From Bach to Beethoven
by
Lyn Bronson
The first week of the 2007 Carmel Bach Festival’s evening
concerts came to a brilliant and satisfying conclusion last night at Sunset
Center as Conductor Bruno Weil led the Festival Orchestra in a program of three
symphonies: a symphony by Bach’s son Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, Haydn’s
Symphony No. 102, and finally Beethoven’s great Symphony No. 8. This was an
unusual evening at the Festival, for there was not even one work on the program
by the Festival’s namesake, Johann Sebastian Bach.
The link, however, was the Symphony in B-flat Major by his
son, J.C.F. Bach. This symphony seemed pleasant, but unremarkable and rather
superficial in light of the two more major works that followed on the program.
We always hope that in slow movements we will hear a more personal and
emotionally engaging side of a composer, and in the
Andante con moto movement, there was
such a moment, but only for a few seconds, as we had a glimpse into the darker
side of J.C.F. Bach’s personality. After this fleetingly brief moment, the mood
returned to the more conventional, and so it went. The following two movements,
Minuetto and
Rondo, were well crafted and
pleasing, but while they were pleasant to hear, they failed to engage our deeper
sensibilities.
The most interesting aspect of hearing the J.C.F. Bach
Symphony immediately followed by Haydn’s Symphony No. 102, was that both
composers were born in the same year. Consulting
Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians,
I found only miniscule information about J.C.F. Bach and no indication of the
year in which his Symphony in B-flat Major was composed. Without this
information, it is difficult to make any comparison of the two works, but with
the Haydn we were hearing one of his great last symphonies composed c.1791 in
London. Typical of Haydn, he not only pleases, but also surprises. Thus we are
constantly being treated to sly witticisms, quirky rhythms, abrupt modulations,
jerky unexpected accents and dramatic pauses – often you just don’t know what is
going to happen next. The famous Adagio
of this symphony, in which the exposition is repeated, but with deliciously
different instrumentation, is a deeply personal expression of some of Haydn’s
profoundest emotions, and on this occasion it made a marvelous effect. Bruno
Weil has a reputation for a special affinity in Haydn’s music, and this was
certainly in evidence during this program. This was a brilliant, heartfelt
performance, and this Festival Orchestra sounded superb.
What can you say about Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 that has
not already been said? Well, you don’t have to, for the music says it all. Last
night we heard an outstanding performance that grabbed us and held us enthralled
for 35 minutes. This was a robust and rhythmically incisive performance in which
everything worked and the orchestra sounded terrific. At its conclusion, the
audience reaction was wild and immediate with a huge standing ovation and
bravos.
What a glorious way to end the first week!
