Tchaikovsky was a master at composing themes and variations. The fourth movement of his Suite no. 3 in G major, a Theme and Variations choreographed by Balanchine, and the “Aurora” Theme and Variations from The Sleeping Beauty are works which display the composer’s deftness and expertise in the genre. Perhaps Anton Arensky was inspired by his master’s skills when he composed his Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky played by the San Diego Symphony last May?
The Variations on a Rococo Theme proved a good choice for Tchaikovsky, balancing his Violin Concerto in D major with an equally challenging cello piece of great breadth and virtuosity. Tchaikovsky wrote the work (his closest to an actual cello concerto) to fulfill a commission from his talented young cellist friend Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, who was also a composer of cello music. Tchaikovsky considered Mozart his musical god, and composed his only solo cello work for an orchestra of Mozartean proportions – perhaps as a cleansing after having witnessed the 1876 première of Wagner’s Ring at Bayreuth.
Whatever his motivation, the composer has delighted and challenged cellists with this masterpiece, giving them ample opportunity to shine as if performing a concerto. Soloist Alban Gerhardt was no exception. From the initial espressivo of the theme, to the lyricism and virtuoso pyrotechnics of the variations, Gerhardt proved up to the task. That he feels the music is without question. Certainly his dazzling virtuosity was in clear evidence, and perhaps his experience as a champion of both contemporary and relatively obscure composers’ works (Fitzenhagen’s included) enhances his insight into what makes this vital Tchaikovsky work tick. The difficult thumb position notwithstanding, Gerhardt made the most of every facet the music had to offer, whether technical or interpretive. He is a musician of the highest order, in every sense of the word (his presence in the cello section for the Mahler further validated that view).
As the saying goes, there’s a first time for everything. Music Director Jahja Ling waited until more than a decade of his tenure with San Diego Symphony had passed before programming Mahler’s Symphony no. 7. Though he has conducted the work elsewhere, this performance was the orchestra’s first in its 103 year history. Ever since its 1908 Prague première, Mahler’s 7th has suffered from undeserved neglect amongst his symphonies. It has often been called Mahler’s “problem child.” In recent years, however, the piece has cast off that status to take its rightful place in the repertoire. “It is the most modern of all Mahler symphonies,” says Ling, “but for some people it is considered their favorite work of Mahler.”
Without a doubt it was a joy and a privilege to hear a live performance of this infinitely difficult work, and Maestro Ling deserves kudos for being brave enough to program it. At 80 minutes the piece seems extraordinarily long (though Klemperer’s interpretation clocked in at 100 minutes!). But the listener’s patience is rewarded: the work is one of Mahler’s most deeply personal compositions.
Often abstract and puzzling, this symphony is not as graspable as Mahler’s other symphonies. Of the work’s five movements, the three inner ones generally are considered the most accessible. Moreover, if one expects the clear tonality of other works in the key of E minor, such as Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, one will be quite surprised with this work. The first movement actually starts, Pathétique-like, in B minor and doesn’t reach E minor until the horns’ unison main theme (powerfully played by the orchestra’s able horn section), gives way to tonal ambiguity, the violins adeptly conquering the uppermost stratosphere of their range. The movement contains a number of often quirky or bizarre musical ideas and motifs in common with Mahler’s Symphony no. 6: for example the use of cowbells to suggest a pastoral feel, and the first of a number of marches scattered throughout the entire work. The addition of the infrequently used baritone horn adds to the uniqueness of the piece.