An Unconventional Concert: The BSO Spans Centuries with Haydn and Stravinsky

On Feb. 20, the Boston Symphony Orchestra gave one of their odder concerts of the season. Featuring guest conductor Alan T. Gilbert ’89 and solo violinist Isabelle Faust, the BSO performed Joseph Haydn’s “Symphony No. 48 in C” and “Symphony No. 99 in E-Flat,” as well as Igor Stravinsky’s “Violin Concerto in D.”

Franz Joseph Haydn was a composer of the Classical period, and he might be the most underappreciated composer by modern listeners. The BSO performed two of his symphonies — the 48th and the 99th. Haydn’s 48th symphony is a slightly obscure work from the middle of his career, and this was the first time the BSO had ever performed it. This symphony has the quintessentially classical mix of tragedy and prideful joy, and there is a naturality of flow to the music that is crucial to capture.

For the most part, the BSO played it well. Gilbert chose fast tempos, which worked excellently in the first, third, and fourth movements — though the second could have been slower to allow its tenderness to come out. The horns, which are instrumental to this symphony, were unfortunately not perfect. Their intonation was a tad off, especially during the first and fourth movements, but the strings were absolutely gorgeous throughout. Out of all the movements, the third really shone; the basses were full and sprightly, the horns cleaner, and Gilbert’s fast tempo fit the music well.

Interposed between the two symphonies by Haydn was Stravinsky’s violin concerto. Also a lesser known piece, this concerto is one of the masterpieces of Stravinsky’s Neoclassical period — a large stretch of his career in which he used composers from the Classical period like Mozart as a model for his music. But, in typical Stravinsky fashion, the music is highly abstract — Stravinsky’s wild and idiosyncratic ideas drastically altered classical conventions until they were beyond recognition. Stravinsky’s Neoclassicism is probably the explanation for the weirdest thing about this concert; namely, that the BSO thrusted a Stravinsky piece in the middle of two Haydn works. Musically, this is an extremely odd choice, given that the time span between Haydn’s “Symphony No. 48” and Stravinsky’s concerto is about 160 years. Whoever programmed this concert may have thought that Stravinsky’s devotion to Neoclassicism would make this jump more palatable. Unfortunately, it did not really work. The contrast was baffling.

Like most of what Stravinsky wrote, the violin concerto is highly unconventional. Stravinsky takes his listeners through a myriad of different orchestral textures as well as various rhythms, yet he, like Haydn, achieved naturality with his music. The concerto sounds very strange, but after grasping the structure of the phrases, all the oddity makes sense. This was Stravinsky’s gift: to make seemingly absurd musical choices function with the conviction, and even beauty, that classical artists like Haydn achieved.

The performance of Stravinsky’s violin concerto was good, but not superb. Faust was technically on point, but at certain moments her playing felt enervated. Stravinsky’s “Violin Concerto” is a tricky piece, because, despite being technically tame compared to other concertos, it is emotionally rich, and as such requires constant shifts in mode of expression from the violinist.

Faust had the fiery moments down well, but she had trouble with the delicate, internal ones. Faust also didn’t capture the comedy of the piece — which is central. Because of this shortcoming, the first two movements were enjoyable but lacking in depth. In the third movement, however, Faust tapped into the concerto’s emotion and delivered a hypnotizing performance. The third movement is possibly the most explicitly tragic, and Faust made that sadness potent. A step below the third, the fourth movement was on par with the first two.

Luckily, there was an intermission before Haydn’s 99th symphony was performed that allowed the audience’s ears to reset. Unfortunately, however, almost half of the audience left before the second part. Much to their loss, the performance of Haydn’s 99th was certainly the best part of the concert. This symphony is more grandiose than the 48th, and it has the mark of a very experienced composer highly devoted to symphonic form.

The BSO gave a stunning performance of the piece with very few faults. Gilbert’s tempos were still on the faster side, but this time to wholly positive results. The second movement lost some of its melancholy due to its tempo, but what it lost it gained in the clearer continuity of its separate elements. All of the other movements were performed very well and, once again, the string section played serenely. Thus, the BSO ended their concert on a high note.

The BSO emphasized lesser-known repertoire in this concert — a choice that deserves appreciation. Haydn and Stravinsky are not obscure names, but they have fewer listeners than one might think — especially once one goes beyond their most familiar pieces. Not only was this a solid concert, it was also an important one, helping to give these pieces the popularity that they deserve.

—Staff writer Nate H. Cohen can be reached at nate.cohen@thecrimson.com.