This week's Minnesota Orchestra concerts, heard Thursday morning at Orchestra Hall, feature two British compositions surrounding one of the most popular Romantic concertos, the Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor. Courtney Lewis, associate conductor, demonstrated a sure hand.
The fresh exuberance of Schumann's concerto belies the difficulty of its composition. This was actually his third attempt at a piano concerto and began as a one-movement "Phantasie," only later expanded to a full three-movement concerto.
The work is full of romantic ardor, the expression of Schumann's love for his wife, piano virtuoso Clara Schumann, who played the premiere. He opened the first movement with a cascade of notes, demonstrating her proficiency. And the intertwining of soloist and orchestra seems reflective of their deep connection.
Argentine pianist Ingrid Fliter played with passion, but also delicacy, creating a compelling sense of intimacy that drew one into the music. Lewis proved a keen collaborator, their communication adding an additional level of intensity.
The brilliantly virtuosic conclusion of the first movement led to a playful Intermezzo, with both the soloist and the orchestra capturing the musical poetry. It was followed by a fast-paced and high-spirited finale.
With his concert overture, "In the South," Edward Elgar caught a moment of reverie when on an old Roman road on the Italian Riviera. He captured both the might of ancient Roman armies in dramatic orchestra flourishes and the pastoral nature of the scene in gentle passages.
Lewis got carried away in the dramatic sections, the orchestra sounding overly cacophonous, but the lyrical sections were graceful and touching. And he built to a robust Romantic conclusion.
William Walton wrote his Symphony No. 1 in the early 1930s. Until then, most of his compositions had been either programmatic or the setting of texts. As intimidating and difficult as composing the abstract symphony was, Walton created a work of massive grandeur, tonal in nature, but reveling in dissonances.
