SHAGHOIAN HALL BRINGS OUT TOP TONE, DYNAMICS

Philharmonic sounds clearer with greater dynamic range than usual.

By George Warren - January 17, 2010

For fans of Beethoven, Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall was the place to be Saturday, as the Fresno Philharmonic took their show on the road to the architectural showpiece on the campus of Clovis North Educational Center. Theodore Kuchar, pianist Mihaela Ursuleasa, and the orchestra put on an all-Beethoven program, featuring Piano Concerto No. 1 and the Seventh Symphony.

The concert began with the Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, and the first thing one observed was the direction from which the sound arrived at the ear. Shaghoian Hall was designed with great care pertaining to the way sound travels from the stage to the seating area, and it was fascinating to listen to the various instruments and sections in this respect.

The overture begins with big chords, and then the first theme in the strings and woodwinds. The sound of the violins came from the ceiling, not direct from the players even though they sit at the front of the stage. The sound of the woodwinds, however, came at the audience from a bit lower, and the sound seemed to sit directly in front of the stage. Instead of the blended sound the Philharmonic makes at Saroyan Theatre, here the audience was treated to the sound of the orchestra separated in space, and blended by harmony instead of reverberation.

Whether this is good may be a matter of taste or of what one is accustomed to hearing, but for at least one listener it was an aural delight. In Carnegie Hall, one can sit in the balcony and discern exactly from where on the stage a sound emanates; this experience was similar—our own bit of New York right here at home.

Kuchar directed the overture with a keen ear for dynamics, and it set up the concerto well enough. Beethoven was in the hall, and the ear was ready.

The opening of the concerto may be the quietest pianissimo the philharmonic has ever achieved, made possible by size of the hall and the proximity of orchestra to audience. It took the breath away to hear the strings play that tenderly and not have the sound washed in a bath of reverberation.

Mihaela Ursuleasa played flawlessly, with the possible exception of some rhythmic issues. It’s likely that her early arrivals on the downbeat were deliberate, for style, or to create sonic space between soloist and orchestra. With the control that she had over all other elements, it’s unlikely that she just missed those particular beats through carelessness.

Ursuleasa’s best moments were in the cadenza of the first movement and the entire third. She is very strong with her left hand, and this work demands a lot of speed and accuracy in the lower registers of the instrument. At points of extreme speed in the left, she bent to that side of the keyboard to pay close attention, and the right hand carried its part as though it were just as simple as can be.

Best of show, however, was the Seventh Symphony, primarily because it is one of Beethoven’s best works. One fascinating element of this music is the wide range of tempos in various performances. Just comparing this performance to the last time the Philharmonic played the Seventh, Kuchar took the tempo just a shade slower in the second movement, the same in the third, and even faster than last time in the fourth.

Kuchar began the first movement with a relatively slow tempo, which sets up a terrific contrast with the much faster clip of the second theme group. It also provides time for the orchestra to take advantage of the hall and its dynamic flexibility. Giant opening chord gives way to quiet solo oboe…

In exchange for a slower tempo in the second movement, the orchestra played all notes staccato at the outset. It’s interesting to hear stylistic alterations like this, and it makes one wonder if Beethoven researchers have found another manuscript with different articulations and alerted only orchestral music directors. Just that minor detail breathes new life into a work that has been played so often.

The energy the orchestra delivered in the fourth movement topped everything else that took place this evening. At the end of the third, the musicians quickly turned their pages and readied their instruments; there wasn’t going to be much of a break between movements here. Kuchar checked to ensure that everyone was ready, and lit the fuse.

There is certainly a trade-off when this movement goes at such a fast clip. One of the primary motives gets lost, despite the best efforts of the violins. The question is whether the trade-off is worth losing the shape of that line. On this occasion, the furious energy the musicians produced made the loss of that motive worthwhile, and the audience loved the performance.