Peter Oundjian is familiar to Seattle Symphony audiences for his masterful conducting, but he also is known internationally as an outstanding violinist, professor of music and artistic advisor. His inventive program last weekend represented three youthful elements: one of Mozart’s most sublime piano concertos performed by prodigious talent, Jan Lisiecki; a new work by up-and-coming American composer Brian Raphael Nabors; and Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps. The program was creative, though overly long.
Nabors found inspiration for his 18-minute Upon Daybreak in Maya Angelou’s poem, A Brave, Startling Truth. Co-commissioned by the Berkeley, Detroit, Seattle Symphony orchestras and the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, the harmonically colorful, socially relevant work represents the composer’s vision of the natural world. Joyful vibrations interspersed with melodic interest depict his unfailing optimism and hopes for the dawn of a new day of peacemaking.
Starting with driving rhythms, the piece moves forward energetically, with brief interludes of slower, intriguing sounds emitting from pizzicati and harmonics in the strings. The well-played string solos in the following episode, marked by tension, add color and texture, transitioning to a spirited final section that evokes the urgency heard in the beginning. Oundjian brought out the buoyancy and upbeat spirit of the work with his snappy gestures and made the most of the individual contributions from the relatively small ensemble, with an exceptionally active percussion section and French horns playing in the “up” position.
Lisiecki’s interpretations and technique speak to a maturity beyond his age. His approach to Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 22 in E flat major, K.482, combined an impeccable technical expertise with the vocality of Le nozze di Figaro, written shortly after this concerto.
In the first movement, Lisiecki played with the care, delicacy and religiosity one hopes for in Mozart: exacting, yet emotional. His technical fluency made his performance seem effortless, but not easy. The melancholy Andante came off as boldly expressive but not overdramatic. The final Allegro sparkled with wit and incisiveness. Lisiecki’s cadenzas throughout went beyond technical expertise to an almost heavenly level. Oundjian’s engaging personality came across as he emphasized the joyous nature of the piece.
More than a century after its revolutionary premiere in 1913, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, assessed by its first audience as “a blasphemous attempt to destroy music as an art”, remains controversial yet representative of early 20th-century sensibilities. The work presents an opportunity for conductors to demonstrate their technical proficiency and ability to keep an ensemble together throughout the extreme rhythmic changes and dynamic intensities. Oundjian used his outstanding precision to achieve a transparency that is rare in this dense orchestration, though he seemed less comfortable in this piece than in the previous two. The orchestra displayed the ever-increasing virtuosity that continues to impress.
