A Warm Welcome Back to the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Maybe it was the inscribed frame around the stage, or the Greek and Roman statues lining the top balcony, or maybe even the faint but familiar smell of rosin and cologne, but stepping into Symphony Hall for the first time and hearing the sweet sounds of the orchestra warming up stirred up a powerful sense of nostalgia. When Conductor and Music Director Andris Nelsons took the stage, the nearly full audience lightly applauded his entrance before he lifted his baton. There was a magical moment right before the baton fell, where even the audience could not help but hold their breath. Despite some small flaws in their performance, the world-renowned Boston Symphony Orchestra sure did live up to their reputation.

For the second program of the season, the BSO and Nelsons chose to honor the great Jean Sibelius with a simple three-piece program consisting of William Grant Still’s “Threnody: In Memory of Jean Sibelius,” Richard Strauss’ “Symphonic Fantasy on Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman Without a Shadow),” and Sibelius’ turbulent and triumphant Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, performed by Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili. Strauss conducted the 1905 premiere of Sibelius’ violin concerto, and Still and Sibelius admired each other’s works. Some string players, in addition to the winds, brass, percussion, and conductor, performed without masks, and seeing their smiles and expressions on stage once again was lovely.

The first piece on the program was the Still, a short and lyrical piece paying homage to Sibelius by taking the audience through his different compositional styles. Still calls on Sibelius’ grandiose and folk-like themes, like those in his “Finlandia,” in the brass and strings, and the piece does not overstay its welcome. While Nelsons and the BSO lacked energy, this opener was just a taste of what the rest of the evening would showcase.

The Strauss exploded from the stage, the low brass section boasting their depth and power. The piece is a symphonic recomposition of one of his lesser-known operas but still a meaningful composition, going through the opera’s major themes like an excellent SparkNotes summary. Nelsons seemed more passionate about this piece, doing his best impression of Karajan by digging his arms into the strings to bring out their rich soul, all while skillfully balancing the massive orchestra. Although better than in the Still, the BSO was still resistant to outward emotions as they performed the piece; however, they were definitely more engaged both in the mannerisms in which they responded to Nelsons as well as their own sound. Assistant principal cellist Olver Aldort especially stood out, captivating the audience with his vibrato and flamboyant head movements. Another highlight of the piece was the warm and welcoming tenor trombone solo by Toby Oft. Very rarely have I heard such a soaring yet intimate sound from a trombone, and he was deservedly applauded after the performance.

The final performance was the Sibelius Violin Concerto, with Lisa Batiashvili at the helm. She performed with the confidence of a soloist throughout the entire concerto, skillfully maneuvering the incredibly difficult virtuosic passages. However, whether from nerves or maybe just her interpretation, moments of hesitancy abounded in her playing, especially in the more technical passages. These extremely subtle hesitations, especially in the first movement, often hindered her expression. Furthermore, in very intense and loud passages, it often felt as though she would press a little too much into the instrument, sacrificing her sound for emphasis. In contrast, in very soft and delicate passages, Batiashvili masterfully maneuvered around subtle yet powerful inflexions in the color of her sound and tone, giving each note so much energy while Nelsons made sure that the orchestra was conscious of her tender playing. This was especially clear in the second movement, where she successfully explored an incredible range in dynamics and colors. The fiendishly difficult third movement also showcased her incredible technical ability, but once again, the same patterns of sacrificing technique for musicality often emerged. With all that said, the performance was incredible. To finish off a fantastic evening, the audience rose to their feet to invite the soloist for an encore, where she delivered a simple but heartfelt performance of a folk song dedicated to Helsinki: a perfect end to an intense concert and a great welcome back to Symphony Hall.