January 3, 4, and 5, 2025
Bass Hall
Fort Worth, Texas – USA
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, James Conlon, conductor.
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART: Overture from Der Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario), K. 486
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART: Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550
Antonín DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”), Op. 95, B. 178
Gregory Sullivan Isaacs | 6 JAN 2025
On Saturday evening, in Bass Performance Hall, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra played a repeat of their Friday evening subscription concert. It was a program of very familiar works drawn from the scant list of frequently performed standard repertoire. The well-known guest conductor, James Conlon, was on the podium.
The evening boasted two works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The first was the overture to his comic singspiel (opera) Der Schauspieldirektor (“The Impresario”). The other was his glorious Symphony No. 40 in G minor. The program closed with Antonín Dvořák’s magnificent Symphony No. 9 in E minor, entitled “From the New World.”
These works often grace the programs of every sort of orchestra, from community and youth orchestras to the top-level professional ones. However, what is not as common is to see them grouped together in the same concert. Some in the reasonably filled auditorium were drawn because these are familiar and much-loved selections. Others were drawn to hear what Conlon had to say with them.
Conductor James Conlon (credit: Dan Steinberg/LA Opera)
Alas, the answer to that query was “not much.”
Mozart called The Impresario a comedy with some music. That is a good description of this delightful confection since it only contains this overture and four arias. The main body of the opera consists of clever dialog. Julian Rushto (in the New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. 4) describes the plot as exploring “the vanity of singers.”
While it was fun to bounce through this brief overture, it was not really needed because the evening was plenty long enough, especially with Conlon’s plodding through the two masterworks on the rest of the program.
Both the Mozart and the Dvořák symphonies are so well known as to be completely familiar to a majority of those in the audience. The opening theme of Mozart’s symphony even has some jingle-worthy words to its credit—something like, “Is it Brahms? Is it Bach? No, it’s Mozart.” Further, the gorgeous theme in the slow movement of Dvořák’s symphony is so well-known that even non-concertgoers are familiar with its dark beauty. While this tune is generally assumed to be a borrowed African-American spiritual called “Goin’ Home,” it is actually an original theme that perfectly captures the style of spirituals, which the composer so admired. The words were added later.
The string sections were wisely reduced for the two Mozart offerings so as to balance the composer’s Classical-era array of winds. Later on, in the Dvořák, the stage was filled with the full complement of strings, winds, brass, and percussion. In both pieces, the orchestra certainly delivered some beautiful playing, occasionally punctuated by some eye-popping commentary from the timpanist. The ensemble and intonation were excellent. There were only a few sloppy entrances, mostly in the Dvořák and created by the conductor’s artistic, albeit slightly imprecise, preparations.
The overall problem was that Conlon’s reading of both of these symphonies bordered on ponderous. Initial brisk tempi would take on more weight as they progressed than the phrases could support. Additionally, both works have lots of repeated phrases throughout, and, unfortunately, Conlon did just that: repeated them. In such situations, and to keep the audience’s interest flowing, it is best for the conductor to bring something fresh each time the material returns.
However, the audience didn’t seem to notice these crabby critical quibbles. They were just fine with Conlon’s pace and his thrillingly loud arrivals, giving the performance an enthusiastic standing ovation. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra: fwsymphony.org
- James Conlon: jamesconlon.com
Read more by Gregory Sullivan Isaacs.
