Many of Mozart’s works have
been programmed throughout the many decades of the Carmel Bach Festival, and
it is thus appropriate that during this year, the 250th
anniversary of the composer’s birth, the Festival be especially focused on
this great master. One could not have a more delightful adventure into the
world of Mozart than the Tuesday night Main Concert which featured a kind of
“Mozart’s Greatest Hits,” along with the ever-charming and informative David
Gordon reading from Mozart’s letters to give heightened meaning to his
works. Of course, it is impossible to program anything close to all the
“greatest hits” of Mozart in one evening, and therefore Maestro Weil and
David Gordon, excluded the piano concertos and chamber works while
concentrating on the symphonies and the operas. Everything selected was a
masterpiece. Weil and Gordon presented examples of both the darker and the
lighter sides of Mozart and his music, although there was a definite
unapologetic favoritism to the lighter side.
The concert opened with the
Overture to the Opera Idomeneo. Immediately impressive was the
Festival Orchestra’s fine sound and the excellent acoustics in Sunset Center
Theater. The orchestra seemed the perfect size and configuration for the
works we heard this evening, and whether it was natural acoustics or
enhanced sound, an exceptionally fine balance was observed between the
various sections of the orchestra.
Hearing Maestro Weil
conduct works from the Viennese classical period is always satisfying, for
his authority in this repertoire has been well established. Although he is
more well-known and appreciated for his Haydn interpretations, in Mozart he
exhibits similar expertise and charm. Seeming to have an intuitive
understanding of Mozart’s style, he brought color and nuance, exceptional
rhythmic vitality and naturalness to the music. He also always seemed to
find the humor in the works—and there was lots of it in this evening.
The musical humor went hand
in glove with David Gordon’s readings. Gordon also was responsible for the
translations of text seen in the supertitles above the stage, which added so
much to the audience’s understanding and enjoyment of the arias. Gordon is a
superb actor and was especially skillful in portraying the composer’s voice
while reading excerpts from his letters. Right at the beginning Gordon, gave
a hint of Mozart’s own sly humor (and ego) when he read what Wolfgang
thought about one of the arias on the program, wondering how “such great
things can come from such a small head.”
Kendra Colton, then
came on stage to sing Se il padre perdei from Idomeneo. She
has a beautiful, clear soprano voice, although she was sometimes difficult
to hear. From “The Abduction from the Seraglio,” Gordon let Mozart
describe moments in his favorite aria, while the orchestra played it, and
then we heard Alan Bennett sing O wie angstlich — it was absolutely
charming. Also in the first half, mezzo-soprano, Sally-Anne Russell thrilled
us with the great aria Voi che sapete from The Marriage of
Figaro.
In the first movement of the
“Jupiter” symphony, which followed, Maestro Weil asked the question “why the
theme.” Then we heard the great baritone and Bach Festival favorite Sanford
Sylvan joining him for the aria from the comic opera Un bacio di mano
written only a few weeks before the “Jupiter.” Sylvan gave us an animated
performance with his rich, glorious voice. It was obvious that the theme of
the two works is the same. Weil explained that this signifies in Mozart’s
mind how opera and symphony are united as music with no difference between
the genres.
The overture to Don
Giovanni began the second half of the program, followed by
bass-baritone, Michael Dean walking on stage completely in character and
flirting with some of the women violinists, playing with their hair and then
springing into the famous aria Fin ch’an dal vino. Dean jumped around
the stage as the quintessential “player” and lady’s man — it was great fun.
To demonstrate how Mozart
was able to go from comedy to moments of deeper feeling, Kendra Colton
returned for a beautiful version of Vedrai carino, also from Don
Giovanni. Gordon quoted Adorno who states Mozart is offering, through
this music, “consolation and healing to the entire world.”
Sanford Sylvan then came on
to sing Non piu andrai from Figaro. It was wonderful to hear
Sylvan in a more operatic setting — we are not always aware of his acting
skills since we are more accustomed to hearing him in liturgical roles.
Combined with his remarkable voice, his acting was a knockout. He was having
fun here, saluting the audience, Bruno Weil, and then the orchestra before
leaving the stage to tumultuous applause.
Again changing moods,
Gordon read a letter from Mozart to his wife Constanze, showing his dark,
depressed side, and explaining how “everything is cold” to him. We then
heard the first movement from the Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550 that
exhibits this feeling in music. The concert concluded with Mozart
transforming comedy and drama into transcendence and truth: the Act III
sextet of Figaro where the machinations of the plot are revealed, and then
the Act IV Finale — surely, two of the greatest scenes in Opera.
Gordon explained how this
music exemplifies a generosity of spirit where “all opposites are
reconciled.” As a curtain call, all the vocalists came on stage, plus the
2006 Adams fellows, soprano Sherezade Panthaki, tenor Scott Mello, and
baritone Mischa Bouvier. With Weil and the Festival Orchestra, they gave a
grand conclusion to this Birthday celebration. A prolonged and well-deserved
standing ovation followed.
The musicians in this
concert, along with the contribution of David Gordon, produced a magnificent
evening for the audience. It is difficult to imagine someone leaving Sunset
Center Tuesday night without a deep love and appreciation of this remarkable
man from Salzburg, who was born 250 years ago this year. How much our
musical world would have been diminished had he never been born.
[An architect by
profession, guest reviewer Erik Dyar is also a very fine and accomplished
pianist who has appeared informally in recital locally and in Oregon, where
he was born and raised.]
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