By Daniel Buckwalter
The grand beauty of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (Sinfonia Eroica) has gone “micro” and will again tonight Oct. 11) at The Shedd with the 11-piece ensemble called microphilharmonic.
On Sunday afternoon, before an appreciative and healthy-size audience at Jaqua Concert Hall, I can say that it works.
Beethoven’s Eroica with Michael Anderson and microphilharmonic captures the spirit and density of the master’s work, which was finished in 1804 and is credited for steering symphonic music from the Classical to the Romantic era. The composition is often cited to be the first Romantic symphony.
It works with microphilharmonic in part because Jaqua Concert Hall has a confined stage that amplifies the sound well.
It also works because of the robust performances of all 11 members of microphilharmonic.
Five string players, a flutist and three reed players as well as a French horn player and a timpani player ripped through the lengthy, but fast-paced first movement in stunning style.
The second movement is more introspective and soulful, mindful that it is a funeral march with a particular sing-song (or ternary) form. The symphony picks up the pace again in the short third movement and concludes with a fourth movement that spans substantial emotional ground and is at once hectic and heroic.
Sinfonia Eroica is a busy piece with a full orchestra, and it’s more so with the 11-piece microphilharmonic. No one was able to pause for long in the minimalist one-hour production.
Jason Schooler, the double-bass player, did manage to grab a seat on a stool for a few moments in the fourth movement, but it was just a few moments. He soon was back to work.
And Alice Blankenship, the first violinist whose work highlights much of Beethoven’s piece, was extra busy. She let out a deep and satisfied sigh after Sunday’s performance. After Monday’s finale, I hope she turns off her phone and takes the rest of the week off.
This version of Sinfonia Eroica is the years-long brainchild of Michael Anderson, the clarinetist and artistic director of microphilharmonic.
He hopes to take other symphonies and rework them for microphilharmonic as well as other smaller ensembles for smaller stages, and he’s looking for suggestions from classical music fans.
I say hit him up with a suggestion, but first, go to Monday night’s performance. It’s worth it.
Beethoven’s Eroica with Michael Anderson and microphilharmonic plays again at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 11, at Jaqua Concert Hall at The Shedd. Tickets are $24 to $38 and can be purchased online at TheShedd.org.
