We frankly went to Jordan Hall last night (without a notepad) to witness Yutong Sun’s take on the Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto, expecting that Hugh Wolff would be leading the ever-estimable NEC Philharmonia in an epic account. We had known of Sun’s dramatic and exquisite work from his recitals in the past two summers for the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts at Williams Hall. The 2025 Artist Diploma candidate (under Alexander Korsantia and Dang Thai Son), nearing the age of 30, has already attained an enviable technical polish which allows him to communicate both quiet deep emotions and thunderous drama with no seeming effort. He romanced us and rhapsodized over a huge dynamic range, taking his time when appropriate and attaining warp speed when required. In the demanding (chordal original aka ossia) first-movement cadenza, he worked up to sonorities of full orchestra intensity. Throughout, in his interactions with Wolff and the players, he knew when to accompany and when to lead. Unembarrassed by gooey taffy pulling or dying poet perfume in the Intermezzo, he also knew when to pull the trigger on machine-perfect artillery. If the Steinway occasionally sounded like a steel weapon, it could also swoon with the rest of us. Every section fully engaged in the stunning interpretation, with sweepingly romantic collective breathing from massed strings (when they weren’t employing scary col legno) and delectable solos from brass and winds. Wolff rightfully singled out French hornist Mattias Bengtsson, clarinetist Colin Merkovsky, and oboist Donovan Bown. High decibel shouts of delight ensued for the home team and the soloist.
The concert that Hugh Wolff programmed last night at Jordan Hall cohered seamlessly. If the collected works revealed no connections on paper, they nevertheless fit together because all the composers made strong and original statements with orchestral coloration and all of them intensely immersed us.
Of her «rewind« from 2005-2006 British composer Anne Clyne wrote:
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Clyne’s signature effects wittily placed decays before attacks, motored with powerful tremolos, Machiavellied with ostinatos, penetrated with high-pitched wails from bowed crotales and vibes, and wah-wahed with an actual tape played backwards; she also asked for some savage hits that recalled Bartok and maybe Rite of Spring. The work, in this gregarious and apparently clean take, certainly made a strong impression, though I confess not to have fathomed the “narrative structure” beyond some recurring effects.
Hugh Wolff writes of the next composer:
Born in Lodz, Poland in 1909, Grażyna Bacewicz was an accomplished violinist, author, and composer. After winning a scholarship to study with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, she served as principal violinist of the Polish National Radio Orchestra in the 1930s. She survived the Nazi invasion and occupation, fleeing Warsaw after the failed uprising of 1944. She settled in Lodz, where she taught at the conservatory and produced a large body of music including seven string quartets, four symphonies, and seven violin concertos, plus music for theater and film. She also wrote several novels and short stories. Her Divertimento (1965) for string orchestra is one of her last works for large ensemble.
We concur with Wolff’s description: “In three short movements – fast, slow, fast – it is witty and fresh, exploring a remarkable number of string techniques and highlighting the composer’s deep understanding of the violin and strings in general.”
Audiences now know Béla Bartók’s scandal-ridden ballet/pantomime The Miraculous Mandarin mostly from the 19-minute suite which we heard last night. Since a censor no longer reigns in Boston, and decency is not as legion as it once was, the orchestra, needed no apologies for its conduct in narrating the luring, leering, seductive, and violent story which thrives in its departure from the ballet stage [though one can watch the full ballet HERE]. The players wowed us with thundering, violent vigor as well as sinuous, sensuous intimations of intimacy. Indeed, English hornist Alexander Lenser, clarinetist, Ethan Norad, and bassoonist Carson Meritt could have earned X ratings. Percussion beat a staggering tattoo, and the strings gleamed and brass beamed with delicious decadence. What a staggering achievement!
We are delighted to have found the NEC Philharmonia under the inspiring Hugh Wolff in top form…and NEC concerts are free!
Lee Eiseman is the publisher of the Intelligencer
