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Mozart Replaces ‘Orpheus & Euridice’ In Satisfying HSO Program

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If you were expecting to hear Gluck’s “Orpheus & Euridice” from the Hartford Symphony Orchestra this weekend, it is worth being reminded that plans have changed. The HSO’s conductor and music director Carolyn Kuan announced Thursday during the pre-concert lecture that the change was in part due to the need to protect the fiscal condition of the orchestra. We can hope that the “Orpheus & Euridice” project will be rescheduled.

But the replacement program, called “Mozart & Hartt,” was a good one. It featured works by, and inspired by, Mozart and closed with a suite by Bizet that allowed an opportunity for young musicians from the Connecticut Youth Symphony to perform with the orchestra. The concert series in the Belding Theater Thursday through Sunday, is a continuation of the HSO’s 2015-16 Masterworks Series at The Bushnell.

The evening began with the Symphony No. 38, K. 504, by Mozart, often called the “Prague” symphony. The “Prague” symphony reflects a troubled world, and its happiest moments seem fragile. This symphony lacks a minuet, and therefore consists of only three movements, all of which are in sonata form. The “troubled world” of the outer movements is driven by syncopated rhythms, that of the second movement by unexpected chromatic gestures. The density of thematic ideas in this symphony requires interpretive insight to avoid losing its larger narrative thread, and Kuan created intelligent balances. The development of the first movement sparkled as a result. She took a broad tempo for the second movement and highlighted its rustic elements. The finale, like a spin through a carnival, was played with sharply focused juxtapositions.

The Suite No. 4, Op. 61, nicknamed “Mozartiana” and written by Tchaikovsky, closed the first half of the program. Tchaikovsky chose one famous work by Mozart, and three seldom heard works within the Mozartian catalog to orchestrate into a suite that has elements of a ballet-like sensibility. The first two movements reflect the fondness for strangeness that became a cornerstone in the late style of Mozart. Kuan brought out the jagged edges in the gigue rhythms of the first movement and the HSO highlighted the conflicts of placement and accent that made this brief work sound wonderfully strange. The second movement used balances, especially in the winds, to underscore quick shifts and surprises in the harmony.

But the third movement, with its prominent use of the harp, took us to a different world — apart from strangeness and suffering. The finale pointed us in the direction of the second half of the concert: It was about innocence. It included fiery solos for clarinet, flute and violin.

After intermission, concertmaster Leonid Sigal gave a moving spoken tribute to an icon of the HSO community, violinist Bernard Lurie, who was longtime concertmaster of the HSO and who died on March 31. The orchestra performed the “Méditation” from “Thais” by Massenet in tribute.

Principal bassoonist Yeh-Chi Wang joined the orchestra as soloist in the Concerto for Bassoon, K. 191 by Mozart. Wang is an audience favorite and his extraordinary musicianship and soulful playing made an impression in this concerto that brims with the spirit of youth. The performance was insightful and received a well-deserved standing ovation.

To close the evening, 21 young musicians from the Connecticut Youth Symphony joined the orchestra in a side-by-side performance of Bizet’s rousing L’Arlésienne Suite No.1. These young musicians are already very professional and it was an inspiring close to the evening.

This was a program that moved from troubled to optimistic music, and was both a tribute to an icon from the past and the audible promise of a new generation of talented orchestral musicians.

HARTFORD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S Masterworks Series “Mozart & Hartt” continues Friday through Sunday, April 8 to 10, at Belding Theater at The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave, Hartford. Performances are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $35; $10 for students with ID. Call 860-987-5900 or visit hartfordsymphony.org.