Jennifer Taylor
The Met Orchestra provided no official theme for his or her season-finale live performance at Carnegie Corridor, however a savvy listener may discern a typical thread among the many 4 works programmed: three of the represented composers hail from North America, and the fourth — Antonín Dvořák — composed his valedictory Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, “From the New World” after a life-altering sojourn in america. The items themselves spoke the non-public connections between composer and topic, together with nationwide id, non secular background, familial ties, and regional delight.
In high type underneath the management of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Met musicians, free of the pit for a night, gave wealthy voice to every choice, enjoying with conviction and dedication even when the opposite three selections didn’t fairly equal Dvořák’s enduring masterpiece.
The live performance opened with Antrópolis, a brief symphonic poem by Gabriela Ortiz, who holds the Carnegie Corridor Composer’s Chair. The title refers to an “antro,” a sort of dive bar present in some Spanish-speaking nations. Ortiz drew inspiration from the night time golf equipment and dance halls of her native Mexico Metropolis, and people zesty rhythms have been effectively represented within the sound world. Starting with an prolonged timpani solo (carried out by principal Parker Lee) that made the mighty instrument sound as free and intimate as a bongo drum, the unbroken motion then unfolded with an onslaught of percussion, extremely tuned brass, and string figures that recalled the strumming of a Spanish guitar. Nézet-Séguin drew wealthy coloring from Ortiz’s heavy orchestration, and the piece achieved the impact described by the composer in her program word, suggesting a lack of inhibition on the dance flooring after an extended day of labor.
Close to the tip of Antrópolis, the musicians provided a joyous, completely pitched vocalization to deliver the piece house. Was Ortiz nodding to Leonard Bernstein and the cries of “Mambo!” in West Aspect Story? I couldn’t assist however contemplate it because the composer’s Symphony No. 1, “Jeremiah” adopted on this system. Premiered within the first flush of Lenny Mania that accompanied his star-making conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic, “Jeremiah” hasn’t endured in the identical manner as his well-liked music, and I’d enterprise it seems lower than his different two mature symphonies.
Nézet-Séguin appears to champion this piece: he carried out it with the Philadelphia Orchestra at Carnegie in 2017, and he’ll repeat it with that group in situ subsequent season. Every of the symphony’s three actions options enticing music and plain flecks of genius, nevertheless it’s additionally arduous to keep away from the facile scope of youth, with heavy handed concepts and copious quantities of repetition. (Bernstein was 24 on the premiere.) Written within the shadow of the Holocaust, the primary motion, subtitled “Prophecy,” cries out with thickly textured string tone — which the Met Orchestra musicians delivered with arresting poignancy, aided by Nézet-Séguin’s beneficiant rubato. The central Scherzo, “Profanation,” emerged with a sinister, menacing high quality from the woodwinds, finally picked up by the total orchestra. As with many youthful works, there are results that seem jarring for their very own sake — particularly right here within the percussion — but when Nézet-Séguin didn’t make the case for “Jeremiah” as a uncared for masterpiece, he carried out it with a palpable depth of feeling.
The third motion, “Lamentation,” options the setting of a textual content from the Hebrew Bible. Angel Blue remained vocally dedicated — regardless of a reliance on the rating that instructed solely current mastery — and sounded significantly affecting when singing softly, with Nézet-Séguin preserving the orchestral forces at a whisper. She made much less of an impression in full-throttle passages. This might do along with her unusual placement on the stage — on a barely raised platform between the primary violins and double basses — however regardless of possessing a juicy decrease register, Blue struggled to challenge the deep, ahead sound anticipated in a piece scored for a mezzo. The final brightness of Blue’s tone additionally stood in distinction to the earnest, mournful character of the music.
After intermission, the orchestra gave the New York premiere of a collection from Hearth Shut Up in My Bones, the Terence Blanchard opera that reopened the Met after the pandemic closure. The piece proved successful in its second, though a subsequent revival did lighter enterprise on the field workplace, a typical difficulty for brand spanking new works as soon as the novelty has worn off. And though Blanchard’s music possesses a sure likable high quality, it’s arduous to think about an everlasting life primarily based on this 15-minute distillation, which incessantly appeared like a generic movie rating.
There have been moments to savor within the efficiency, like a bluesy brass chorale and a poignant cello solo, performed by Jerry Grossman, that gave voice to the inside turmoil of the character Charles, who struggles along with his budding sexuality and his abuse by the hands of a member of the family. Elsewhere, although, the piece unfolded blandly in a string-heavy orchestration, with passages repeating with out transformation, rising increasingly repetitive with every flip. As with the opera itself — an earnest however dramatically turgid story of self-actualization — the orchestral suite failed to carry this listener’s consideration, regardless of dedicated enjoying and Nézet-Séguin’s cogent management. In comparison with the remainder of this system, it obtained solely well mannered applause.
The Dvořák that ended the night time felt like a typical Nézet-Séguin efficiency: it was a research in extremes, shifting from near-surgical precision within the first two actions to wild abandon on the conclusion. Tempos shifted from stately repose to a breakneck tempo, and if he generally sacrificed element in favor of an awesome sound, the outcomes have been usually thrilling. This strategy can generally really feel a tad superficial, however Nézet-Séguin confirmed absolute management over his imaginative and prescient of the work, getting precisely what he needed from the orchestra. And there have been nonetheless particular person moments to savor, like Pedro R. Diaz’s English horn solo and the gossamer flute traces performed by Seth Morris.
No relaxation for the weary: this summer time will discover Nézet-Séguin main his Orchestre Métropolitain on a tour of Europe, conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and overseeing the Philadelphia Orchestra’s annual residency in Saratoga Springs, New York. However after final night time, the Met Orchestra musicians have undoubtedly earned their trip.
