Mr. Personality

The music is necessarily colored by the life. —Edward Elgar

Conductor Leonard Slatkin and the San Francisco Symphony had multiple personalities to deal with in last week's concert program: the trickster in Franz Josef Haydn (Symphony No. 67), the troubled craftsman in Samuel Barber (his Piano Concerto), and the elusive alluder in Edward Elgar ( Enigma Variations). For each, Slatkin, along with soloist Garrick Ohlsson in the Barber, had a successful strategy, and for all, the Symphony players held up their end with nearly flawless execution. What more could you ask for on a Thanksgiving weekend when so many divergent personalities come together to feast, clash, and share?

Photo by Hiroyuki Ito

The Haydn 67th has more surprises in it than the 26-symphonies-later "Surprise," including a brisk finale with a languorous slow movement stuck in the middle, a trio in the Menuetto movement for a duo of violins alone, and an Adagio suddenly ending with strings bounced upon by bow-wood for the final chords. Slatkin played straight man for a while, letting the music do its own thing, even letting the duo do their own thing without providing a beat. At the end of the movement, however, he delighted everyone in the audience by handing the two players some dollar bills as a tip for a job well done. He did the same for the solo cellist who plays with the soloists in the finale.

No Tip for Ohlsson

The Barber was a different matter altogether. The angst, minor keys, and descending chromatic figurations were firmly yet sensitively brought to the fore by Slatkin in active mode. Meanwhile, the extremely taxing piano part put soloist Ohlsson to the test — which he conquered magnificently. Foremost in my mind were his two thunder-roll cadenzas, where his two hands crashed on the two ends of the keyboard and chimed out a pile of notes converging on the center. Ohlsson's skill in the angry finale brought loud cheers from listeners, as well as the customary standing ovation. If Slatkin had thought of rewarding this man's contribution to the evening, he would have needed a wheelbarrow of fivers. Instead, he wisely left the appreciation to the hopped-up audience. This is only the third season the concerto has been offered by the Symphony. I hope that someone from the front office was circulating during intermission: There was so much buzz about it from excited patrons, you'd think there was a hive in the rafters. With any luck Ohlsson, or some other glutton for punishment, will bring it back soon.

The Challenge of Enigma

The Enigma Variations is Elgar's most common composition found in American concert halls, but as such is more likely to fall victim when conductors, inexperienced in the complex subtleties of his muse, give it a try. Not so Slatkin, who, in addition to having conducted in England for years, has issued recordings of many of Elgar's works, including oratorios such as The Kingdom that are hardly ever performed elsewhere. The key to a successful performance of any Elgar is fluidity of tempo, plus finding the magical means by which a simmering emotionality can be heard at all times, but allowed to burst forth only at the right moments. Such moments abound in the Variations, and for the most part Slatkin made me, a card-carrying member of the Elgar Society, proud. The climaxes had plenty of weight. Essential ritards were observed, such as at the climax of the first variation, where the true feelings for Elgar's wife, Alice, break through the initial delicate regard, and, especially, the long-held G at the end of Variation 8 that becomes the third of an E-flat chord in the succeeding "Nimrod" section. I had a few quibbles, however. The cello counterstatement toward the end of the theme was not played passionately enough, nor was the cello line that was the main subject of the commonly underappreciated Variation 12. The fifth variation was played slightly too fast, with not enough smiles. In the sixth variation, the leap of a tenth in the melody must not be smooth: Isabel Fitton, the subject of the variation, was an amateur who had difficulty skipping the C string to hit the E at the top of the tenth on the D string. More of a break in the line should be indicated in performance. The tempo for the Nimrod variation was perfect, but the climax needed to be yet more intense. Finally, there is the problem of interpreting the 13th Romanza variation. According to a continuing controversy, not covered in the program notes, the true subject of the variation may have been Elgar's first love, Helen Weaver, who broke off their engagement and emigrated to New Zealand. Lady Mary Lygon, a friend who was going to be on her way to Australia at the time of composition, may have served as a more maritally diplomatic substitute for Elgar's lost love, suggested by the title "Romanza." The mood of the variation, which is supposed to depict a sea voyage, should start off with an extremely sprightly clarinet almost popping a G, making the contrasting steamship section all the more dark, with low thumpings suggestive of a broken heart. Slatkin took the opening in a matter-of-fact fashion, but then did a great job of descending into mystery by slowing down more than is usual during the steamship episode, and allowing the snare drum to be a bit more noticeable in its quiet roll with the timpani. With Haydn, Barber, the more than 14 friends depicted and implied in the Enigma Variations, and the man of the hour, Elgar himself — born 150 years ago — Slatkin proved in spades that he is a master of personalities.