Mahler spellbinds in James Conlon’s return to CSO

 

James Conlon, May Festival music director laureate, returned to conduct Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 with the CSO. Photo provided/Lee Snow

James Conlon raised his arms to begin Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan,” and the musicians of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra sounded the long, quiet ‘A’ that opens the work. From that pure tone, the woodwinds evoked the gradual awakenings of nature, trumpet fanfares sounded in the distance and every note had color and meaning.

It was a spellbinding start to the hour-long journey that is Mahler. Through it all, the warmth of Conlon’s interpretation was palpable.

Conlon’s masterful reading of Mahler’s First Symphony on Saturday was just the antidote for a cold, snowy weekend when a blustery winter storm bore down on the city. Some brave souls turned out on Friday despite the dire forecasts. On Saturday, with the storm past, Music Hall was filled to the rafters.

And small wonder. Besides being the first appearance by Conlon since his final concert as May Festival music director in May of 2016, the orchestra introduced a remarkable American violinist, Jennifer Frautschi, in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3. The program opened with a rewarding performance of Schubert’s Overture to “Rosamunde.”

Mahler’s First Symphony in D Major, which filled the evening’s second half, began the composer’s lifelong quest for meaning as witnessed in his greatest symphonic works. The “Titan,” or hero, based on a novel by Jean Paul, is, in reality, Mahler, whose inner conflicts and struggles against fate are all vividly portrayed in his music. Yet there is also the Mahler who loved life, who drew from his love of nature, Austrian folk tunes and mundane marches that he observed around him.

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard such a refined performance of the first movement of Mahler’s First as that performed by the Cincinnati Symphony on Saturday. Conlon, who led without a score, displayed a view that was gentle and tranquil, with every detail – spacious horn calls, the pastoral tune from “Songs of a Wayfarer” – all vividly brought to the fore. The dark undertones of the F Minor section (which Conlon described as a “cloud” passing by) sent chills up the spine.

His tempos were measured, and every phrase was allowed to breathe. The second movement, an Austrian “landler,” was earthy and heavy, but in its lovely trio, we were back in elegant Vienna. It had an air of nostalgia, and the musicians played it with expressive beauty.

One could feel the grotesqueness of the funeral march, with its clipped dotted rhythms in the winds. Many orchestral soloists enhanced the “Frère Jacques” round, including principal bassist Owen Lee and principal bassoonist William Winstead. The klezmer-inspired music was a joy to witness.

In a wonderful theatrical stroke, Conlon had the eight French horns stand as they took the theme in the finale, Stürmisch bewegt. Here, the music’s thrilling energy and grandeur were brought to life through massive climaxes with the full brass and two sets of timpani (Patrick Schleker and Richard Jensen). The crowd cheered at the cut-off.

(The Blumine movement, which Mahler originally included in his Symphony No. 1 and later removed, was not performed.)

For the program’s centerpiece, Frautschi, winner of an Avery Fisher career grant, made an impressive Music Hall debut in Mozart’s Violin Concerto in G Major, K. 216. The Pasadena, CA native brought impeccable technique and engaging character to each phrase, and communicated with a big, relaxed sound on her Stradivarius of 1722, “ex-Cadiz.”

Her cadenzas were pure-toned and unhurried, and she tackled virtuosities with ease. What was most notable about her performance, though, was her obvious joy in this collaboration. It was fun to see her turn to Kathryn Woolley, acting associate concertmaster, and join in on the orchestral expositions. Let’s hope she returns again soon.

To open the evening, Conlon led the orchestra with affection in Schubert’s “Rosamunde” Overture. Observing that this May will be exactly 40 years since his debut with the May Festival, the festival’s conductor laureate remarked that his Austrian program was inspired by a program of Schubert and Mahler long ago when he was in Paris, and Louis Langrée was his conducting assistant. Langrée, now the CSO’s music director, asked him to repeat the combination for this performance.