A heartfelt reading of Schubert songs

Soprano Dawn Upshaw concludes her first season as an artistic partner with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra with a concert at Ordway Center on Saturday. In part, the concert previews the program that the orchestra will play at Carnegie Hall in May, and indications are that the home team will do itself proud there.

The highlight of Thursday's concert was the world premiere of composer Osvaldo Golijov's arrangements of four songs by Franz Schubert, collectively titled "She Was Here." Golijov left Schubert's vocal lines intact, but rewrote the accompaniments.

"Lied der Mignon (Mignon's Song)" was the most successful, because it remained closest to the spirit of the original. The undulating accompaniment of "Nacht und Träume (Night and Dreams)," echoing the minimalism of Philip Glass, was also intriguing, offering a cross-cultural commentary that gave the song new life.

All in all, these were interesting novelties. But it is hard to imagine them gaining much currency, not in the face of the gemlike perfection of the originals.

Upshaw treated each song as a mini-opera, adapting her voice to the character of each and creating a real sense of drama. Her sensitivity to the texts made each, in its own way, heartfelt and moving.

The concert opened with Igor Stravinsky's Suite from "Pulcinella," another example of a modern composer adapting music of an earlier age, in this case that of Giovanni Pergolesi. For the most part, the suite is a witty romp, and conductor Douglas Boyd romped right along with the composer in an effervescent performance that inspired audience laughter.

Upshaw then sang two short Stravinsky song cycles, "Two Poems of Constantin Bal'mont" and "Three Japanese Lyrics." These miniatures are a very different Stravinsky. They are astringent and dissonant and the high tessitura tested Upshaw's soprano, but she was much at home in the style of the material and carried them off with flair.

The concert concluded with Haydn's Symphony No. 104 in D, "London," his final symphony. This valedictory work may not be a summation of Haydn's ideas about the symphony, but it is a capstone.

Boyd led a performance of this dark and serious work that captured its profundity without losing sight of Haydn's natural exuberance. One might have wished for a more adventurous conclusion, more in keeping with the rest of the program, but the winning performance swept all misgivings away in its wake.

William Randall Beard is a Minneapolis writer.