The season opener for Knoxville Symphony’s Chamber Orchestra series, a program titled Mozart & More, was Sunday, and it continued what has so far been a fabulous start to this, the Knoxville Symphony’s 90th season. It has been a long time since I’ve written about music, but I am going to give it a go.
For this listener the Mozart was not the draw here, although it was fabulous (more on that later), but rather the Horn Concerto No 1. in E-flat major, Opus 11 by Richard Strauss. I love this Horn Concerto, written by a young Strauss, and I was looking forward to this concert with a mixture of glee and trepidation. Glee, because when well performed this work makes me want to leap up and dance, and well, when not so well performed, it can become almost stolid. Principal Horn Jeffrey Whaley pulled off the performance brilliantly however and the interaction between soloist and orchestra was just entrancing. I was dancing in my seat, barely containing myself to stay calmly within its confines. Not only did Whaley display his mastery of the technical side of the music but he also showed that he is a master of playing the horn with warmth of feeling. I have not always heard this horn concerto played with such a combination of emotional resonance and technical harmony. It was indeed the highlight of the afternoon, and a performance that still echoes through my thoughts days later.
The Mozart, Symphony #40 in G Minor, was also fabulous and surprised me with the depth and beauty of the performance. I’ve written before about how it took me years to look beyond the surface of Mozart, the familiar melodies we all know, and explore the depths, and I always find there is a particular tension in this symphony, a tension that Demirjian and the orchestra gently teased out well while still maintaining a balance that only hinted at the depths lurking beneath the surface brightness. I was also amazed at the sense of intimacy the conductor and the musicians managed in the second movement, taking the music in and making this listener feel like she was in the midst of a very personal moment, walking a fine line between searching for some elusive element while still holding on to that thread of joy. Another fabulous performance.
The only downside of the concert for me was the first piece, Florence Price’s Octet for Brass and Piano, scored for scored for piano, two trumpets, two horns, two trombones, and tuba. The work was pleasing and a little mischievous, displaying an experimental nature I don’t remember noting in Price’s symphonic works. The piano particularly seemed to have a lilting playfulness that was, unfortunately overwhelmed by the brass. The brass portion was, intentionally I assume, more compact, and I assumed the piano was to dance around them. But at times the brass overwhelmed the piano, and felt a bit slow. I felt the music wanted to dance but was being leashed. The piece was lovely but I felt it could have been more. I would like the opportunity to hear the work again, and perhaps refine my opinion.