On Saturday night at Strathmore, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) presented a unique program featuring works by Carl Nielsen, Wynton Marsalis, and Jean Sibelius—composers rarely seen together, but whose pieces complemented one another like a trio of autumn hues.
The concert began with Carl Nielsen’s 1903 Helios Overture, which BSO conductor Jonathon Heyward described as evoking the passage of a single day, from sunrise to sunset. While Heyward’s explanation helped set the scene, the orchestra’s performance did all the work. From the lush opening of cellos and sweeping horns, violas, and violins to the serene conclusion, the orchestra’s painterly approach created a vivid representation of the day’s progression. Helios, though not as rhythmically dynamic as some of Nielsen’s works, captivated with its evocative atmosphere. The music, while busy and expressive, subtly hinted at the inevitable descent into evening. Heyward made the most of the daylight in the piece, balancing bright fanfares with softer sections from the oboe and bassoon, and showcasing the solo efforts of associate principal horn Gabrielle Finck. By the overture’s midpoint, the audience could almost feel the intense Athenian sun under which Nielsen composed the piece.
The next piece on the program was Wynton Marsalis’ Concerto for Tubist and Orchestra, which has become a point of interest since its debut in December 2021. Originally performed by Carol Jantsch, principal tuba of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the concerto was brought to life on Saturday evening by the BSO’s principal tuba, Aubrey Foard. Foard’s performance was a display of wit, bravery, and remarkable endurance. In the first movement, “Up!”, Foard used a multi-tonal technique, mimicking a street preacher with a mix of vocalizing and playing—creating an unholy rattle and hum. The third movement found the tuba in a more introspective mode, engaging in a subdued, almost mournful dialogue with strings. The tuba, with its earnest and somewhat naive sound, provided a captivating voice for Marsalis’ musical journey through city life.
Marsalis’ concerto is a sonic tour of Manhattan, capturing the sounds and rhythms of the city through various musical styles, including boogaloo, bebop, Irish dance, and even snippets of classical radio and pop music. The work also highlights Marsalis’ gift for creating atmospheric sounds—like the warm gust of wind from a subway grate or the squeal of subway rails, painted through the clarinet and flute. Despite the tuba’s somewhat limited frequency range, which can place it in a fixed musical lane, Foard’s performance conveyed an approachable energy, more like a seasoned commuter than a city native, yet fully immersed in Marsalis’ musical chaos.
The second half of the program offered a surprise addition: William Grant Still’s Threnody (In Memory of Jean Sibelius). This six-minute piece, which was premiered in 1965, honors Sibelius’ legacy while blending the composers’ surprisingly compatible poetic sensibilities. The cresting waves of brass and harp that evoke Sibelius gave way to mournful strings, and the music seemed to resonate with a shadowy blue undertone. The piece provided a smooth transition into Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, which followed.
Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony, composed and revised between 1915 and 1919, was intended to be a monumental work, but Heyward’s interpretation struggled to capture the grandeur that the piece demands. Despite excellent individual performances, particularly Harrison Miller’s bassoon playing, the movements felt fragmented. The opening allegro lacked the usual sweeping momentum, and while the reprise of the theme was charming, it missed the vitality and bite it typically possesses. The closing presto section of the first movement was more energetic, but it arrived too late to fully salvage the movement.
The second movement, though filled with beautiful moments, struggled to coalesce, with the graceful melodies from woodwinds and flute failing to resolve into a unified image. In the third movement, where Sibelius conjures the powerful motif of a swan’s call, the music at times felt weary and lacking in strength. Although there were moments of luminous string playing, the movement as a whole lacked the clarity and grandeur it is known for.
Heyward’s interpretation of Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony was full of beauty, but ultimately felt incomplete—more like a series of aesthetically pleasing snapshots than a cohesive whole. The performance presented a number of striking moments but did not fully capture the symphonic scale that defines Sibelius’ work.
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