Classical Concert Reviews Cinci

@cincysymphony began May 2024 with a scintillating and energetic program of works by two of the most well-known composers from both sides of the classical music spectrum- Cincinnati native Bryce Dessner and Ludwig van Beethoven.
Under the leadership of guest conductor Samuel Lee (@samuellee_conductor), the CSO’s Associate Conductor and recent winner of the 2024 Malko competition for young conductors in Copenhagen, the orchestra opened with a serene and evocative reading of one of Dessner’s most recent orchestral works, Mari. Written during the darkest years of the Covid-19 pandemic while living in the forests of the France’s Basque region, it struck a hopeful yet calming note to inspire audiences and performers to fully embrace a new world of music as it continues to emerge from such a dark chapter.
Pianist Alice Sara Ott (@alicesaraott_official) then joined the orchestra to give the US premiere of Dessner’s Piano Concerto, written especially for her. Thematically, the work is a musical letter of love and gratitude to Dessner’s sister Jessica, an accomplished artist and dancer who trained and performed with the Cincinnati Ballet while she and her siblings were growing up. Musically, it displayed a wide variety of textures and influences, including music by Joe Hisaishi for the Studio Ghibli films made by his longtime friend Hayao Miyazaki to the modern romanticism of John Adams as well as slight hints of an electro-acoustic twang in the first and third movements. While it was technically and musically innovative, the piano and orchestra never quite gelled together, partially due to the large forces Dessner asked for in the piece and that were too few truly solo moments for the piano. Despite these setbacks, the work was warmly received, and Ott encored with a hushed and stirring performance of Arvo Pärt’s Für Alina.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 probably ties with his fifth symphony as the most well-known and performed. Written in 1811-12, it is full of memorable melodies which has endeared Beethoven to the current pop culture landscape.
Lee’s conducting possessed graceful fluidity and stirring drama, as is to be expected of any Beethoven performance.