Bach and Bruckner

This past weekend's concert at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (forgive us for taking so long to write about it) was for me, as a ISO concertgoer for....hmmm....going on 15 years, a highlight for me. Every once in a while there are those concerts that just grab you by your shoulders and shake you, and afterwards you are ever so thankful for it. Friday night was that way for me.

Concertmaster Zach DePue and Guest Concertmaster Alexander Kerr started the evening off with Bach's Double Violin Concerto, and it was interesting to see them in action together. They are both such accomplished musicians (Zach came from the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Alexander was concertmaster of the Concertgebouw) and both have produced a new vitality of sorts to the violin section at the ISO. I know I've said that before, but I can't really seem to stop talking about that, because the change has been so drastic. That plus a few newer section members has really revitalized and energized the section. Both gentlemen are stunning players, and they played together well, playing off of each other as though it were second nature. You can hear their performance at Instant Encore, here.

Conductor Mario Venzago, quite the Bruckner specialist programmed his giant Eight Symphony for the second half, and this was the first time I'd heard Bruckner live, EVER. And speaking of firsts, it was the first time the ISO has ever done it as well. (hooray for yet ANOTHER new piece for the ISO, two weeks in a row!)

I've always kind of resented people who say ignorant things such as "well, if there's no Mahler concerts, you can always go and see some Bruckner!" or similar such things. (When I saw Bruckner in this season yet NOT ONE DROP OF MAHLER, I almost thought of not going.) But Bruckner 8.....WOW. I didn't forget Mahler at all, yet I was able to place him aside for certain moments during that piece. While I don't seem to follow Brucker as well as I do Mahler (to me B. is all over the place, and I don't hear the correlation between movements at all, or even sometimes within movements), and he doesn't grip at my heart/emotions the way Mahler does, I couldn't care about any of that Friday. There were times that evening that I felt like gripping my seat and just holding on for a wild ride! I was shocked in the most delightfully tickling way when I heard the orchestra respond the way they did to Venzago---it was as if he had found the key to really revving up his orchestra. They played magnificently, to say the least.

Was it perfect? No, not at all. Yet fire and passion were there in spades. There were times when I felt like the brass section were in omnipresent in the hall---their sound literally spread everywhere, and even at the end of that very long symphony, their chops were still pretty much holding on. The tubens is the second (Wagner tuba, for those of you wondering) were pretty stunning--I have heard how difficult they can be to play in tune, and they sounded incredible---the brass section all sounded that way, but they were the shining stars, in my humble opinion. Add to that an intense string section, and a great sounding wind section, and you have the ingredients for a great concert.

The ISO also happened to be trying out a new first oboist that evening (and the week before as well) and I found him to have a very sweet tone---one that does not stand out disproportionally to his section, yet one that still led the section well and played within the section well, all at the same time. He also seems quite young, which can work to many advantages---he could be molded well by his time with Venzago and the ISO. Yet, they may have more oboists to try out, I'm unsure of that. Either way, he played well this past weekend.

It was the ISO at its best for the season (so far), if you ask me. The kind of zeal they displayed for the Bruckner is what I always have my ears (and heart) open for. It makes the whole live music experience that much more intimate and intense when such zeal is out there, for all to see, hear, and experience. The ISO still has a few more performances this season (with some great rep too)

It was nice to hear such a performance, after being upset with a few (major) things the week before. (although besides my complaints last week, the ISO played well). I hope the remaining concerts this year are similar to this past weekend!