KVT – Swept Away in Waves of Schuman

Swept Away in Waves of Schuman

I always shied away from Schuman’s orchestral works and I’m glad I did – because now I’ve got a whole new world of music to discover.

Thursday night at the Opera House with the VNSO under the baton of guest conductor Andrea Pestalozza was Schuman extraordinaire. Schuman’s Fourth gently, then triumphantly burst forth into its first movement and held me spellbound for its entire, uninterrupted length.The second movement begins with a hauntingly beautiful melody shared by solo oboe and cello, and later the solo violin gracefully steals you away. Almost too shivery! No wonder I’ve become a fan!

Schuman composed the work in 1841 and then revised it in the early 1850’s. It’s the latter version we mostly hear, though Brahms preferred the first one (lots of arguments with Schuman’s headstrong widow, Clara, over that though, and Clara won through). A lot of conductors are in a predicament as to which one they prefer and though the latter is most dominant, some keep elements of the original.

It wasn’t long after the premiere of the 4th in 1853 that Schuman had a mental breakdown, spent a couple of years in an asylum and died not too long after. But his deterioration is not apparent in this wonderful composition.

The wonderful third movement sort of builds up to a false climax after the trombones have made their lovely statement, then carries you flawlessly into a series of faster and faster bits that race to a heart-beating, foot-stomping, real bravo conclusion.

It was brilliant to hear the whole orchestra playing as one coherent body all the way through.

A complaint I’d heard about the 4th is that it can be too repetitive and bland. Maestro Pestallozza certainly carried the musicians way, way above any of that and dispelled and dispersed my very silly prejudices.

Interval was far too brief to digest Schuman and suddenly the gong resounded and the orchestra took their seats, joined by two harpists, and tuned up for Debussy and an excursion, led by a flute and the mellow midday trills of the harp, into that all too brief afternoon of a faun. This piece, which is said to have changed the course of modern music, was a restful, bucolic prelude before we ventured to an expressionistic vision of the Mediterranean Sea.

Debussy is one of my favorites and it’s always a treat to hear La Mer, which is always referred to one of the supreme achievements in symphonic literature, if it’s in the hands of a good conductor and orchestra …and it was!

The three symphonic sketches took us from dawn to midday on the sea and enclosed us in its atmospheric moods. Then we watched and heard the waves play above the mysterious depths and finally referred to Hokusai’s great wave as they swelled and swooshed and grew to a dazzling storm for the finale.

Grand stuff that deserved its applause …..and the smiles on the faces of the musicians.