Oregon Music News

The Oregon Symphony was off and running last night, May 15th at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, with the first of three successive evenings of concerts comprising the ‘Beethoven Festival.’  This weekend serves as a showcase for Brazilian pianist Arnaldo Cohen, who by the end of Monday night will have played all five of the Beethoven piano concerti  plus the  ‘Triple” concerto in the span of three days.

The Symphony opened with the Leonore Overture No. 3 (Op. 72a), the most famous of the four overtures Beethoven wrote for his only opera Fidelio (originally entitled ‘Leonore.’)  The well-known themes were a good way to start the evening; light and flexible, the orchestra didn’t belabor Beethoven’s passion and fire, but served up a nuanced interpretation, ripe with realized possibilities. The high winds responded delightfully to the heroic themes that seem to foreshadow the final movement of the 6th Symphony.

Cohen’s first offering of the evening was the Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major for Piano and Orchestra (Op. 19).  The orchestra took a moment to warm into the opening, and then Cohen delivered his introductory flourish with delicacy.  The piece itself was originally written in the late 1780s; betraying its roots, it was steeped in high Viennese classicism. Much of this work was played in the upper stratospheric reaches of the piano, and Cohen’s articulation was thoughtful and well-suited to this range; it was never tinny or piercing.  Clarion without being shrill, Cohen’s fearless speed of attack on the difficult cadenza during the Allegro con brio sacrificed none of the filigree.

Another impressive skill displayed by Cohen was his refusal to allow voice leadings to get buried in the depths of the sometimes dense chordal structure of the Adagio, instead remaining clear and poignant so as to highlight the nobility of Beethoven’s harmonic rhythm.  The final Rondo was jaunty, featuring a crisp repartee between orchestra and soloist.

The tricky Concerto in C major for Piano, Violin, Cello and Orchestra, (Op. 56) saw cellist Quirine Viersen joined by OSO concertmaster Jun Iwasaki on violin with Cohen on the piano.  Iwasaki and Viersen established a rapport immediately, while Cohen seemed to overwhelm a bit at first when all soloists were more or less playing equally important parts.  The piece was most enjoyable at the times when it took the nature of a ‘concerto for  trio,’ with the piano and often the orchestra playing an accompanying role. Then Iwasaki and especially Viersen, with the cello serving as a sort of ‘first among equals,’ were really allowed to shine.  It was at these moments that the large group of players on the stage managed to impart the feeling of true chamber music, giving a sense that one was hearing much more intimate music than a grand sinfonia concertante for large orchestra and soloists.

Viersen’s playing was lush and full, and she and Iwasaki engaged in what a jazz musician from the thirties might have called a ‘cutting contest’ during the final Rondo. Throughout the piece they displayed an amazing unanimity of purpose at the many times when the solo strings moved in close homophony.

Cohen and the OSO finish out the Beethoven Festival with the 1st and 4th concerti on Sunday May 16th,  followed by the 3rd and the mighty ‘Emperor Concerto’ (No. 5) on Monday the 17th.