“Phoenix” takes flight
at Boston Symphony Orchestra
by Patrick Burns
Lynn Harrell, solo cellist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, makes
his way to center stage, playfully carrying his instrument overhead as he
zigzags through the string section. He gives guest conductor Christoph Eschenbach
a friendly nod and waves at the seated members of the orchestra and the
audience. The first notes of Augusta Read Thomas’s Cello Concerto #3: “The Legend of the Phoenix”, a world
premiere piece commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, come alive as
Harrell leads the string section through a barrage of elongated sharps and
flats. The tones are jarring, waking the audience from a post Mozart glow (The
first selection of the evening was Mozart’s Symphony No. 41). The opening
moments of Phoenix introduce the
crowd to a new vocabulary of orchestral sounds. The piece explodes into a
sequence of seemingly random bells, drums, and birdlike whistles. Although the
piece seems as if it is the product of experimental improvisation, there are
harmonious moments that remind the audience that we are indeed at Boston’s
Symphony Hall. These moments are brief and interrupted by jungle like drums or
fiery fanfare, but they serve as the melodic strings that tie together Thomas’s
30 minute epic concerto.
The
piece sounds colorful, which makes perfect sense upon viewing Thomas’s graphic
“map” of the concerto. On the map, arcs of pink, yellow, purple, green, blue,
and orange tie together words such as blazing, luminous, playful, jazzy, clean,
and vivid. “With sparkling, radiant, and capriciously witty atmospheres that
celebrate the soloist and orchestra, this concerto is optimistic, clean,
colorful, bright, and sunny”, says Thomas of her world premiere piece.
"Numerous ways of looking at lyrical" was an image in ear and mind as
I composed this concerto for Lynn Harrell. I love the way Lynn makes his cello
sing at all times and treasure the way he is able to capture the deepest
characters in music.” Throughout the contrasting
yet complimentary sections of the piece (performed without pause), the soloist inspires
and illuminates every aspect of Thomas’s music.
Thomas’s
mythical concerto begs to be accompanied by dance (“I often dance on tables
when composing” says Thomas of the piece’s ballet-esque qualities), but the
orchestral performers make their own beautiful movements as they play, ensuring
a captivating performance. However, if Thomas’s cutting edge organic,
orchestral music was paired with equally innovative choreographer, the end
result would be even more otherworldly.
The films City Lights by Charlie Chaplin and Do The Right Thing by Spike Lee
