By Daniel Buckwalter
(#CommonManAtTheSymphony)
In the present times of clatter and chaos — including the manic spring weather we’re experiencing — it is nice to be reminded of the grace and majesty of storytelling from the past.
The Eugene Symphony Orchestra, under the expressive and dynamic direction of guest conductor Joseph Young, did just that April 20, to the delight of patrons at Hult Center’s Silva Concert Hall.
From composer Lera Auerbach’s take on Greek mythology with Icarus to Sergei Prokofiev’s take on Shakespeare with Suite from Romeo and Juliet, the Eugene Symphony transported the audience back in time with elegance that deserved every standing ovation it received.
Sandwiched between those two pieces was a virtuoso performance from guest pianist Pallavi Mahidhara. She performed with Eugene Symphony in 2019 and wowed the audience on this night with amazing precision while leading the orchestra in Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor.
The storytelling began with the well-known story of Icarus, and at the start, Young asked the audience to focus on the opening of Auerbach’s piece.
Icarus the son, of course, is the focal point of the story, a boy who attempted to flee Knossos and King Minos with wings of wax and feathers, an invention of his father, only to see those wings melt because he flew too close to the sun and fell to his death in the ocean.
It is a cautionary tale regarding the carelessness of youth, but Young explained that Auerbach, an Austrian-American who also is a gifted pianist, wanted also to convey the desperate wish of the father, Daedalus, to have his son to break free from the island and King Minos.
Daedalus is an accomplished inventor, having constructed a labyrinth surrounding Knossos that is so encompassing that even he couldn’t navigate it, so he is the right man to give this a shot.
Icarus opens with the noise, the busy-ness, of an inventor feverishly working on the wings so that the son can escape.
But the son can’t pull it off, and his fall was noted with refined sweetness by violinist and Eugene Symphony Concertmaster Searmi Park, her portrayal so profound that it could make your knees buckle.
Prokofiev carved from the ballet Romeo and Juliet three orchestral suites and a suite for solo piano. As with other conductors, Young chose to assemble his version of Suite from Romeo and Juliet from parts of Prokofiev’s three orchestral suites to form the April 20 performance.
Thankfully, The Death of Tybalt survived Young’s scrutiny, even if Tybalt couldn’t survive his duel with Romeo. The concussive quality of this movement is something I can listen to every day.
At the conclusion of the movement on April 20, one audience member couldn’t help himself and declared loudly, “Yes!”
The audience chuckled. I smiled. Everyone got it.
In the present times of clatter and chaos, we all got a taste of the grace and majesty of storytelling, coupled with great music. It was a good night.
