Philharmonic brings 'Fantastique' to life
David Perkins, The Boston Globe, October 21, 2006
Posted: 2006-10-23 09:46:53
At the end of the witches' orgy in Hector Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique," so beautifully performed Thursday night at Sanders Theatre by the Boston Philharmonic, I imagined the composer's father muttering: "That's why I wanted him to go to medical school."
Berlioz was the original Romantic bad-boy composer, and he was never worse than in this symphony. Or better. It takes enormous skill, after all, to create a nightmare of slithering snakes, dancing skeletons (the violinists turn their bows around and bounce the wood on the strings), and laughing giants, and then, at the last moment, let loose . . . a fugue. There Berlioz seems to be saying, to his dad, professors, and the Catholic Church, I can do it, but it will be my way. No acting-out was more elegantly sculpted.
In its 28th-season opener, led by music director Benjamin Zander, the Boston Philharmonic played the symphony with breathtaking skill and concentration. Every now and then, one was reminded that this is a semi professional group: The string ensemble may have had a few loose ends, a woodwind solo may not have been ideally smooth. But basically, this was thrilling playing, from every section, and all held together in Zander's grip.
Individual felicities included the pastoral duet by oboist Peggy Pearson (playing offstage) and Ronald Kaye, English horn; the blended string tone in the Ball scene; the cellos's brisk launch of the fugue; the raw edge to the offstage bells in the Sabbath; the splendor of the brass.
So much conviction was a bit surprising, frankly, after the opening "Rapsodie espagnole" by Maurice Ravel. Here Zander's tempos seemed a bit too languid, and a sense of anticipation was missing that would bind together a series of atmospheric episodes.
The program's centerpiece was Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez," played by its leading interpreter, guitarist Sharon Isbin, with feeling and variety of touch. She received a warm ovation and responded with a subtle, meditative reading of Francisco Tarrega's "Recuerdos de la Alhambra."
The Philharmonic's Thursday night "Discovery" concerts are highlighted by Zander's witty, informative, and aptly brief commentary. Before leading the national anthem, the English-born conductor said that next week he will become an American citizen after 42 years in the United States. Without specifying, he said that America's image in the world had been "tarnished," and he wanted "to take a stand" "because I believe we can turn things around." Many in the audience cheered.
