Dresden Staatskapelle 11/16/2008

Fabio Luisi, conductor
Orchestra Hall, Chicago IL
November 16, 2008

Strauss Don Quixote
Jan Volger, cello
Brahms Symphony No. 4


This concert was an amazing experience. Dresden Staatskapelle is one of the oldest orchestras in the world, and that tradition came through in a very clear way to the audience. Sound and phrasing were the elements of magic that this orchestra brought to their performance, weaving an aural narrative unlike any orchestra I had ever heard. Jan Volger was also quite good, playing Don Quixote with sincere and convincing characters, a beautiful sound, and a very sturdy technical approach to his instrument. The Brahms, however, was the crown jewel of the concert.

The fine American orchestras that I have heard all have the ability to play with phenomenal ensemble, gorgeous sound, and control of color. Dresden played very well in those respects, though maybe not quite at the highest quality of the best American orchestra. They did, however, play with a collective vulnerability which was quite arresting. The thing that was extraordinary about this was that it was done by each and every member of the orchestra, and in a very personal and individual way. Which meant that every note and every phrase was felt by every member of the orchestra. This was most evident in the rests. Rather than count, or wait, the orchestra breathed and felt. It was the most extraordinary feeling to be in the audience when this happened. The air in the hall felt so tender and delicate—so held. And when the sound would start again, it was as if it was emerging from something inside that had been there all along.

On an analytical level, this type of engagement within the orchestra allowed some fairly amazing things to be done with phrasing in terms of time. This was especially apparent in all of the “hauptstimme” material that the first violins played throughout the symphony. The section was able to play with the abandon, intensity, and seeming spontaneity of one soloist because the idea of each phrase was internal, and the timing and color of it came from a unified consensus on how it should be felt. I’m not sure American orchestras and musicians are trained to start all music from an internal place. Rather, we look for the directions in the score, think about what stroke, where to take time, and how to accomplish whatever color. It’s similar to how college orchestra students finally learn that in order to play together, we all have to start from the string. Dresden Staatskapelle seems to work from the mentality that, in order to play together, everyone must be together inside, where the impetus for the music starts.