Jennifer Higdon’s Violin Concerto, written for Baltimore’s own classical music star, Hilary Hahn. It’s a killer of a concerto in its technical demands, and it asks a lot of listeners, too. (Before the performance started, Alsop asked Higdon to stand – “It’s always good to know if you’re sitting next to the composer,” the conductor said. Good quip.)

Hahn wanted Higdon to write a “major” work. In terms of length, she certainly got it. Cast in three sizable movements, the concerto makes a grand statement, packed with thematic material and expansive development, all of it delivered with extraordinary prismatic colors. The opening of the score is stunning – plaintive musing from the violin against delicate wisps of percussion. It’s quite the ear-grabber, a wonderful way to begin what amounts to a long journey through moods and events, through light and shade.

The first movement contains other subtle passages, where the violin enters into a kind of conversation with individual instruments in the orchestra; the effect is compelling. There are less interesting moments, too. Higdon sometimes takes more time than seems necessary to arrive at a destination point, as in the finale, an extensive perpetual-motion exercise for the fiddler. The trouble with perpetual motion is that, if carried on too long, it becomes more about the motion than the music. That’s what happens here. I also think that the middle movement could use a little pruning so that its wonderful lyricism doesn’t become diluted.

That said, the concerto still achieves an impressive effect, overall. Higdon’s style, fundamentally tonal, yet imaginatively spiced, communicates with a refreshing directness and lack of pretension. The violin part encompasses an enormous range, technically and expressively (you can hear how the composer had Hahn’s remarkable virtuosity in mind at every turn), and the orchestra becomes every bit as important in this dialogue. The second movement is the heart of the work, bathed in almost Vaughan Williams-like sonorities, with richly textured chords supporting a slowly soaring melodic line. A rush of drama erupts near the end, but the calm returns, unfazed, somehow even more radiant.

Hahn, playing the daunting piece by memory, delivered a performance brimming with bravura, but her keen musicality ultimately took center stage. Alsop provided rock-solid support and had the orchestra responding brilliantly.

The concert opened with Beethoven’s Egmont Overture in a tidy, steady performance that could have benefited from a bit more personality. Dvorak’s rather neglected Symphony No. 5 provided an engaging close to the evening. Alsop, who has demonstrated quite an affinity for the composer’s music, made a convincing case for the work, right from the sunny rustling of woodwinds at the start. She let the lyrical tunes breathe, while never losing rhythmic tension, a knack that proved especially helpful in the sprawling finale. Some expressive peaks could have scaled with more impact, certain phrases imbued with more feeling, but the clarity and character in Alsop’s interpretation proved telling.

The orchestra responded warmly and demonstrated a discipline that has increasingly characterized its association with a music director who will be building on that rapport for at least six more years.

Performances continue Friday and Sunday at Meyerhoff, Saturday at Strathmore. 

BALTIMORE SUN FILE PHOTOS