Chicago Classical Review

One hears a concerto for piano or violin nearly every week at Orchestra Hall. Occasionally a cello concerto or one for a wind soloist when a principal player is given a spotlight opportunity.

But an accordion concerto?

Such was the case Thursday night with Paavo Järvi returning to town to lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Prophecy, the offbeat centerpiece of a Northern-centered program, with Ksenija Sidorova as accordion soloist.

A former rock musician who turned classical composer, the Estonian Tüür has been notably prolific, writing ten symphonies to date, an opera (Wallenberg)  and a slew of concertos including Prophecy, for accordion, premiered in 2007.

Tüür is one of the most consistently intriguing of today’s Baltic composers. His music is bracing and well-crafted, often cast in a when-worlds-collide style that mixes a shimmering Northern impressionism—at times suggestive of his compatriot Arvo Pärt—with an edgy dramatic tension and driving, explosive quality that seem to reflect his rock origins.

The title Prophecy, says Tüür, refers to “the extremely long and rich practice of ‘seeing things’ through the history of different cultures and traditions.” He adds, rather cryptically, “these people were met with mixed feelings by the majority of the society. They were respected, disdained, hazardous and kind of mad. However, they had access to the beyond.”

Cast in four connected movements running 20 minutes, Prophecy, opens with a loud percussion note as the accordion enters immediately. A surging tremolo riff in high strings leads to the first extended solo passage that conveys something of the accordion’s evocative qualities. The soloist plays passages in between held string passages and iridescent percussion, which alternate with swelling chords with a hard cut-off. The second movement accelerates the tempo, with the quick back and forth between soloist and orchestra somewhat more suggestive of the traditional dueling concerto style.

A brief solo cadenza leads into an introspective third movement. Here the accordion has more opportunity to shine, and Sidorova’s graceful, seamless playing conveyed an  inward expression as well as the instrument’s songful, evocative essence, which (inevitably) seem to conjure up nostalgic Paris street-cafe associations. 

Increasingly prominent whirling passages in winds and brass lead to a fast and syncopated theme that ushers in the final movement. In the most virtuosic writing of the concerto Sidorova’s bravura playing was extraordinary, her fingers flying across the keys in alternation with the roiling, hard-charging orchestra.

Järvi has been a consistent Tüür advocate both in concert and on recordings, and he brought out the shimmering qualities of the score as well as the rock-edged drive. 

Unfortunately, while his balancing was skillful for most of the concerto, Järvi allowed the orchestra to completely obliterate his soloist in the final section. One had to rely on the visual to appreciate Sidorova’s seamless and versatile virtuosity since the light sonority of her accordion was rendered nearly wholly inaudible.

Even with that, Sidorova is clearly a poetic and bravura musician on her chosen instrument. Some judicious amplification would likely have helped and given her a fighting chance to be heard against the orchestra.

Balancing issues apart, I’m not convinced Prophecy is among Tüür’s finest efforts, yet soloist, conductor, the composer and orchestra were all rewarded with a warm and enthusiastic ovation by the appreciative audience.

Sidorova’s musicianship was heard to better advantage in her solo encore of Revelation by Sergey Voitenko, a rendering that conveyed all the aching nostalgia and plaintive expression the instrument is capable of.

The evening closed with Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2. The CSO gave the first U.S. performance of the Second Symphony—still Sibelius’ most popular work—in 1904, less than two years after the Finnish composer conducted the premiere in Helsinki.

Järvi has been leading performances of Sibelius’s music throughout his career, and has recorded the complete symphonies with the Orchestre de Paris.

The conductor clearly has a handle on how this music should go. Järvi drew rich and weighty playing that put across the elemental strength of the canvas, allowing the lonely wind solos to register, and the craggy brass outbursts to make eruptive impact.

Yet an essential mystery and the atmospheric qualities of the score were largely missing in action under Jarvi’s emphatic approach. More crucially, the conductor too often seemed to be overselling—imbuing the music with a souped-up volatility (in volume and tempos) that seemed at odds with the score. Sibelius’s music needs breadth and space to build to the climaxes with cumulative impact. 

There was much fine playing by the orchestra, as a unit and the front desks, William Welter particularly in the natural eloquence of his oboe solos. While the soaring main string theme of the finale came across majestically, Järvi peaked way early—the brassy climaxes were too loud too soon, and only became more assaultive and wearying by the time the double bar was reached.

The Variations on a Theme by Haydn opened the program. Brahms’ symphonic retooling from his original for two pianos was a crucial milestone in his career, giving the composer greater confidence in his writing for full orchestra. 

Järvi led a direct and clarifying account of this familiar work, with Brahms’ inventive treatment of the theme (amiable but not by Haydn) emerging notably fresh. The fast variations were fleet and vital and the lyrical ones engaging, the seventh iteration in particular going with a lilting, lullaby-like quality. Jarvi’s tempos were well-judged apart from a jarringly fast account of the Andante finale. The orchestral playing was burnished and focused yet rounded—a really ideal Brahms sonority— and the playing was superb with Welter’s oboe work again especially notable.

The program will be repeated 1:30 p.m. Friday and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. cso.org

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