{"id":25777,"date":"2015-02-22T12:55:09","date_gmt":"2015-02-22T17:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=25777"},"modified":"2015-02-22T12:55:09","modified_gmt":"2015-02-22T17:55:09","slug":"the-classical-traveler-van-zweden-conducts-spectacular-ein-heldenleben","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2015\/02\/22\/the-classical-traveler-van-zweden-conducts-spectacular-ein-heldenleben\/","title":{"rendered":"THE CLASSICAL TRAVELER | Van Zweden Conducts Spectacular Ein Heldenleben"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dallas
Dallas Symphony\/Jaap van Zweden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor Op. 15,\u00a0<\/strong>Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben (A Hero\u2019s Life) Op. 40.\u00a0<\/strong>Yefim Bronfman, piano.\u00a0<\/strong>Dallas Symphony\/Jaap van Zweden.\u00a0<\/strong>Meyerson Symphony Center.\u00a0<\/strong>Dallas, Texas.\u00a0<\/strong>Friday, February 13, 2015<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The most memorable performance of Ein Heldenleben<\/em> I ever heard was in Washington, D.C. January 24, 1965 with Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in a glorious performance. There was an extra-musical dimension to this performance which made it that much more special; Winston Churchill had passed away that morning and Karajan dedicated the performance to his memory. If ever a man had lived a hero\u2019s life, Winston Churchill was surely that man, and watching a German conductor like Karajan, a one-time member of the Nazi party pay tribute to him with this piece engendered in me thoughts and emotions that would last a lifetime.<\/p>\n

For me, Strauss\u2019 Ein Heldenleben<\/em> has never been about the composer\u2019s self-glorification. It certainly was rooted in Strauss\u2019 own life experience, but it grew to become a universal statement about human striving and the arc of a life well-lived. In the same way, Strauss\u2019 An Alpine<\/em> Symphony<\/em> is not about climbing mountains except in a metaphorical sense; it is about life, its struggles and triumphs and its ultimate sadness.<\/p>\n

In Dallas this past week, there was no doubt in my mind that Jaap van Zweden\u2019s interpretation of Ein Heldenleben<\/em> conveyed the composer\u2019s intent. His \u201chero\u2019s life\u201d was a journey of struggle, triumph, disappointment, love and sorrow. Van Zweden understands this piece as do few others and after seven years working with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO), he has created a superlative orchestra that can give him pretty much whatever he demands of them.<\/p>\n

A great performance of Ein Heldenleben<\/em> requires a great concertmaster, and in Alexander Kerr, van Zweden had one of the best. In the program book for this concert, DSO double bass player Brian Perry recalls that, as a student in Boston in 2004, he saw a video performance of Ein Heldenleben<\/em> conducted by Mariss Jansons with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; the concertmaster\/violin soloist for this performance was Alexander Kerr.<\/p>\n

Little did I know that 10 years later I would be calling Alex Kerr my colleague and have the privilege of performing this very same work with him and this exceptional orchestra here in Dallas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A few years ago, Alexander Kerr was chosen by van Zweden to be his concertmaster in Dallas. In choosing Kerr for this position, van Zweden wanted a first-rate violinist and a musician who had been concertmaster of one of the best orchestras of the world. He also wanted a man who could raise the level of playing in the Dallas Symphony violin sections. Kerr has completely met van Zweden\u2019s expectations. In last week\u2019s performance of Ein Heldenleben,<\/em> we heard impeccable solo playing and section playing equal to that of some of the world\u2019s finest orchestras.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t expect to hear finer solo horn playing anywhere than I heard in Dallas this night. Not only does David Cooper have solid technique and produce a beautiful sound, but his phrasing is also incredibly subtle and expressive. And what a horn section<\/em>! In full cry in Ein Heldenleben,<\/em> it made one\u2019s hair stand on end.<\/p>\n

This night\u2019s performance of Ein Heldenleben<\/em> was compelling from beginning to end. Van Zweden seemed to choose all the right tempi and balanced Strauss\u2019 complex counterpoint to perfection. Even in the raucous battle section, van Zweden, careful to make music instead of noise, did so by paying close attention to the dynamic markings in the score. Strauss doesn\u2019t allow percussion and brass to play fortissimo<\/em> all through this section, but one would never know it from most other performances.<\/p>\n

It was in the final section that this performance was at its most profound. Van Zweden gradually slowed the tempo to a crawl and in the duet between horn and solo violin, time seemed to stand still. Richard Strauss was famous for the beauty of his postludes in works like Don Quixote<\/em>, An<\/em> Alpine Symphony<\/em> and in the operas Der Rosenkavalier<\/em> and Arabella<\/em>. The postlude in Ein<\/em> Heldenleben<\/em>, in its expression of nostalgia and resignation, is one of his finest. Van Zweden and the DSO really plumbed its depths on this occasion.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the evening, Yefim Bronfman joined van Zweden and the DSO for a performance of Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1<\/em>. When Bronfman first arrived on the music scene as a young man, he dazzled everyone with his virtuosity, but he also attracted attention for the maturity of his playing. Isaac Stern was one of his mentors and became a frequent collaborator. Over the years, Bronfman has continued to mature and to build a reputation as one of the foremost solo artists of his generation. Today, at age 56, he is an icon. This season, he is touring widely with both the Brahms piano concertos \u2013 performances in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Ottawa, Cleveland, etc. \u2013 giving the premiere of the Piano Concerto No. 2<\/em> by Magnus Lindberg, and playing chamber music on a world tour with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Lynn Harrell.<\/p>\n

There are some listeners who find Bronfman\u2019s playing too restrained and unemotional. I heard some comments along these lines after his concerts in Dallas, but I beg to differ. Close your eyes and you will hear plenty of emotion in Bronfman\u2019s playing. Bronfman is not a demonstrative player \u2013 Lang Lang, for example, is much more animated \u2013 but what really matters is not appearance but musical results. The Brahms D minor concerto has formidable technical challenges and Bronfman met them all. Personally, I prefer a slower tempo in the second movement Adagio<\/em> but Bronfman, van Zweden and the orchestra still managed to make beautiful music together.<\/p>\n

For something more\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Regular readers of this column in Musical Toronto<\/em> may recall that several weeks ago I wrote about another performance of Ein Heldenleben<\/em>. It was given by the San Antonio Symphony under its music director Sebastian Lang-Lessing in its new home, the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. I was very enthusiastic about that performance. It takes nothing away from what has been achieved in San Antonio to acknowledge that the Dallas Symphony is currently operating on a higher level; under Jaap van Zweden\u2019s direction, the DSO has become one of the best orchestras in the country. Neither is it a criticism of Sebastian Lang-Lessing\u2019s interpretation of Ein Heldenleben<\/em> to also state that Jaap van Zweden illuminated much more of the \u201chero\u2019s life\u201d.<\/p>\n

While the Tobin Center is indubitably a very good hall, the Meyerson Symphony Center again confirmed its reputation as one of the finest concert halls in the world. Ein Heldenleben <\/em>in the Meyerson had presence, detail, and the sound of the solo violin carried better than it had at the Tobin. The sound of the double basses was also richer and had that distinctive timbre that one seldom hears in modern concert halls.<\/p>\n

The performance of Ein Heldenleben<\/em> Brian Perry saw on video in 2004 is available as a DVD on the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra\u2019s own label (RCO 04103<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Paul E. Robinson<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The most memorable performance of Ein Heldenleben I ever heard was in Washington, D.C. January 24, 1965 with Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in a glorious performance. There was an extra-musical dimension to this performance which made it that much more special; Winston Churchill had passed away that morning and Karajan dedicated the performance to his memory. If ever a man had lived a hero\u2019s life, Winston Churchill was surely that man, and watching a German conductor like Karajan, a one-time member of the Nazi party pay tribute to him with this piece engendered in me thoughts and emotions that would last a lifetime…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":25778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[118,52],"tags":[5313,5314,4433],"yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/02\/dallas-symphony_van_zwedeb.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-6HL","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25777"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25777"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25777\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25780,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25777\/revisions\/25780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25777"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=25777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}