Those fortunate enough to be in the Tivoli Theatre on Thursday night were treated to a three-course musical feast presented by the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra.
The concert included masterpieces by three Russian composers from the mid-19th through mid-20th centuries. Putting all three of these extraordinary works in one program offered a special opportunity to hear how, and to what degree, each of these composers managed to infuse their works with their unique musical dentity.
The program began with a rousing and heartfelt performance of Russian Festival Easter Overture by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888 and based on themes from the "Obikhod," a collection of hymns and chants associated with the Russian Orthodox Church. Rimsky-Korsakov was a member of a group of composers in St. Petersburg known as the "Russian Five" whose aim was the creation of a truly Russian music. There can be no doubt that Rimsky-Korsakov succeeded - perhaps better than anyone before or since.
What a joy it was to hear the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, under the capable and steady leadership of music director Kayoko Dan, do justice to this music. The frequent and often subtle changes in tempo were cleanly negotiated, and the orchestra produced a warm instrumental blend.
After the Rimsky-Korsakov work, featured soloist for the evening pianist Alexander Schimpf (recent winner of the Vienna Beethoven Piano Competition) presented a powerful, passionate and virtuosic performance of one of Tchaikovsky's most popular and enduring works, Piano Concerto No. 1, composed in 1875. Schimpf selected a lovely, gentle waltz by Tchaikovsky to perform as an encore, a marked and effective contrast to the thunderous concerto.
Along with the beginning of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, the opening four notes of Piano Concerto No. 1 may be the most iconic four notes in the history of Western art music. Although a contemporary of Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky was not invited to be part of the Russian Five because some of their members considered his style of composition too firmly rooted in German and French traditions.
Yet Tchaikovsky was very much interested in employing many of the same techniques used by the Five in order to more fully realize his own version of Russian musical identity. And always, through it all, there is always that wondrous Tchaikovsky "big tune," the heroic or romantic melody that just reaches out and grabs you by the ears and won't let go.
The second half of the program was devoted entirely to the extraordinary Symphony No. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich. It was composed in 1925, when Shostakovich was only 19 years old, as his graduation piece from the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music.
With its unique blend of sarcasm, humor, introspection and glorious grandeur, the symphony demands much from an orchestra and conductor. The intense and soulful solo violin passages were beautifully performed by concertmaster Holly Mulcahy, and special praise must go to the outstanding trombone and tuba section for its outstanding work on the piece.
It should be noted that quite a few people chose to leave the theater during intermission; perhaps some wanted to leave with their minds still full of the familiar soaring melodies of the Tchaikovsky concerto; after all, most people are most comfortable with music they are already familiar with.
And it was a work and school night, too.
However, those who remained were privileged to share in the experience of hearing truly extraordinary and emotionally powerful music performed live by a wonderful group of musicians. Last performed by the Chattanooga Symphony nearly 30 years ago, one hopes it will not be that long before we may hear this magnificent Shostakovich work again.
Douglas Hedwig was a trumpeter with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York City for 27 years and also was on the faculty of The Juilliard School. He is professor emeritus of music at the City University of New York and his compositions are published by Carl Fischer Music and TNR Music Publishers. He and his wife moved to Chattanooga in 2013.