The Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Constantine, concluded the 2024-25 Masterworks Series concerts with a spectacular all-Rachmaninoff concert in the Purdue Fort Wayne Music Center last Saturday. Johanna "Yana" Bourkova-Murunov was concertmaster for the performance.
The concert opened with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s final work, the “Symphonic Dances,” Opus 45. It was composed on Long Island, New York, and completed in October 1940. He wrote this three-movement work for Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, which premiered the orchestral masterpiece on Jan. 3, 1941. The orchestra also made the first recording of the work, for RCA Victor; Ormandy and the Philadelphians later made a stereophonic recording for Columbia Records.
Constantine conducted the “Symphonic Dances” without a baton. The first movement began with strong, precise, and intense playing of the march-like main theme. Since the Philadelphia Orchestra was known for its lush string playing, this music gives the strings some wonderful opportunities to showcase their abilities. The Philharmonic strings were sensational in this performance, given effective leadership by Constantine. The middle section is quite poignant and somewhat sad; this was played with great feeling and determination. There is a notable alto saxophone solo, which added to the overall impact of this portion. There is also a piano solo, in which the keyboard instrument offers additional color to the score; this was the last time Rachmaninoff wrote for his own instrument.
The second movement is waltz-like and featured a very fine violin solo by Bourkova-Murunov. The music was played with a lilt and deep emotion. It became more animated and intense. Rachmaninoff originally titled the movement “Dusk” and it had some very mysterious moments, which were quite moving and touching. Throughout the work, there were numerous notable solo performances, which gave the diverse players opportunities to show their abilities.
The third movement begins with subdued intensity and definite sadness as well as nostalgia. Leopold Stokowski said that Rachmaninoff deeply missed Russia, but he could not return to a country that had greatly changed. Many years later, the Russian government restored his estate and made it into a museum; they also apologized to descendants of the composer. The intensity in this movement builds up. There are references to the ancient Latin chant “Dies Irae,” which itself is a reference to Judgement Day, as well as “Blessed art Thou, Lord” from his 1915 composition “Night Vigil.” Those who have studied the score have found references to other Rachmaninoff compositions, which leads us to conclude that this work is a “summing-up” of his career. There is some pathos in the music before the final, intense, and exciting finale. The performance was overall a real showpiece for an orchestra that has continued to improve in its quality of playing.
Pianist Garrick Ohlsson (born April 3, 1948) was featured in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Opus 30. His musical studies were at the Westchester Conservatory of Music and the Julliard School. He subsequently began an international career, winning first place in the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competition, the Busoni Competition, the Montreal Piano Competition, the Avery Fischer Prize, and additional honors, including a Grammy Award. Like Rachmaninoff, Ohlsson is very tall and has large hands.
Ohlsson played with dexterity and skill throughout the three-movement concerto. It was impressive how he was as capable in the strong, animated sections as well as the more sensitive and subdued sections. His playing reminded me of both Rachmaninoff and Vladimir Horowitz.
The concerto was composed in Dresden, Germany, in the summer of 1909 and premiered on November 28 of that year with Walter Damrosch conducting the New York Symphony Society. Rachmaninoff recorded the concerto with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra for RCA Victor on Dec. 3, 1939, and Feb. 24, 1940.
In the Philharmonic performance of the concerto, Ohlsson’s cadenzas, or solos, were spellbinding and exceptional. There was such a wide range of emotion and intensity in all of his playing. We were given a really definitive and noteworthy performance of a great work, which is generally considered one of the most challenging concertos for the soloist in the standard repertoire.
The opening of the second movement was very intense and moving. Along with Ohlsson’s excellent playing, we had the added benefit of sensitive accompaniment by the orchestra. This movement had waltz-like qualities and it was quite touching at times. There is, once again, some sadness in this music, which is typical of many Rachmaninoff scores. He had yet to experience the loss of his estate in Russia and the loss of his homeland, which resulted in him spending most of his later years in the United States. Rachmaninoff came to greatly admire the Philadelphia Orchestra, which played so much of his music and became his primary musical home.
There is a dramatic transition from the second to the third movements, which is led by yet another intense piano solo. The third movement was played with great intensity, particularly as Ohlsson gave us some dazzling musical effects. There were numerous musical fireworks for the piano and Ohlsson was on top of all of the elements of the music. This all led to a really dramatic and overwhelming finale.
The standing ovation was so strong and sustained that Constantine gave Ohlsson permission to play a solo encore. Ohlsson, who is one of the best Frederic Chopin performers, played with feeling and precision in Chopin’s “Nocturne in F sharp major,” Opus 15, No. 2. It was a real musical treat and a great way to end a memorable evening.