Not to be pedantic
There’s a famous story in classical music about Stravinsky’s popular ballet “The Rite of Spring” sparking a riot when it premiered in Paris in 1913. It’s a wonderful anecdote and marketing tidbit: “Come hear the magical bassoon solo that caused French people to beat each other with baguettes in the aisles” etc. etc.
Well, the riot happened — Stravinsky grumpily called the crowd “very naïve and stupid people” to their faces, which probably didn’t help deescalate things — but there’s a vein of scholarship that argues that it wasn’t so much the music itself as a rowdy crowd of opposing political factions and classes looking to cause trouble no matter what the piece actually sounded like.
This is less entertaining, but more plausible, I think.
Short concerts
This weekend, the Pittsburgh Symphony performs the “Rite” thrice, twice for regular subscription season concert-goers on Friday and Sunday and in a special format on Saturday called “Disrupt,” which features shorter programs with a host who speaks during breaks in the music, projected images and text intended to enhance and demystify the experience, themed cocktails, lobby activities and more.
At Saturday’s performance, the orchestra along with conductor Pablo Heras-Casado and host Jacob Joyce (one of the symphony’s associate conductors) crafted an intense, exciting experience. The 75-minute program opened with a piece by French composer Lili Boulanger that captured the impressionistic whimsy of early 20th century Paris with wispy flute lines and smooth, willowy phrases, delicately delivered.
Next, the orchestra was sinuous and powerful in the “Rite,” with brass punching through blocks of string sound and winds singing raw, untamed fragments of melody, snatches of Russian folk tunes.
“Practically every single orchestra can play this piece,” Heras-Casado remarked during the concert.
So, what separates a good performance from a mediocre one?
It’s all in the details
In an orchestra concert there are the basic things, like the musicians playing together and in tune. These are a must, of course. But beyond that, creating the energy and emotion takes something more. On Saturday, the extreme volume contrasts struck me as especially impressive — it’s incredibly difficult to change volume dramatically and maintain a beautiful balance where each instrument can be heard, like the Pittsburgh Symphony did. Also, in the individual wind solos, musicians must create the effect of lethargy and spontaneity but remain precisely in time with one another. Shoutout to principal bassoonist Nancy Goeres and English horn player Kyle Mustain, in particular.
For an added bonus, a trio of dancers from Attack Theatre appeared in the second half of the work, hulking and twirling onto the stage for a physical demonstration of the music’s primitivity. Attack, a small contemporary dance organization, is increasingly partnering with the city’s musical organizations for such projects. More of this, please.
Oh, and they only appeared on Saturday. Too bad for the Friday and Sunday crowds.
Viability
The Disrupt series began in April, when roughly 800 people showed up. Not a bad figure at all for a brand new classical series. Plus, about 60% of those who did were brand new to the symphony.
Much like a well-written sequel, Saturday’s installment was bigger and bolder and better, drawing a crowd of around 900. (By the way, kudos to the symphony for shortening the bar lines by batching the themed cocktails. Classical organizations take such care with the music, but sometimes it’s small details like this that can enhance or sour an evening.)
The series will continue next year and, for casual listeners who enjoy the live-with-film concerts or devotees who want to bring their friends to their first concert, it’s a wonderful evening out. It’s not “dumbed down,” merely repackaged and augmented to be more interactive and less formal. It’s an excellent addition to the orchestra’s offerings.
I’ll be back — with friends.
“The Rite of Spring” continues at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Heinz Hall. Tickets, $20-$97, at pittsburghsymphony.org.
Jeremy Reynolds: jreynolds@post-gazette.com. His work at the Post-Gazette is supported in part by a grant from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Getty Foundation and Rubin Institute.
First Published: May 21, 2023, 2:42 a.m.