A New Work for the Ages: The BSO Premieres Corigliano

In one of the most anticipated concerts this season, the Boston Symphony Orchestra delivered an astonishing world premiere of John Corigliano's Symphony no. 2. Corigliano's first symphony, written as a response to the AIDS crisis in 1989, hit the musical world with such force that it has become one of the most often performed orchestral works of our time. His second, although completely different in both instrumentation and subject matter, deserves that same success.

The 35-minute symphony for string orchestra is a reworking of Corigliano's String Quartet of 1996. In five movements, its "arch-form" is influenced by Bartok's fourth quartet, in which pairs of movements (one and five, two and four) are related, while the middle movement "night music" stands on its own. Furthermore, as Corigliano wrote in the program notes, "the symphony is based upon a motto composed of even repetitions of a single tone, and a sequence of disjunct minor thirds. There are also four pitch centers recurring throughout the work: C, C-sharp, G and G-sharp." These elements were ingeniously woven throughout the piece.

From the almost inaudible opening whispers of strings with practice mutes attached, I was immediately drawn into this detailed and contrapuntally sophisticated work. Transforming a work for string quartet into string orchestra is no easy task, but Corigliano solved the problems through effective orchestration techniques. This is especially true in the second movement scherzo, which features tutti chords interrupted by outbursts from a string quartet within the orchestra. Corigliano takes advantage of full string sections to provide a more dense and elaborate solution to aleatoric passages. Having double basses with low C-string extensions also adds a richer, fuller sound to the piece.

Perhaps the best example of the brilliance of the orchestration was in the third movement nocturne, in which Corigliano attempted to recreate the sound he heard during a stay in Morocco, when the calls of muezzins from different mosques collided and "created a glorious counterpoint." In the symphony, beautiful dovetailing lines shimmer and seem to echo off each other, something unattainable in the quartet version. A wild fugue using different tempos for each statement of the subject (but notated in the same meter for all instruments) leads into the postlude, where repetitions of the minor third interval perhaps intentionally recall the last movement of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde. The work ends as it begins, with practice-muted strings undulating through quarter tones.

Seiji Ozawa conducted with fierce precision and tackled the diabolically difficult fugue with great skill. The BSO strings responded with a nearly flawless performance, and concertmaster Malcolm Lowe had many fine solo moments. At the end, the 62-year-old leather-jacketed Corigliano emerged onto the stage, and was called back several times. On the second half of the concert, Krystian Zimerman gave an excellent performance of the warhorse of all warhorses, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto no. 2. (Actually, the inclusion of this piece was surprising, given that the concert calendar had clearly indicated that the third concerto was to be performed.) Zimerman is known for his wonderful tone, and this concert was no exception. Whereas many pianists have corrupted this work by indulging themselves in rubato and unnecessary histrionics, Zimerman played with nobility, straightforwardness and a real sense of purpose. The orchestra provided the big sound needed for the work, but several mistakes in key passages as well as some shaky coordination moments with the soloist prevented the overall performance from reflecting the exceptional quality of Zimerman's playing.

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

at

Symphony Hall

December 2

at

Symphony Hall

December 2