REVIEW: Guest conductor Christian Reif steps in to lead galvanizing Shostakovich with CSO
„This was a seismic performance, and listeners rose to their feet, cheering. Reif returns next season with Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.”
„…there was no mistaking Reif’s interpretation of this great work, which he conducted on Friday in Music Hall. The tension was taut, as if ready to snap. Every note was searing. Lyrical themes were bleak. And when the music finally arrived in the triumphant key of D major, there was no sun. To quote Shostakovich, “The rejoicing is forced, created under a threat. … It’s as if someone were beating you with a stick and saying, ‘Your business is rejoicing.’”
Reif’s leadership was both insightful and galvanizing. Take, for instance, the searing attack of the orchestra’s first notes, followed by the hushed, angular theme in the violins. It set the tone for what was an emotional journey that swept the listener along from beginning to end. I’m not sure I’ve heard such brutal articulation in the basses to introduce the scherzo, a grotesque dance for the winds that seems to take its cue from Mahler. Every note dripped of sarcasm. In the strings’ pizzicato section, accents were finely etched for maximum impact.
Reif was a magnetic presence, leading each moment vividly and with sweeping gestures. The third movement, Largo, was heartstopping, emerging like a cry from the depths of despair. The wind soloists played exquisitely, phrasing with mournful color, and Reif brought the movement to a peak of intensity before subsiding.
The finale is triumphant march music, but in Reif’s interpretation, this was ominous triumph. It opened with a blast of brass and pounding timpani, in a tempo as fast as I’ve ever heard. Aside from a brief moment of repose, the intensity was unrelenting and the climaxes cataclysmic. The orchestra rose to the occasion with exciting playing. There were many fine solo contributions, but the power and virtuosity of principal timpanist Patrick Schleker deserves special recognition.
Full Review here