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concert review: antichamber music
Feb. 20th, 2011 08:50 pmThe San Francisco Symphony plays its concerts in a big auditorium called Davies Symphony Hall. Its individual members play chamber music there too. Even if you're sitting halfway down the main floor, it still sounds like they're phoning it in from the next county. It is called "chamber music" for a reason, and even though tickets might be harder to get, I prefer hearing it in a chamber.
Nevertheless there was some good music here. Beethoven's String Quintet, Op. 29, is just as good as his early quartets but is rarely played. Gathering the requisite five players out of a large orchestra's string sections is not so difficult. The program notes suggested this work is an homage to Mozart, but as played here today it was all Beethoven.
Hindemith's Sonata for Four Horns, and where, outside a symphony orchestra, are you going to find four professional-quality French horn players at once? Once upon a time, the horns were the major weak spot of SFS, but now they're top quality, and this could have served as a graduation exercise had that quality not been reached some two decades ago.
Mendelssohn's Octet for Strings. Sarn Oliver in the demanding first violin part expressed some intonation glitches and even wrong notes that would be less alarming were they not coming from a violinist in a world-class orchestra. He was in general a pretty strong player, however, and he got absolutely sure-fire backup from his colleagues. Gorgeous organ-like chords in the Andante, and for once in this piece's performance history, the Finale really sounded like a true sequel to the dazzling Scherzo. Good job.
Nevertheless there was some good music here. Beethoven's String Quintet, Op. 29, is just as good as his early quartets but is rarely played. Gathering the requisite five players out of a large orchestra's string sections is not so difficult. The program notes suggested this work is an homage to Mozart, but as played here today it was all Beethoven.
Hindemith's Sonata for Four Horns, and where, outside a symphony orchestra, are you going to find four professional-quality French horn players at once? Once upon a time, the horns were the major weak spot of SFS, but now they're top quality, and this could have served as a graduation exercise had that quality not been reached some two decades ago.
Mendelssohn's Octet for Strings. Sarn Oliver in the demanding first violin part expressed some intonation glitches and even wrong notes that would be less alarming were they not coming from a violinist in a world-class orchestra. He was in general a pretty strong player, however, and he got absolutely sure-fire backup from his colleagues. Gorgeous organ-like chords in the Andante, and for once in this piece's performance history, the Finale really sounded like a true sequel to the dazzling Scherzo. Good job.
