Runtime: 2 hours including one intermission
The Buffalo Philharmonic (BPO) at Kleinhans Music Hall and the Rochester Philharmonic (RPO) are about 75 miles or 80 minutes away from each other, but, with their separate concert schedules, don’t often have the opportunity to “get together” in any meaningful way until this weekend’s I-90 Swap (Interstate Route 90 a.k.a. the New York State Thruway).
This weekend, some musical VIPs of the BPO and RPO are “trading places.” BPO Music Director/Conductor JoAnn Falletta along with the BPO’s Concertmaster Nikki Chooi traveled east to Rochester’s Eastman Theatre to conduct and solo in front of the Rochester Philharmonic on one of their typical Thursday – Saturday series. Falletta chose music that is some of her favorites, and music that I like to say is “in her wheelhouse,” which is often music composed in the first few decades of the 20th century, including Respighi’s 1916 “Fountains of Rome;” Debussy’s 1905 “La Mer;” George Butterworth’s 1913 “The Banks of Green Willow.” That RPO concert which, like the BPO, encores Saturday night, also includes a modern violin concerto, in this case Persian composer Behzad Ranjbaran’s hypnotic Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.
Meanwhile, and the subject of this review, the RPO’s Music Director/Conductor (since 2021) Andreas Delfs along with the RPO’s Concertmaster Juliana Athayde have traveled west to Buffalo for one of the BPO’s Friday morning “Coffee Concerts” (free coffee and donuts before the 10:30 am event) which will be encored Saturday night, October 26 at 7:30, also at Kleinhans Music Hall. And the concert features music that is special to Delfs – Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” (orchestrated by Andre Caplet), Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C major “The Great C Major Symphony,” and a modern violin concerto with an intensely personal back story, composed by Roberto Sierra in memory of Delfs’ daughter “Lulu” who died tragically young.
And there’s a back story to this concert, as JoAnn Falletta explains: “Approximately 18 months ago, my Juilliard classmate Andreas Delfs called to discuss an idea with me. He had commissioned a violin concerto from composer Roberto Sierra in memory of Andreas’ young daughter who had passed away at the age of 23, and he was hoping to find other opportunities to perform this beautiful piece (“To the Memory of a Brave Girl”) in her honor…
“I immediately invited him to bring the piece to Buffalo in a very welcome return to our podium. Andreas mentioned to me that the piece had been written for his concertmaster Juliana Athayde, whose superb playing I knew, and I invited Juliana as well….
“When Andreas told me that he also wanted me to return to Rochester, I suggested that perhaps I should bring the BPO concertmaster Nikki Chooi as my soloist. Nikki was deeply interested in performing and recording the Violin Concerto by my longtime friend Behzad Ranjbaran, who had been one of his teachers at Juilliard. It was a plan!
Falletta continues: “Neither of us had any idea of how fascinating this “exchange” would prove to be to our respective orchestras. The Rochester Philharmonic felt strongly that this event should take place in exactly the same week. The composers would both be at the performances of their pieces, and each orchestra would have the challenge of playing a difficult new violin concerto in their presence…
“Each concertmaster/soloist would have the opportunity to play in the other orchestra’s hall (Kleinhans Music Hall and the Eastman Theatre). Each “second half” would feature repertoire that was deeply loved by the maestro who was on the podium.”
For Delfs that “second half” piece would be Schubert and for Falletta it would be Respighi. As it turns out, each orchestra has fans that were interested in the Thruway “I-90 Swap,” renting buses and planning champagne receptions.
THE CONCERT: Delfs and the BPO had me at Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.” Being a radio host on WNED Classical for over 25 years, of course I’ve heard recordings of this music hundreds of times, but I’ll repeat myself by telling you that live is so… much… better. The harp isn’t just a little grace note on your radio speakers… it fills the hall with moonlight. Meanwhile, the double basses thump you right in the gut. It’s a very “classical” orchestra (no percussion, for example) with 10 violins I, 10 violins II, 7 violas, 7 cellos, 7 double basses and a “double” wind quintet (two flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and French horns). The horns were magnificent and I was thrilled to see that it was the principle, Jacek Muzyk, alongside one of the new kids on the block, Sophia Filippone. I’d say the future of the BPO is quite secure.
Then, out came Juliana Athayde, appointed Concertmaster of the RPO in 2005 at the age of 24, the youngest person and first female to hold the position since the orchestra’s founding in 1922. (And, by the way, she prefers the title “concertmaster” to “concertmistress” which she said “sounds a little shady.”) While this was a first listen for us in Buffalo, it was not a premiere for Athayde. In fact, the concerto was written specifically for her by Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra. At the small meet’n’greet after the concert for RPO fans who had traveled to Buffalo, Athayde told me that she and Sierra worked closely on the concerto, discussing what worked and what could be improved, so this was in her fingers, which is good, because there’s a lot going on in this one.
The official title is “Concierto para Violín y Orquesta (a la memoria de una niña valiente)” and the composer has written: “The driving impulse for writing this violin concerto was the news of the premature departure of Lulu (Lydia) Delfs, a beloved person that I knew since she was a very young girl.”
While most concertos are in three movements, Sierra decided four would be better, and so we get both a scherzo movement and a “perpetuum mobile” finale. t’s modern, but not academic. In fact, it reminded me of both the Sibelius Violin Concerto and Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto (especially that finale). oth of those concertos are well known and well loved so that I can assure you that you will enjoy this violin concerto, too.
And you will love Athayde’s performance, which is a no-nonsense delivery, all about the music. And that seems of a piece with Athayde the person. Together with her husband, RPO principal oboist Erik Behr, Ms. Athayde is Artistic Director of the Society for Chamber Music in Rochester. She can be heard on multiple RPO recordings for the Harmonia Mundi label. And Ms. Athayde performs on a J.B. Vuillaume violin and a Jean Dominique Adam bow. And now you know a little more about her.
The concert ended with the composer that Viennese musical society had hoped would be the rightful heir to Beethoven, and he would have been universally acclaimed, had Schubert not died at age 31. Robert Schumann was the one who discovered the forgotten manuscript for Schubert’s “Great” C major symphony. And was Robert Schumann who later decided that it was Brahms who was “the next Beethoven.” I mention all of this because, under German born Delfs’ baton, that Schubert symphony reminded me so much of the German Brahms. And also of the German Schumann. I found that fascinating.
Certainly what we often hear at Kleinhans are “timeless classics.” But while they are “timeless” there’s something exciting about music written for our time, music that is unique, and new. I encourage you to get to Kleinhans this Saturday night.
POST CONCER EVENT: The BPO invites all ticket holders on Saturday evening after Saturday’s concert to their first Musician’s Nightcap of the season! Host Jonathan Borden will be joined by Brett Shurtliffe and Gary Paul Matz for an all-bassist discussion. This special post-concert event on the lower level of Kleinhans is free and complimentary refreshments will be provided.
WHAT’S NEXT WITH THE BPO AT KLEINHANS:
Friday, November 1 at 7:30 pm
Concert Title: Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert – the actual film with live orchestra
Saturday, November 2 at 7:30 pm
Concert Title: Rock Hits & Power Ballads
A night of electrifying rock hits and power ballads from icons like The Cars, Aerosmith, and Foreigner, alongside the music of powerhouse vocalists from Adele to Whitney Houston.
Wednesday, November 6 at 7:30 pm
Concert Title: The 3rd Doctors of the World with the BPO
Saturday November 9 at 7:30 pm, Sunday November 10 at 2:30 pm
Concert Title: BPO 90th Anniversary Celebration
The orchestra recreates the BPO’s historic inaugural concert, featuring Beethoven’s valiant Egmont Overture, Brahms’ deeply expressive Symphony No. 3, and Debussy’s Nocturnes.
Friday, November 15 at 7:30 pm
Concert Title: The Music of Queen
Saturday, November 16 at 7:30 pm
Concert Title: Fascinatin’ Rhythm: A Gershwin Celebration, celebrating George Gershwin’s 125th birthday
Friday November 22 at 10:30 am, Saturday November 23 at 7:30 pm
Concert Title: Beethoven Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”
Guest conductor Otto Tausk and the BPO explore themes of heroism and hope with fellow Dutchman, Wagenaar’s Overture to Cyrano de Bergerac and Tim Fain’s pandemic-inspired Edge of a Dream. Beethoven’s revolutionary Symphony No. 3, “Eroica,” demonstrates the symphony’s enduring power to speak to the human spirit.
Kleinhans Music Hall is at “3 Symphony Circle” Buffalo, 14201 where Porter Avenue, Richmond Avenue, North Street and Wadsworth meet at a traffic circle. Visit www.bpo.org or call 716-885-5000. Full-service bar in the lobby or across the lobby in the Mary Seaton Room. Masks are optional.