BSO Takes Tentative Lead in Season Debut

A master conductor can guide a symphony to reach its full potential. An electrifying soloist can compensate for uninspired programming. But a lack of cohesion can weaken even the strongest of ensembles. Though the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) aimed for a nontraditional approach by presenting two classical violin concertos with the soloist doubling as conductor and only half of the orchestra on stage, their vision was not fully realized. Soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter’s interpretations of the featured Mozart Violin Concertos No.s 3 and 5 were refined and tasteful, but even her considerable star power could not mask the reduced capacity of an orchestra suffering from the resignation of longtime music director James Levine.

The program opened with the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, a perennial crowd-pleaser infused with melodic sentiment and effortless charm. As the lightly orchestrated score required the accompaniment of only a fraction of the BSO’s musicians, Mutter delivered the piece’s regal thematic entrance from the center of a sparsely populated stage. Mutter chose not to wax virtuosic, and appropriately so: the violinist alternated the impeccable articulation of Mozart’s signature running passages with creatively segmented melodic lines that carried across Symphony Hall without excessive belting.

The ensemble added enough accompanying substance to fill out Mutter’s lead, but it offered none of its usual playful and even coy charm. Mutter provided the fanfare for her own cadenza with a double stop series that dug confidently but not aggressively into the meat of themes introduced earlier in the piece. The nuanced phrasing of the second movement sustained a bucolic line but transitioned roughly into a lagging third movement. Where Mutter moved nimbly from a jaunting allegro into a stately vivace, the ensemble followed along halfheartedly. This weakness may have been less reflective of the players’ abilities than it was of the minimal leadership Mutter provided as a conductor.

The second and final piece, Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, closely paralleled No. 3 in construction, style, and execution.  Mozart’s Fifth is perhaps a bit more pensive than the Third, and Mutter took care to add an extra dose of subtlety to her phrasing and a bit more continuity to her transitions. The ensemble delivered a flat accompaniment that accelerated in musical character only near the piece’s spirited conclusion. Pairing the Third and the Fifth was an unconventional choice to open the season—presenting Mozart’s work at its most nuanced, colorful, and graceful at the cost of showcasing the orchestra’s versatility.  Though such loss of versatility is inevitable in an all-Mozart program, the ensemble’s distinctions between the Third and Fifth were perhaps a bit understated in performance. Mutter and the ensemble were met with a warm reception but offered no encore: it left this reviewer—and others who would argue that Opening Night at the BSO has historically been one of the most versatile concerts of the season—wondering about an unusual programming decision that did not afford the orchestra the opportunity to display its full range of talents. It is undeniable that the BSO attracts world-class soloists and guest conductors to Symphony Hall, but the distinctly directionless Opening Night—despite many artistically redeeming moments—indicates that the orchestra is in need of fresh leadership.

—Staff writer Monica S. Liu can be reached at msliu@fas.harvard.edu.