March Madness with Hilary Hahn, Mahler Seventh and More
/By Truman C. Wang
3/30/2022
Violinist Hilary Hahn
March at LA Phil was a month of substitutions and happy surprises and discoveries. Two conductors, Karina Canellakis and Semyon Bychkov, bowed out for personal reasons unrelated to the current events in Europe. Their replacements – Ludovic Morlot and David Robertson, respectively – were of such superb calibre one did not miss the original choices. For the March 13 concert, Morlot conducted a memorable Shostakovich Symphony No. 10, full of gravitas and sensitive woodwind solos, admirably bringing out the work’s wide dynamic range in the Disney Hall’s ideal acoustics. In the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1, he partnered with the prodigiously talented Venezuelan pianist Sergio Tiempo in a tumultuous and entertaining rendition, mixing high-flying virtuosity with zany humor. Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s new work, Metacosmos, was an intriguing exploration of nature in exotic sound effects and harmonies.
Judging from the turnout on March 19, Hilary Hahn must be the violinist du jour among the Gen Z’s. Large contingents of college kids from around the U.S. showed up in force avidly to hear their idol, and they were not disappointed. Barber’s Violin Concert may not be the most exciting thing in the repertoire (some may even feel it dull next to the Walton or Korngold), but under Hilary Hahn’s bow it was magically and convincinly transformed into a gem. The first movement’s transquil, rustic atmosphere unfolded into the Andante’s tense drama, and the finale carried with it brilliant virtuosity on a velvety cushion of orchestral colors conjured up by the equally magical baton of Estonian maestro Paavo Jarvi. After the intermission, Jarvi conducted a persuasive reading of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7, coaxing some delightful and relaxed woodwind playing from the LA Phil in the first movement (and the coda of the second), and the Scherzo waltz was winningly lightfooted and rhythmically infectious. The symphony ended in a blaze of splashy colors and excitement.
Conductor David Robertson
Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 is probably nobody’s favorite Mahler, but on March 27 David Robertson managed to turn in a highly credible and cogent reading of the score. Its many exotic scoring choices (mandolin, cowbells, guitar, tam-tam, keyboard glockenspiel, etc.) scream live viewing in a concert hall, and not 2-channel stereo at home. All sections of the LA Phil got a chance to shine in the Mahler Seventh, whether individually or in exotic combinations (horns and cow bells in the second movement, guitar and mandolin in the fourth movement), most memorably the ecstatic timpani solo in the rondo finale.
Truman C. Wang is Editor-in-Chief of Classical Voice, whose articles have appeared in the Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, other Southern California publications, as well as the Hawaiian Chinese Daily. He studied Integrative Biology and Music at U.C. Berkeley.