The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra welcomed renowned violinist Joshua Bell Saturday night to play Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto in D minor.” The BSO is celebrating turning 100 with a Gala Celebration at the Music Center at Strathmore. It has been a fantastic 100th season presenting the best talent in classical music today.
The BSO turned 100 on February 11th. What better way to celebrate your 100th birthday than with a weekend concert series staring Joshua Bell; one of the most celebrated violinist today. This is Joshua Bell’s first appearance with the BSO since 2006; a performance of Corigliano’s Violin Concerto (The Red Violin), with Marin Alsop conducting.
The concert started with a speech from BSO president and CEO, Paul Meecham. This will be one of Paul Meecham’s final speeches as BSO president and CEO; he has accepted a job with the Utah Symphony Orchestra that starts July 1st. Meecham has been praised for his pragmatic approach and emphasis on professionalism. During his speech he noted the creation of the BSO in 1916 by the city of Baltimore. The first women to join the BSO in 1937; Sarah Feldman and Vivienne Cohn. The 1990 Grammy Award winning recording of cello concertos by Barber and Britten with soloist Yo-Yo Ma, and Marin Alsop becoming the first woman ever to head a major American orchestra. She was appointed music director in 2005.
Marin put together an outstanding program for this celebration! Gioachino Rossini’s “Overture to William Tell,” and Richard Strauss’s “Also sprach Zarathustra.” Rossini’s “Overture to William Tell” is a miniature tone poem whose sections are very easily recognized. The thrilling mountain thunderstorm section, the Swiss ranz de vaches (cattle-calling song), and finale “Victory and Liberty.” Walt Disney, Stanley Kubrick and a number of other television and film producers have popularized all three sections. Walt Disney used the overture in Mickey Mouse cartoons And Stanley Kubrick used the overture prominently in the film A Clockwork Orange. The Overture is most famously associated with “Victory and Liberty,” used as the theme to TV series The Lone Ranger (1949-1957). These different sections are used so much, I’d say the vast majority of people recognize all the individual sections but probably don’t realize they all came from the same overture. Richard Strauss’s “Also sprach Zarathustra” is another score made famous by Stanley Kubrick. The score is strongly featured in the 1968 film epic 2001: A Space Odyssey. These scores are wildly entertaining to hear live!
To hear Richard Strauss’s “Also sprach Zarathustra” in it’s entirety is an awesome experience! It feels like an epic voyage! Originally a tone poem based from Zoroastrian philosophy, it conveys through music the evolution of man both scientifically and religiously. To have a scientific themed score seems ahead of its time for 1898. Science themed music has always felt more profound. As if the music supports an idea. and helps illustrate it. The Der Genesende section features some exceptionally entertaining high woodwinds and glockenspiel. It sounded lucid, as if your senses were heightened. Some other favorite measures included Von der Wissenshaft that uses bass and cello to create powerful elongated low rumbling tones. The BSO played both opening scores to near perfection!
One of the most exciting aspects of this concert was having Marin Alsop conducting right next to Joshua Bell. Both had a significant influence on the timing and pace of the music. It was as if Joshua Bell was co-conducting with his violin. Tchaikovsky “Violin Concerto in D minor” is one of the most technically demanding violin concerts ever written. It’s one of Joshua Bells signature pieces. Joshua Bell led with an esoteric demeanor. Calmly rocking from side to side waiting for his solo. When his solo came he took command of the orchestra like the lead guitarist in a rock band. His manipulation of his violin is spell bounding! You can tell there is a deep passion between him and his instrument. Joshua Bell knows his Stradivarius violin on a personal level and he loves his instrument. The solos were fantastic! You felt compelled to clap and applaud during the performance!
This whole performance was absolutely fantastic! This was an excellent way to celebrate the BSO turning 100 and was a concert to remember!
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