BSO, Alsop and Watts deliver fiery concert
The stars were aligned last night, at least above Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where one of the season's most gratifying concerts took place. It wasn't just that Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra came together in such a potently expressive fashion (occasional shortcomings in the playing didn't ultimately matter much). Capping the harmonious convergence was stellar pianist Andre Watts, who delivered an incendiary account of Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2.
Watts, celebrated since his debut with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic at the age of 16, has lost none of his pianistic flair now that he's entered his 60s. In fact, what he produced last night seemed bigger in tone, richer in nuance -- simply greater in overall impact -- than anything I've heard from him over the years. Of course, he's always been a dynamic pianist, but this was wonderfully risky music-making, always on the edge, full of surprising flourishes. (There's a spurious old tale that Brahms heard a demonstration of ragtime before he died in 1897, though ragtime actually emerged a little later.
But, after what I witnessed last night, in the super-syncopated flurry that Watts unleashed in a few delicious measures toward the end of the finale, I'm ready to posit that Brahms may have unknowingly invented ragtime in this concerto, nearly two decades earlier than any American.) The mix of energetic drama and lyrical poetry that flowed in equal portion from the keyboard ignited a vivid response from Alsop and the ensemble. Ilya Finkelshteyn's cello solo in the Andante was elegantly sculpted. That movement also found the conductor providing sensitive, spacious molding of her own. (I wish she had allowed even a little of that breadth into the Andante of Beethoven's Fifth a few weeks ago.)
The remainder of the program was devoted to Brahms' great friend, Dvorak. That composer is the focus of a recording cycle Alsop and the BSO are making for Naxos, and all the performances are being recorded live. I imagine a lot of last night's effort will be left on the editing room floor, given the droopy intonation and occasional blooper in the winds, not to mention periodic outbursts of whooping cough and seismic sneezing in the audience. But the spirited effort on stage proved formidable. Every time I hear Dvorak's Sixth, it becomes my favorite of his symphonies. It really is absurd how rarely the piece shows up in concerts. Not surprisingly, Alsop relished its propulsive power, driving her forces along in the Scherzo and, especially, the breathless dash kicked of by the strings in the last movement. But the conductor also paid plenty of attention to the work's romantic side, with some of the most beautifully shaded phrasing I've yet heard from her. And even allowing for the less polished bits of execution, the orchestra sounded terrifically involved in the symphony's sunny, eventful journey. The strings were especially impressive, and they had a chance to shine on their own at the start of the concert in Dvorak's lovely, rarely encountered Notturno, which Alsop paced with a gentle touch.
Remaining performances are at 8 tonight, 3 p.m. Sunday at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, and 8 p.m. Saturday at the Music Center at Strathmore. For tickets: 410-783-8000 or bsomusic.org.
