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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2008 > May > 17
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Review: Austin Sympony Orchestra, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
Shouts of ‘bravo’ and a rousing standing ovation topped off Austin Symphony Orchestra’s presentation of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 Friday night at the Long Center, the first of two sold-out concerts the orchestra performs this weekend.
True, orchestra music director Peter Bay and the orchestra may have made their official Long Center debut in April. But Friday’s concert had the festive feel of a true premiere.
Generally good traffic and parking flow and orderly box procedures lay a calm foundation for the evening. And the seasonably cool spring night drew concert-goers to the Long Center’s stunning City Terrace before the show began where they enjoyed the sweeping views of downtown and almost seemed reluctant to go inside.
But once inside, the audience was amply rewarded.
Over the course of two seasons, Bay has presented all of Beethoven’s symphonies in order with an aim to end with the Ninth in the new Long Center. Friday, Bay started the evening with a pleasant playing of Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony — a short, melodic happy symphony that’s almost uncharacteristic when compared to others by the dramatic German composer.
The drama was delivered after intermission when Bay and company attacked the Ninth.
Much is required of an orchestra and chorus to shape Beethoven’s intense last symphony. And it started with the verve and emotional, with Bay clearly extracting rich color from the orchestra — a considerable effort given the stormy first movement and the even more spectacularly brisk, forceful and energetic second movement.
Bay and the musicians are still clearly experimenting with the subtle of acoustics of the Long Center’s Dell Hall. At their disposal is a range of quiet modes, vastly different than the full-out volume that was required to fill the orchestra’s long-time home, the University of Texas’ Bass Concert Hall. Now, delicacy is a new instrument for ASO to master. Beethoven’s sweeping Ninth Symphony proved a test. There’s still some tweaking that’s needed, evidenced in the third movement where the direction of the orchestra sounded unresolved in its focus. The Dell is ultimately a quiet sounding hall that’s unforgiving of any musical indecisiveness.
But the orchestra pulled it together for the final movement, when a 175-member choir, under the direction of Kenny Sheppard, assembled to sing what’s become commonly known as ‘Ode to Joy’ chorus.
And that’s where the energy and drama counted most, when the emotional build-up of the nearly hour-long symphony finally, and joyously, is released in a shower of rousing glory.
Bay is to be commended for his two-year Beethoven journey and the smart timing to end it in the new Long Center. He’s clearly up for the challenge of the new hall — and full of ideas and energy to meet that challenge
