This concert, the first of two with The Cleveland Orchestra at Carnegie Hall this season, sandwiched a rarely performed orchestral suite by Leoš Janáček between two iconic works by Beethoven. After soprano Asmik Grigorian withdrew from planned appearances with the orchestra in both Cleveland and New York, instead of replacing her with a different singer, Music Director Franz Welser-Möst substituted compositions by Beethoven for the originally planned items by Haydn, Strauss and Puccini, saying, “This program change has given us a chance to say something important about our world today. As people fight for freedom everywhere, these pieces tell the same human story.”
Welser-Möst’s interpretation of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony amplified his words, as he emphasized the emotional journey from darkness to light in his sturdy, strongly focused conducting style. The vigorous opening Allegro con brio created an atmosphere of anticipation and tension, powerfully conveying the threatening nature of the four-note opening motif, and set the stage for the dramatic journey that followed. The flowing melodies of the Andante con moto second movement, urgently pressed forward, made a strong contrast with the dark and stormy first. An energetic, similarly swift Scherzo maintained a feeling of tension. The finale was exhilarating, the perfectly paced crescendo culminating in a joyful and triumphant resolution.
Janáček’s suite From the House of the Dead was the sole remnant of the evening’s original program. The composer translated and adapted the libretto of his final opera (1930) from Dostoevsky’s 1862 The House of the Dead, a semi-autobiographical narrative of the Russian writer’s years in a Siberian prison camp. Drawing on the novel’s themes of human suffering and injustice, the opera affirms the survival of human dignity under the bleakest of conditions. Arranged by Czech conductor František Jilek in the late 1970s, the three-movement orchestral suite features brief, repeated motifs moving through different instrumental sections. A solemnly toned symphonic prelude evokes the desperation of the men in the prison camp. The contrasting second movement is based on melodies accompanying the humorous pantomimes performed by the convicts, while the third movement features jubilant music associated with the release of the prisoners’ leader. Under Welser-Möst’s precise baton, the orchestra – with an unusually large percussion section incorporating an anvil and metal chains – strongly depicted the bleak reality of the prison camp. Juxtaposing moments of stark despair with passages of great beauty, even humor, the characterful music vividly conveyed both the resilience and the complex emotions of the prisoners.
The final item on the program, a brisk, highly atmospheric account of Beethoven’s Leonore Overture no. 3, encapsulated the plot of Fidelio, the opera it was once intended to precede. A wide range of dynamic changes in the main themes intensified the dramatic impact of the music. Especially memorable moments included the slow introduction where the woodwinds established a strong sense of foreboding, the soaring and hopeful flute solo floating over the violins, the brightly rendered, offstage trumpet calls signaling the rescue of the imprisoned Florestan, and the thrilling rush of the violins in the triumphant conclusion. This was a stunning rendition – delivered with flawless intonation and rhythmic accuracy – which successfully captured the themes of love, courage and the struggle to end tyranny and oppression.
