Baroque wonderland at the Pacific Symphony

By Truman C. Wang
Dec 10, 2011

HENNING KRAGGERUD, conducting

Pacific Symphony

Saturday, Dec 10, 2011  at Segerstrom Hall,
Orange County Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa

COSTA MESA, CA – Last evening’s performance at the Segerstrom Hall was as white-hot as the night air was cold.  Guest conductor Henning Kraggerud, hailing from the frigid Nordic country of Norway, launched the program with a warm, enthusiastic reading of Arcangelo Corelli’s Concerto Grosso Op.6 No.8 (better known as the “Christmas” Concerto).   The Pacific Symphony musicians played with all the precision and virtuosity one could wish for.  Edvard Grieg had fashioned the  Holdberg Suite after the dainty Baroque suites of Rameau  and Couperin but here it was given a full-blooded reading by maestro Kraggerud, with romantic cellos singing in the high tenor register during the famous “Air”.  Yet the finer details of the work were not lost.  The players were attentive to every detail of dynamic nuance and tonal finesse.   The Holberg Suite deserves to be recognized and played more often for the fine work that it is, alongside Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin and Respighi’s Ancient airs and dances.  

Years ago, I was in Venice, Italy (Vivaldi’s hometown) and heard a volcanic, near-hysterical performance of I Quadro Stagioni (The Four Seasons) by the local group I Solisti Veneti.  While the Pacific Symphony’s account last night was also highly energetic, it was at the same time refined and full of color and nuance.  We could have done without maestro Kraggerud’s lengthy introduction before each ‘Season’ (Isn’t it what the pre-concert lecture was for?)  that dragged the work to an unseemly 45 minutes.   Musically, the performance was consistently on a very high level.  'Spring' arrives in high spirits, birdsong, and a 'barking dog' in the violas; the finale contrasts a swelling legato against sparkly solo passagework.  The tempestuous weather of ‘Summer’ had power enough to rival the recent windstorms in Los Angeles.  One could hear the rustling and falling of leaves in ‘Autumn’ in the violins and the diverse winds.   The cruel weathers of 'Winter' inspired bursts of virtuosity from the Pacific Symphony players.  Conductor Kraggerud himself played the violin in solo as well as in ensemble with immense brilliance.

For tickets to other concerts of the Pacific Symphony's 2011-2012 season, call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.pacificsymphony.org

 

Truman C. Wang is editor of Classical Voice.

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