The Chicago Symphony Orchestra gave an enjoyable performance of an American-inspired program at Symphony Center on Saturday evening. With James Gaffigan conducting, the program included the warm and expressive voice of soprano Janai Brugger, who performed songs by American composers Florence Price and George Gershwin.
Leonard Bernstein was another American composer on the program, but Antonín Dvořák, the fourth composer, was Czech. Dvořák spent a few momentous years in the United States and performed in Chicago. While on this side of the Atlantic, he composed several of his greatest works.
The orchestra has just returned from a European tour and several of the CSO’s section leaders were not present. The assistant principals filled in and wonderfully performed the many solos. Much of this music accompanies plays and movies, so it straddles the fence between pop and classical. With Gaffigan in the lead, the CSO made it jump off the stage and screen.
A major factor in the success of this performance was a large percussion section. In addition to the usual timpani, percussionists played a marimba, snare drum, a regular drum kit, bass drums, cymbals, crotales, a cowbell, car horns, and other noise-making gadgets. Keyboardists were also present for a celeste and obligato piano.
Gaffigan was able to meld all the sounds into a very crisp presentation with a conducting style adapted to the music. For faster movements, he used a baton in his right hand. For slower, more emotional movements, he put the baton down and used his hands. He was also very effective at letting the soloists shine. During ovations, he would gingerly walk upstage and directly recognize key performers of each piece.
The evening opened with Dvořák’s Suite in A-Major, “American.” This was the first time the CSO ever performed this five-movement work. It’s not top-tier Dvořák, but the performance quality was top notch. All of the important characteristics were present: accurate intonation, crisp phrasing, smooth transitions, and a balanced sound between the various sections. I was especially impressed during a moment in the opening movement when a melody started in the strings and seamlessly shifted to the woodwinds, as if the same individuals played the melody for its entire duration.
The impact of Gaffigan’s varied conducting style was evident in the last two movements. He massaged the sounds with his hands in the slower Andante fourth movement. Then, for the upbeat finale, he grabbed his baton and applied more energy.
Janai Brugger entered the stage for two songs by Florence Price, My Dream by Langston Hughes and Beside the Sea by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Brugger showed magnetic poise with a colorful voice.
Price originally wrote these songs for piano accompaniment, and Lior Rosner transcribed them and several others for orchestra. The challenge is always for the vocalist to be heard over the background instruments. At times during “My Dream,” Brugger’s voice was lost in the mix. Things were much better during “Beside the Sea,” which continued in the later appearance after intermission.
Three dance episodes from Leonard Bernstein’s On the Town ended the first half. This piece has many rapid rhythmic shifts, which the CSO produced well. In the third dance, “Times Square: 1944,” it was impossible not to hear in my head the film version with Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Jules Munshin singing “New York, New York, it’s a wonderful town.” The muted trumpets came in nicely during the march-like passages.
After intermission, Brugger returned to the stage with a heartfelt rendition of “Summertime” and a mournful take of “My Man is Gone Now” from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. She blended really well with the orchestra in both songs.
Gaffigan and the CSO next shared the fun energy of Gershwin’s An American in Paris, complete with car horns, saxophones, and a piano. Gershwin centered this work on the familiar theme that starts the movie, a theme that returns after each distinct musical episode. There were plenty of solo opportunities. Most memorable was the tuba solo performed by Gene Pokorny, who reproduced the very tongue-in-cheek approach Gershwin clearly intended.
The concert ended with Bernstein’s Overture to Candide. This work has never really appealed to me. A sign of a good performance is one that generates interest, and Gaffigan and the CSO did just that. Very enjoyable.
Tonight at Symphony Center, Ken-David Masur leads the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in a performance of Respighi’s Fountains of Rome, Tarrodi’s Liguria, Sibelius’s Second Symphony. Monday, June 2, 7:30pm. General admission. For more information click here.
Tomorrow night at Symphony Center, Heather Headley joins the CSO for a night of music from a Broadway career spanning 25 years. Tuesday, June 3, 7:30pm. For more information, click here.
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