Sept. 25--The news coming out of Symphony Center at Riccardo Muti's concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Thursday night had rather more to do with what wasn't said than what was.
CSO bassist Stephen Lester, chair of the CSO musicians members committee that has been negotiating a new labor contract with the CSO Association since July, took the stage before the program to deliver an impromptu speech in which he assured the audience of the players' dedication to the institution, whatever happens in the days ahead. Musicians have been working without a contract since the previous pact expired nearly two weeks ago, he said, praising "the many colleagues who worked so hard ... to build this orchestra (and) a legacy we all must treasure."
"In the past century, we have learned that preserving that legacy is sometimes challenging, difficult and expensive," he said. "We have also learned that it is worth every penny." The audience applauded.
"Our constant mission is to make sure that the accomplishments of the past 125 years are preserved into the future," he continued. "We have been in intense negotiations for many months, and we are still doing everything we possibly can to reach a fair agreement. Whatever the outcome, we want to say thank you."
That was it. No mention of where contract talks stand, or whether the failure to arrive at an agreement in due course (Muti's final sequence of fall subscription concerts is next week) would signal a call by the committee for members to go out on strike. Are talks stalled? Is a labor action imminent? In any case, Lester's carefully worded remarks appeared to have been intended to build audience sympathy and greater appreciation for the players should there be a move to authorize a strike.
Lester was not immediately available for further comment, and CSO Association President Jeff Alexander declined to comment on Lester's remarks.
Muti's program threw the spotlight on the individual strengths of these great musicians, particularly at the end, when he trotted out Ravel's "Bolero" in a riot of hot orchestral colors. Everyone came through brilliantly under the maestro's steely-yet-subtle baton, and the crowd predictably went wild at the end. During the ovations, Muti graciously ceded his podium to percussion principal Cynthia Yeh, who took a well-deserved bow for her implacable snare drum ostinato.
Too bad the program lacked a center of musical gravity. The through-line was Spanish and Italian-flavored music by French composers, with a detour to the Argentine pampas in the form of Alberto Ginastera's Harp Concerto. The concert included lighter fare from the end of the 19th century by one-hit-wonder French composers: Emmanuel Chabrier's "Espana" rhapsody and Gustave Charpentier's "Impressions of Italy."
Thank goodness, then, for the Ginastera. His Harp Concerto, begun in 1956 but not premiered until nine years later, is one of the Argentine composer's most substantial and attractive works. The outer movements delight in exuberant solo and orchestral invention that is alive with Argentine folk rhythms. In between is a mysterious Molto moderato that suggests the "night music" of Bela Bartok, with its delicate interplay of harp, percussion, celesta and shimmering strings.
The admirable soloist was French harpist Xavier de Maistre, making his CSO debut. He seized on the colorful sprays of arpeggios, percussive jabs and other display elements with virtuosic panache, making much of the splashy cadenza that ushers in the finale. Muti was ever the fully committed accompanist. Even though he took pains to subdue the louder orchestral eruptions, one sometimes found it hard to hear the solo instrument in proper prominence.
The reason for Muti's inclusion of Charpentier's Italian travelogue in the CSO's 125th anniversary celebration was clear: The CSO under Theodore Thomas gave "Impressions of Italy" its U.S. premiere in 1893, and his successor, Frederick Stock, kept it in the active repertory until 1937, when it faded from view, in Chicago and just about everywhere else.
It's not hard to hear why. Skillfully orchestrated as they are, the five sections meander prettily but blandly, with no memorable melodies to charm the ear until the final section -- a merry evocation of Naples whose main tune, the traditional folk song "Tarantella Napoletana," is not even by Charpentier.
Not surprisingly, it was this "Napoli" section that seemed to engage Muti's sensibilities most fully. The proud native Neapolitan kicked life and color into the whirling tarantella rhythms, and his musicians clearly enjoyed the ride. There were winning solos all the way through, by violist Li-Kuo Chang and cellist Kenneth Olsen, not to mention the entire cello choir in the opening "Serenade." Having dutifully resurrected this musty curio, the CSO now can put it to rest for at least another 78 years.
John von Rhein is a Tribune critic.
jvonrhein@tribpub.com
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.
Tickets: $34-$221; 312-294-3000, www.cso.org
