Saturday, November 06, 1999
'Harmonium' composer leads stirring premiere of choral masterpiece
BY JANELLE GELFAND
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A recording simply cannot prepare you for the power, intensity and impact of a live performance. So it was Friday night with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in Music Hall, when composer John Adams conducted the Cincinnati premiere of his choral masterpiece, Harmonium.
Harmonium (1980), a 32- minute setting of three poems, is a perfect example of the minimalist style for which Mr. Adams is known. The hypnotic repetition of short patterns occurs both in the chorus and the orchestra, creating luminous choral textures and a mesmerizing rhythmic foundation.
The CSO, arrayed in front of the May Festival Chorus, performed a shimmering introduction to John Donne's poem, “Negative Love,” of the first movement. With Mr. Adams leading animatedly, the movement grew into a brilliant, pulsating sound-scape of buoyant choral forces, accompanied by an orchestral palette that included celesta, piano and brass. The chorus, prepared by Robert Porco was full and precise, and articulated the text with wonderful energy.
The other two movements were settings of poems by Emily Dickinson. “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” was a hushed, dark contrast. Its slow-motion tempo perfectly conjured the imagery of the words — a last ride before death.
Mr. Adams swept up the orchestra into a turbulent transition that erupted without a break into the finale. “Wild Nights” was as exhilarating as Dickinson's words might indicate, with crashing waves of sound that quickly subsided. The chorus remained an involved partner from the first pulsating note until its gentle conclusion. The sparse crowd of 1,477 stood in appreciation.
In the concert's first half, Mr. Adams announced: “The strange piece on this program is the Sibelius Fourth.” Indeed, this was only the second time the CSO has performed Sibelius' Symphony No. 4 in this century. (The last was in 1937.)
An articulate speaker, he painted a remarkable description for the audience, before plunging into what may be Sibelius' bleakest score.
The result was both rewarding and memorable. Mr. Adams captured the Nordic restraint of this brooding, often fragmentary work, and allowed it to unfold naturally. The mood lightened in the scherzo, where the winds shone. Mr. Adams brought the slow movement to an organlike climax, and brought out wonderful detail in the finale.
He opened the program with Finlandia, which, while not as passionate as some readings, was vivid and well-played.
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