Edward Elgar was, in addition to being one of the few internationally performed English composers, a bit of a prankster as well as an amateur cryptologist. Nowhere is this more evident than in his playful Variations on an Original Theme, “Enigma.”
Elgar said that another popular melody fits perfectly with his famous “Enigma” melody, but more than 100 years after its premiere in 1899, no one has found a definitive solution. Elgar’s no help, as the key was buried with him. Unless it wasn’t — according to one vein of scholarship, there is not, in fact, an Enigma tune. Elgar has just been trolling the musical world from beyond the grave.
On Friday the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra continued the joke, as renowned guest conductor Leonard Slatkin led the orchestra in music by Elgar, Rachmaninoff and Mr. Slatkin himself.
Elgar represented various key figures in his life in the variations of his most famous work. Mr. Slatkin remains one of the world’s leading conductors. At Friday’s concert, he emphasized fresh details and phrases even in such an over-played piece of repertoire, leading with decisive, controlled gestures. The cello section — led by Anne Martindale Williams — sounded singularly excellent at Friday’s performance, with an impeccable core to the sound that cut through the rest of the orchestral texture when needed while fading to support at other times.
On a personal note, I’ve never cared for Elgar’s music. Many of his melodies sound like countermelodies to superior works (Elgar is actually known for his counterpoints to famous tunes, part of why the “Enigma” episode seems so plausible). But the tune aside, coupling his inventiveness within the “Enigma” variations and vibrant orchestrations with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s enthusiasm and verve, even I have to admit the performance was a resounding success.
Like Elgar, Mr. Slatkin composed his work “Kinah” to capture something of the character and significance of a personal relationship, in this case, with his late parents. The music is a meditation on a fragment significant to his father’s passing, a simple four-note motif a la Brahms that transforms repeatedly throughout the work’s duration. There’s a tinge of Hollywood in the orchestration and gestures, and the orchestra performed exquisitely.
Rounding out the first half of the performance, Pianist Garrick Ohlsson returned to Heinz Hall to complete this season’s cycle of Rachmaninoff concertos with the Concerto No. 4 in G minor. Soloist and orchestra handed off melodies and gestures flawlessly, their interplay a pleasure to experience. Mr. Ohlsson’s playing is supremely polished, and he’s able to coax one of the largest sounds I’ve yet heard from a piano. A strong conclusion to the concerto cycle.
This concert repeats Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $20-$97; pittsburghsymphony.org.
Around town
While the PSO performed in Heinz Hall, the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh wrapped its season across town in the First Unitarian Church in Shadyside. Today’s dress rehearsal was promising, as music director Edward Leonard led violinist Anne Moskal and the orchestra in the premiere of Jeffrey Nytch’s Violin Concerto, a programmatic work inspired by the true story of a violinist who drowned when the cruise ship Costa Concordia capsized in 2012.
The music showcased Hungarian-style tunes and cadenzas before relaxing into a gentle, contemplative mood, a love theme of sorts, representing the relationship between musician and instrument. Sandor Feher, the violinist, helped many children into life vests before returning to his cabin to rescue his violin. He perished when the ship ran aground and sank.
Also worth mentioning, Chamber Music Pittsburgh presented the Artemis String Quartet on Monday in Carnegie Music Hall. The concert was superb, particularly Barber’s ubiquitous “Adagio for Strings,” one of the great American works of chamber music from the 20th century.
The PSO is a fantastic organization, but be sure to check out our other musical organizations on occasion. There’s some intriguing performances happening in other concert halls around the city.
Jeremy Reynolds: jreynolds@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1634; twitter: @Reynolds_PG. Mr. Reynolds' work at the Post-Gazette is supported by a grant from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Getty Foundation and Rubin Institute.
First Published: April 13, 2019, 4:30 a.m.