To open the 2017-18 orchestral season, the Adrienne Arsht Center invited maestro Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) to Miami on Sunday, Nov. 5, for a stirring performance of a new work and challenging symphonies by Mozart and Shubert.
Although the program officially opened with a new work, Footnote Suite, the virtuosity actually began before the opening number with the performance of the national anthems. The Star-Spangled Banner was attacked with tymphonic zeal, providing a stirring marshal opening to the evening. In contrast, the Israeli national anthem, HaTikvah, began with a soft, almost tremulous deftness, expanding to fill the hall only on its final reprise. Both anthems offered the audience a powerful reminder of what renowned musicians can bring to even the most familiar music.
The first number on the program was Footnote Suite, inspired by the Israeli film “Footnote” and written for the IPO by the film composer, Amit Poznansky. The work featured principal bassoonist, Daniel Mazaki and an emphatic woodwind ensemble. Poznansky’s suite was selected through a submission to the Israeli Music Committee of the IPO. It incorporated a strong reliance on oboe and bassoon, connecting the piece nicely with the final work of the program, Shubert’s Symphony No. 9. The use of percussive woodwinds and mincing arpeggios made Footnote Suite highly reminiscent of the musical techniques often employed when Alfred Hitchcock selected score for his more light-hearted thrillers.
Mozart’s Linz Symphony (Symphony No. 36 in C, K. 425) followed, famously known for being written in a mere four days because the composer failed to bring music with him on his travels back from his marriage in Vienna to his home in Salzburg. Impressed by the orchestra he met in Linz, Mozart rapidly composed one of his greatest works, often described as ominous, dark, and fraught with tension.
The IPO brought a lyric energy to these dark moments and delighted in its more joyous themes. The selection of the Linz Symphony emphasized the importance, which the entire program placed on the woodwinds. Despite the dominant role of viola and violin throughout much of the symphony, it is perhaps the duet for oboe and bassoon that becomes the highlight of this masterwork. Here, it remained that way, as well.
The final symphony was Shubert’s Symphony No. 9, (the Great Symphony, in C Major, D.944). This piece, often considered one of the more challenging classical works again featured the woodwinds with heavy reliance on the flute (Yossi Arnheim), oboe (Marco Salvatori), clarinet (Ron Selka and Yevgeny Yehudin), and bassoon (Daniel Mazaki and Uzi Shalev). The musicians relished their roles, interacting beautifully in the call-and-response engagement of the primary melodic line while the violins kept time in the background.
Conductor Mehta demonstrated why he leads this collaborative orchestra as its emotional and intellectual leader. The musical selection, precision, and heart was manifest throughout the evening. Admittedly, the concert had a bittersweet quality, for Mehta has announced his planned retirement in 2019. Indeed, there were moments when the maestro nearly stopped all his physical conducting, standing still to observe as his talented orchestra performed on his behalf.
The much-deserved encore performance that concluded the evening went to Mozart with the performance of the overture to the Marriage of Figaro. The rousing rendition had the audience on its feet. The orchestra was equally inspired, embracing its performance and celebrating a lifetime of masterful leadership by Maestro Mehta.
The Arsht Center classical series continues with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in January led by Pinchas Zukerman, a recital of Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman in February, and the Silk Road ensemble lead by Yo-Yo Mas in April.
The IPO returns next to Carnegie Hall for a series of additional concerts before concluding its North American tour.
