06/17/05: The San Francisco Symphony presents a tympani concerto and Beethoven's Ninth


One hit, one miss...guess!

OK, just call me a Philistine, but I had no use for this premiering and specially commissioned tympani concerto by William Kraft.

It's supposed to be avant-garde or something I suppose, but the definition of what qualifies as avant-garde should change as years pass. This cacaphonous, shapeless piece would maybe have been avant garde 50 years ago...but now it sounds like the background score to every hand-to-hand, mano y mano battle Captain Kirk ever had on a hostile planet in the old Star Trek series. Or maybe the John Williams score for the original Star Wars whenever the Sandpeople showed up on Tatooine. (Have I established true geek cred now? Star Trek and Star Wars in one sentence!)

Anyway, there was no discernible journey. It was 20 minutes of random interchanges between the percussion and a dissonant orchestra. I did become kind of fascinated watching the dance of the tympanist. As he moved among his 15 or so tympanis of different widths, grabbing different mallets, pushing pedals and tightening and loosening clamps on the drums, it was somewhat like watch someone play one of those huge church organs.

Far more intellectually interesting trying to imagine multi-tasking as such an instrument requires, than actually musically pleasant. And I never knew a drum could be so complicated, so I learned something new. So, I've got that going for me. Which is nice. (3rd and final geek reference for the post.)

Beethoven's Ninth, on the other hand, is a long, but satisfying journey...and its many pleasure provide ample pay-off for some of its more repetitive passages.

The opening Allegro movement has many such passages. Honestly, I know I'm critiquing a master, but after about 10 minutes there's really nothing much new being said in this movement, and yet it continues. But such doubts are forgotten when the Molto vivace movement begins. Terrifically catchy, it's a movement on a mission. The SO and I were split on the third Adagio - Andante movement. He found it slow (heh) and dull; I found it stately and beautiful.

Such disagreement is moot once you reach the culminating fourth movement, the finale, the Chorale for which this Symphony is rightly revered.

After a few minutes of introduction it is first the string basses and cellos that begin the familiar, noble strains of the Ode to Joy chorus. Beethoven allows only this deep, rich orchestra section to play for what seems like longer than any other composer would have had the guts to do...but it serves to put you in a mood of reverence and contemplation before building, from voice quartet, to orchestra to full chorale and back and forth again, to a conclusion that is surely among the most thrilling symphonic moments ever.

We actually decided not to renew our Symphony subscription for a fourth year, and this was the last performance in this year's package. I think it's good to end on a high note!

Posted: Sat - June 18, 2005 at 10:28 AM       EmailFeedback

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