (Bela Bartok, 1881-1945) and "Zigeunerweisen" for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 20 (Pablo Martin Militon de Sarasate y Navascuez, 1844-1908), featuring Akiko Suwanai; Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68 (Brahms)
The Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer presented 10 performances during 13 days in Japan recently. Founded in 1983, the 89-member orchestra was making its second appearance here.
The BFO seems to have metamorphosized since its appearance here four years ago. It's not just that the complement of players has been increased by some 20 percent, nor that the years have brought international acclaim to the orchestra and to the native-son conductor who at the age of 32 founded it as the Hungarian capital's sixth orchestra.
I was looking forward to a repeat of the festive razzamataz which had preceded the 1996 concerts, a seemingly impromptu display of musical high spirits by the brass players just before the tuning note was sounded. There were now no high jinks though; all was symphonic sobriety. I was anticipating also the acoustical integrity of the Toscanini-style opera seating of the strings and winds which in 1996 had so enhanced the presence of mid-register voices in the ensemble. No, that too had partially yielded to a more universal conformity.
In tone and temperament, the festival orchestra is becoming a symphonic ensemble.
There is a dualism to the Hungarian tradition of intellectual sophistication and gypsy abandon which appealed enormously to no less a musical heavyweight than Brahms. He was so taken with the infectious national spirit that he bequeathed the symphonic world four sets of 21 Hungarian dances, perhaps the most oft-performed music of his entire output. This same duality was reflected in Fischer's thoughtful programming, the intellectual Bartok and gypsy Sarasate works being encapsulated by those of Brahms himself.
Variations on a Theme of Haydn is a striking example of Brahms' superb mastery of the technique of symphonic variation. The work bears repeated rehearings to perceive the many exquisite points of delicate subtlety.
Fischer judged very well the pace of the pulse. He took the variations very unhurriedly, lovingly and with great care pointed up nuances in the color painting. Nothing seemed the least bit frenetic in the stately approach, and yet it had vitality and dynamism. The final section was the most careful and deliberate Vivo I can imagine, but it was exciting. The entire work was deeply felt, consistent and compelling.
Brahms' weighty first symphony luxuriated in Fischer's flexible tempos, fluid expression and warm sonorities, and the performance was very good.
In the delicate intricacies of the slow movement, Fischer's sense of unhurried space for the chamber music to unfold and tonal sonorities to flower came again to the fore. Within the momentum of the pulse, one could hear much of the inner moving lines. It seemed to challenge the orchestra, a good ensemble without the advantage of great players.
The well-conceived finale was beautifully highlighted, passionate but judiciously restrained. Full of tiny Luftpause, sudden shifts of gears were largely obviated by the organic fluidity, and the movement was for the most part very compelling.
Visually it was wonderful to see the long phalanx of contrabasses ranged across the center at the rear of the stage a la Vienna, supporting the entire orchestra continuum with its harmonic foundation. Surprisingly, this disposition did not work as well as I once thought it should. Perhaps it was because only a part of the section made contiguous contact with the true bass, virtually always realized in the section of violoncellos.
Still, I could live with this arrangement. What I realized I missed far more was the vital presence of the viola section, now that it had been switched (with the violoncellos) from the conductor's left to his right. In their former position, the warm midregister tone had beautifully united the bottom and top of the string sonority. Please, Maestro, move them back!
Bartok's concertos figure among the most important of the 20th century. Innocent of virtuosic pyrotechnics to please an audience, they are unforgiving works, demanding technically upon the soloist and demanding aurally upon the listener. Bartok, one might say, is an acquired taste. Still, performing Bartok's music is a rewarding experience musically. It is fascinating what that man conceived out of the fabric of the orchestra. Performers of real excellence keep returning to Bartok's compositions, intrigued and never satiated.
Bartok's music calls not only for Hungarian melorhythms but for robust gypsy passions. His asymmetrical rhythmic figures, unremittingly dissonant chordal combinations and acrid colorings demand a musical counterpart in the driving character of their emotional expression. Plainly, Bartok calls for a performer who has experienced a life of pain as well as plenitude.
Whereas Bartok was a composer and a pianist, Sarasate was a violinist and a composer. Many prominent composers of the time wrote concerted works especially for him, and he wrote for himself as well light works which were pleasing and effective. His music might be thin in content, but it excels in the pyrotechnics of a virtuoso.
Akiko Suwanai has taken on concerto after concerto in developing one of the broadest repertoires of her generation. She is a professional's professional, tackling every musical challenge with aplomb and with enormous personal discipline. Playing with a rare level of technical purity, she exemplifies sure command of the violin and of herself, and sure control of the music. The notes fall just where they should, her intonation is absolutely just and her playing is always intelligent.
A fairy-tale princess of the violin, Suwanai is also a beautiful and gracious young lady. When she is twice her present age, I don't doubt that she will look back on the recordings of her 20s with some amusement. But for now, the perfection of her playing is enough.
This was an unusually intriguing combination of a young conductor, a younger soloist and a still younger orchestra. The ingredients were put together in a wise and penetrating way with a program which seemed to point to the future, more than anything else -- a future of much promise.
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