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| Sharon Isbin, Guitar |
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| Case Scaglione, Guest Conductor |
Tucson Symphony Orchestra, 15 November 2019
Case Scaglione, guest conductor
Sharon Isbin, guitar
Sharon Isbin, Corigliano's Troubadour
John Corigliano's 'Troubadour', is a dream-like vision of the hard-working 12th Century musicians and poets, whose stories and songs helped define the meaning and range of Medieval chivalry and courtly love. As a composition, 'Troubadour' is a complete work of art and artifice; a very modern and reflective soundscape is engaged to imagine and to emulate, rather than whimsically imitate, a powerful musical tradition; one which left us almost no notation of the music they wrote and performed. The most striking aspect of 'Troubadour' is the series of delicately assembled ethereal sonorities, including micro-tones and slow, harmonized tone-bending by woodwind instruments, all culled from a chamber-like ensemble of about thirty players. Some of these, including horn, double reed woodwinds and percussion, were placed back stage, from where their more conventional tunes and marches intervened into the meanderings and explorations of the modern guitarist, Isbin, and her band of psychic troubadours. Beginning and ending like a dream, the center portion of this one movement work allowed all aspects to amplify and more tersely engage. The off stage troupe, in semi-improvised flashes; the guitarista, now in virtuosic runs, then in plaintiff, stylized, self-accompanied romantic melodies, with a touch, here, of multi-voiced counterpoint; and the chamber players, wending folk rhythms and carefully crafted atmospherics into a gentle collage of sound scenes and songs. So much to love here!
What this music is not, is a traditional virtuosic showcase for guitar, if there is such a thing. After all, most signature virtuoso classical acoustic guitar music displays contrapuntal, multi-voiced clarity, accentuation, articulation, and phrasing. These are the crafts of the art. 'Troubadour' has all of that, yet fully integrated and sown within the meditative reincarnation of an unknowable time and set of musical traditions. For a highly renowned, prodigious, precise, and poetic guitar master, even in a work written specifically for her, bringing 'Troubadour' on stage is a somewhat daring endeavor. Sharon Isbin stayed very true to the cause; to the musical value of the whole composition, which I only fully understood the significance after the performance was completed. She was not compelled to conquer by dazzling. Performing her part in Corigliano's dream / drama with supreme, yet humble, professionalism and poise was perfect for the occasion and task at hand. This is not the kind of music most fans would immediately jump out of their seats in response, as the overall effect is that of gentle psychic depth, if not serenity. Sharon followed 'Troubadour' with direct appreciation for composer Corigliano, the TSO players, and guest conductor, Case Scaglione, then sat to spin out Antonio Lauro's 'Natalie', a gorgeous little threaded piece he had written for his daughter. A beautiful and touching gift, to wrap a striking and unusual work of musical art.
For those attending the TSO's previous Classic Series concert -- with Violinist, Tessa Lark and Guest Conductor, Perry So -- the style and content of this performance were completely opposite. Where last month, young Maestro So used his body, and especially his baton, as a feather brush elucidating every little musical detail; tonight, the young Maestro, Case Scaglione, used vast physical understatement, his baton at times folded down, rather than pointing aloft.
The Apotheosis of Romantic Love
Christening the concert with the ultimate heart-rending 'Prelude' and 'Isoldens Liebes-Tod' from Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde', at a justly slow 'Lento', and with with very little physical motion from the conductor, I got the feeling that conductor Scaglione wanted to music to crawl to life of its own volition. "The music will begin, the players will feel it, and the music will play itself," seemed to be the the 'modus operandi'. Whatever the intention, the result was mesmerizing. Quietude, tonal color, and clarity of sonorities ruled, with no pushing or acceleration. At times, I thought Scaglione literally withheld the signal for the woodwinds and cellos to enter or finish a phrase, which through intense focus on these pregnant tonal fragments, the players would then feel their own way to birthing the impending sonorous harmony. This method with the opening strands of this endless melody made for some almost serene moments, as Tristan's never-resolving musical kernel slowly awakened. Several long minutes in, when the violins finally gain some thematic control, striving takes over the music, and Maestro Scaglione ignited acceleration in broad, powerful stokes, handled superbly by the orchestra. I loved this action, where lilting repose and gentle meandering turn, in exaggeration, into yearning, and unyielding desire. Only three times in this Prelude was that passionate drive unleashed -- the last, a solid blow straight through the crashing, painful climax, and dimming all hope that any emotional relief would soon arrive. Case Scaglione deserves credit for a clear and original interpretation, and one that this orchestra could and did execute very well.
'Isoldens Liebes-Tod' brings an ecstatic dramatic climax to this traumatic myth of love. My love for this music and this performance were very high. TSO's woodwind playing and sonority control is top notch. The horns were completely on top of their game -- glorious -- and the strings stood tall in this 'sturm' of the heaviest emotions. Everything was working well; a searing triumph . . . of tragedy. I admit to giving a possibly one-man standing ovation for this most fulfilling performance, maybe proving that "people are fools", including myself...
Closing with Rachmaninoff's final opus, his 'Symphonic Dances', this high contrast program repeats Sunday at 2:00.
~ Steven Gendel
HEAR IT -- Humanity's Expressive Artists Reveal & Illuminate Truth
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