Columbus Symphony opens season with appealing Brahms and Dvořák

Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Stefan Jackiw, violin
Ohio Theatre
Columbus, OH
October 22, 2021

Montgomery: Banner
Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77
 Encore:
 Bach: Largo from Violin Sonata No. 3 in C major, BWV 1005
Dvořák: Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88

Friday marked opening night of the Columbus Symphony’s Masterworks series, the core of its landmark 70th season. As is standard practice from most American orchestras, the CSO would typically open the season with a rendition of the national anthem. Extraordinary times, however, make business as usual ring hollow, and a thoughtful opener was to be had in Jessie Montgomery’s 2014 work Banner. Written in 2014, two hundred years after Francis Scott Key’s indelible poem, the work pits the Star-Spangled Banner against a wealth of melodies from other cultures, depicting in musical terms the vast array of cultures that comprise the United States today. While the contours of the Star-Spangled Banner form the backbone of the work, no less than seven other songs are woven together into a single multicultural fabric, often yielding a spiky polytonality. A deeply engaging opener, and I hope the CSO continues to explore Montgomery’s work in future seasons.

Stefan Jackiw, photo credit stefanjackiw.com

The remainder of the program retreated to more familiar territory in seminal works of Brahms and Dvořák. Stefan Jackiw served as a commendable soloist in the Brahms Violin Concerto. The graceful and genial opening gave way to the dramatic, punctuated by Jackiw’s jagged entrance. He displayed an accomplished virtuosity, delivering the extended cadenza with flair, but never without sensitivity, continually drawing focus towards the work’s lyrical heart. A rapturous oboe solo opened the central Adagio, answered in the rich lyricism of the solo violin. The Hungarian finale was given with both effervescence and drama, and the orchestra matched Jackiw’s high spirits. As an encore, Jackiw offered the Largo from Bach’s C major sonata – a lovely pendant.

Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 closed the evening, and here, Milanov opted to conduct from memory. The work saw brooding beginnings, but rays of sunlight quickly broke through. The principal winds – the flute in particular – were the standouts here. A second movement Adagio proceeded as calm and untroubled affair, while the lilting penultimate movement had a dancing charm – though one wanted perhaps even more emphasis on the insouciant dance rhythms. Clarion trumpet calls heralded the boisterous finale. All in all, a very satisfying start to the season.