Abrahamsen and Brahms at Severance

The Cleveland Orchestra continued its recent practice of commingling the new and the old this weekend at Severance. 

The new was the world premiere of Vers le silence, by Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen. The title is an allusion to Scriabin’s Vers la flamme, so memorably performed by Horowitz.  But if Scriabin’s later music was intended to depict the end of the world, the static quality of Abrahamsen’s work brings to mind the end of the universe – which current science predicts will end with a whimper, not a bang.  The two works are opposites, as the Scriabin starts off quietly and builds to an explosion, and the four movements of Vers le silence start explosively and dissonantly and fade into silence.  Following the work’s performance, the composer was invited to the stage to share in the applause.

Brahms’ titanic Second Piano Concerto is something of a repertoire staple – nearly every important pianist has recorded it.  But this marks the first time I’ve heard the piece at a concert.  The work, which is much more difficult to play than it sounds, is a tough nut to crack.  Most performers approach it as a magnificent structure, or as a stern work that only offers a few tight-lipped smiles, or worst with a pseudo-reverence that drains the work of its energy.  Levin and Welser-Möst offered instead a performance marked by rhapsodic feelings and occasional whimsy.  At times, the tempi seemed unusually brisk.  Then I remembered a study of Brahms’ metronome markings indicated most movements should go much quicker than heard on most recordings.  Parts of the performance reminded me of Rubinstein’s famous 1929 recording of the work with Albert Coates and the London Symphony Orchestra – although Levit was far more polished technically.  The tempi in the opening movement in particular were markedly flexible, contrasting the energetic theme as presented after the introduction with the later dreamily contemplative section.  Principal cellist Mark Kosower contributed soulfully meditative playing in his third movement solo, while the joy and grace of the final movement (parts of which have always reminded me of children playing tag) built to a conclusion that brought the audience to its feet.