BSO, review by Patrick Burns

“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.