EIF 26: Gershwin and Bartók
Usher Hall 10/8/26
National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America Karina Canellakis (conductor), Kirill Gerstein (piano)
The concert of American 20th century goodies presented by the National Youth Orchestra of the USA concluded the Carnegie Hall-based orchestra’s summer tour under the baton of Karina Canellakis. Attired in traditional black and white above the waist, the players sported red trousers and black white-soled sneakers: so cool.
The Samuel Barber's 'Overture to The School for Scandal' is a 1933 student work and it displays remarkable mastery of orchestration from a 21-year old, mischievous and rhythmically adventurous writing alternating with a glorious lyric melody, which we first heard from Rishi Bhattacharyya’s oboe, taken up by luscious string polyphony and later reprised on cor anglais. Youthful exuberance in the writing and the realisation delivered a super concert opener, to the delight of the well-attended auditorium.
Gershwin’s 1925 Piano Concerto in F is also a first foray into orchestration and, I have to say, it shows. But the variety and wealth of jazz, blues, dance and musical theatre ideas that are fused into classical form make it a compelling listen and I always feel swept along with the flow. After a call to attention from timpani and percussion and an orchestral introduction, the episodic first movement let the party atmosphere take over, with soloist, conductor and orchestra very clearly “in the zone”. The slow movement, exquisitely bluesy (and my favourite movement), opened with languid clarinets and a gorgeous trumpet solo from Christian Garner. The piano’s faster soft-shoe shuffle was delicious. After a sweet violin solo from leader Kai Isoke Ali-Landing, the bluesy mood was re-established for a stylish cadenza, a climax and a dreamy conclusion. Perfect. The hectic finale, demonic, playful and romantic by turns, was a thrilling romp that also managed to reveal the thematic unity of the work. Thoroughly excellent. A surprise encore rewarded the audience’s cheers. Karina Canellakis returned with her violin and, with Kirill Gerstein, performed the second movement “Blues” of Ravel’s Violin Sonata. Super.
Few pieces can set out an orchestra’s credentials as unambiguously as Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra with ample scope to display sectional virtuosity and playful musicality. Under Karina Canellakis’ direction, this potential was fully realised. The lower string sound in the mysterious opening was spellbinding; the anguished response of the upper strings impassioned and dramatic. The Allegro vivace was agile and characterful, the brass fugato section as thrilling as ever. I found the tempo of the second movement a bit rushed to fully exploit the playful pairings in the scoring, but it presented no apparent challenges to the youthful players, with again the brass chorale in the middle of the movement shining. The spooky elegiac night-music of the third movement was delivered with the utmost mastery. The Interrupted Intermezzo, where an idyllic Lehár quotation is interrupted by a parody of Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony, complete with heckling from the brass and giggling from the winds, was an absolute hoot. The Presto was exciting and virtuosic, with every exuberant life-affirming detail pointed to perfection, earning thunderous applause from the Usher Hall audience. The Overture from Gershwin’s 1930 musical ‘Girl Crazy’, essentially a medley of the best tunes from the musical, was the spirited encore, sending us home with a headful of happy earworms.
Weblink: https://www.eif.co.uk/events/gershwin-bart%C3%B3k