This weekend’s Cleveland Orchestra concerts featured the return of guest conductor Jakub Hrůša, leading the orchestra in works both familiar and unfamiliar.
The concert opened with the Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90 by Johannes Brahms. Although it is a relatively popular symphony, it’s challenging to perform. Even structural masters like Toscanini struggled with this work. Hrůša plunged headlong into the opening movement, which included the repeat. Despite the constant sense of momentum and pulse, it never seemed rushed. The second movement was beautifully contemplative with unexaggerated pianissimos in the high strings. The third movement, with its popular theme, featured plasticity of phrasing without descending into schmaltz. This brought us to a finale featuring bracing syncopation and exhilaration leading to the work’s serene end.
Following intermission, Hrůša returned to conduct the Symphony No. 3 by Bohuslav Martinů. I’d never heard this work before, either in concert or on recordings. So, I can only comment that the work was plainly written during the Second World War. An atmosphere of stark foreboding runs through much of the work, yet it wasn’t without moments of joy. I look forward to familiarizing myself more with this piece.
The concert’s final work was Vítězslava Kaprálová’s Military Sinfonietta, Op. 11. This piece was composed nearly a decade before the Martinů – even though he was Kaprálová’s teacher (and, briefly, lover). This is the work of a young and talented composer, with numerous interesting passages, yet it does not quite gel. Sadly, Kaprálová died when she was 25, so one is left wondering “what might have been.”
Both post-intermission works were being played by the orchestra for the first time, yet the performances were entirely assured and polished – testimony to the skills of both the orchestra and the conductor. With the departure of music director Franz Welser-Möst in just over a year, I’ve little doubt that Hrůša is a serious contender for the post.
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