Sunday, February 27, 2000
Orchestra blooms under Carlos Kalmar's baton
BY JANELLE GELFAND
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Carlos Kalmar turned up the heat at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on an unseasonably warm February evening, with a searing Rite of Spring.
It was hard to miss the theme of Friday's all-spring program at the CSO, coinciding with a springlike day. But what might have been cliche in the hands of some was electric under the baton of Mr. Kalmar, who has become a popular guest conductor since he debuted in 1989-90.
Orchestras still seeking music directors might do well to look seriously at this Uruguayan-born maestro, who, besides holding posts in Vienna and Germany, is the new principal conductor of Chicago's Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. He turned 42 on Saturday.
Mr. Kalmar opened with Johann Strauss Jr.'s Voices of Spring waltzes, heard last week at the Pops with soprano, but performed very differently here. He inspired wonderful detail of phrasing and such lightness, it was almost like watching a dance. He favored unrushed tempos and a great deal of rubato, and the result was both genteel and heady.
Schumann's Spring Symphony was fresh, with an element of urgency in this strong reading. Mr. Kal mar pushed its outer movements forcefully, bringing out the lyricism while managing to illuminate the inner lines, so important in Schumann.
Although the orchestra was not universally clean (especially the trombone trio between the second and third movements), there was much to admire. The scherzo was propulsive, with imaginative trios. The finale, with its lightning-quick articulation, included a well-phrased flute cadenza (Randolph Bowman).
Today it seems amazing that Stravinsky's familiar Rite of Spring caused a riot at its 1913 premiere. Mr. Kalmar's reading was taut and relentless, with more bite than any heard in Music Hall recently.
He kept a tight rein on the chugging ostinatos, which exploded on cue to great effect. The Sacrificial Dance was high voltage.
The enlarged orchestra, which included nine French horns, five trumpets and extra winds, played with pointed precision. Orchestral soloists were exceptional, particularly bassoonist William Winstead in the introduction, and the CSO's virtuoso timpanist, Eugene Espino.
About half of the 1,597 listeners awarded a standing ovation; the musicians insisted that Mr. Kalmar take a bow alone, the ultimate honor.
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