by Marvin J. Ward

Lexington, MA, 12 September 2009.  The Lexington Symphony, under the baton of its Music Director Jonathan McPhee, opened its 15th season this evening with one of its typically varied programs of much-loved works paired with one that is too infrequently played.

The concert began with Rossini’s catchy and ever popular Overture to La Gazza Ladra that dates from 1817.  Its opening drum roll that Rossini, whom Maestro McPhee accurately characterized as "the Broadway composer of his day," ostensibly wrote to get the attention of the incessantly chattering Milan La Scala audience, was not necessary for this one, which was attentively waiting for the music to start.  Many of its members had come early to hear McPhee’s engaging pre-concert talk and had the time to read the fine program notes in the attractive booklet by symphony violinist Cindy Fong (playing in the violin 2 section this evening).  Unlike many school systems across the country, Lexington’s still has a solid music program, and its fruit is eminently on display in the make-up of this nearly full house, from young children who were up way past their bedtimes to seniors of advanced age, who were also no doubt up past theirs, and in its impeccable comportment.

The major work of the 1st half was William Walton’s 1928 Viola Concerto, his 1st work in the concerto genre written when he was only 26, with Roger Tapping as soloist.  Walton belongs to the middle generation of the truly English composers (those who were not imitating German forms and were using traditional English sounds) of the 20th century, between Holst, Vaughan Williams, et al., of the 1st generation and Benjamin Britten of the 3rd, but he has the double distinction of not having written a very large body of works and not having written any 2 alike.  The concerto literature for the middle child of the string family is quite limited, with Berlioz’ Harold en Italie being perhaps the 1st modern one, the best known, and the most frequently heard, on radio at least, and it isn’t even called a concerto.  The Walton is a masterpiece by any standard, but it is very different from the showpiece-for-the-soloist works for its upper register sibling, the violin – think Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky – and yes, also from the aforementioned Berlioz.  The soloist has some moments to play alone and to shine, but he does not lead the orchestra on its way; the bulk of the work features him within its texture.  Tapping, who spent many years as a member of string quartets, the Allegri and the Takács in particular, knows well how to perform in this format, and shone forth in a stellar rendition.  What a treat!

The 2nd half of the program was devoted to Brahms 1876 Symphony No. 1 in c, Op. 68, written when he was 43, because, in spite of his immense early successes in other genres, he, like all of his contemporaries, felt daunted by the thought of writing the sequel to Beethoven’s 9th.  He nonetheless succeeded magnificently when he finally got around to it; Hans van Bülow called this work “Beethoven’s 10th.”  It is thus, as McPhee said, “a  landmark both for Brahms and for the genre in general.”  Its structure is similar to the Beethoven, each movement having a slightly different but parallel form, and the final movement ending with a glorious hymn, albeit without sung words, that nonetheless echoes/evokes the “Ode to Joy.”  Undertaking a work of this scope with a 56-piece band having only 31 string players (including the 3 basses) is a gamble, but it was in this case handily won.  McPhee controlled the balance superbly.  All the musicians who had solo moments played them memorably; oboist Akane Inoue Setawian’s solo was sublime, and concertmaster Elizabeth Whitfield’s were likewise superb.  They somehow both stood out from and fit in better with the smaller-than-customary whole, allowing listeners to savor them as they could/would in a chamber music setting.

This orchestra is, in 2 words, ’top notch’; its playing is tight, crisp, and precise; Maestro McPhee’s cues are equally precise and agreeably discreet.  He knows and shows what he wants and gets it, both literally and figuratively.  Dynamics are exceptionally well controlled.  Everyone’s enthusiasm for the music making is palpable, as is the audience’s attention and appreciation.  This is classical music as it once was known in similar cities and towns across the nation, but which has, alas, disappeared from all too many of them.  In Lexington, it is growing instead: the highest priced seating sections are sold out for the entire season.  The president of the board announced after intermission that every year the number of subscriptions sold increases.  It’s easy to understand why.  Performances like this are well worth my 2+-hour-each-way trip, even for one who has an avowed love/preference (as readers have surely noticed) for more intimate chamber music and piano recitals, especially on historic instruments!  There were a few empty seats, and I highly recommend that readers who are close enough hasten to get one while they can.