Boston Baroque Presents Mozart and Beethoven: Classical Fireworks and Heavenly Lyricism

On March 21 and 22, Boston Baroque presented a program of Mozart’s “Symphony No. 35 in D Major (“Haffner”),” two Mozart arias performed by soprano Erin Morley, and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36.” The performance was a delightful contrast between two iconic composers of the classical era, the group pulling off two drastically different symphonies under the baton of music director Martin Pearlman.

Opening with the firecracker-esque “Haffner” symphony, the Boston Baroque orchestra handled Pearlman’s sprightly tempo with virtuosity. The Saturday concert was performed in the GBH Calderwood Studio, an extremely different venue from Jordan Hall — Boston Baroque’s other main location. The program, presented in the modest soundstage-esque studio, was a far cry from the reverberant sonorities a concert hall could offer. Nevertheless, the intimate setting allowed the personalities of individual sections to shine through in a veritable communion of music-making.

The second and third movements were handled exquisitely by Pearlman, molding the music in such a cozy environment. Performing on period instruments, the orchestra responded closely to Pearlman, allowing him to shade and contour the music effectively. Individual section leaders were also notable for their musical leadership, such as concertmaster Christina Day Martinson, who led all musicians with true spirit and collaboration. The last movement capped off the work superbly, as Pearlman elucidated all the exuberance and mercuriality of the presto movement without coming across as aggressive or frantic.

Next was the highlight of the entire program, as Morley took to the stage for two exceedingly demanding Mozart arias. First, she performed “O zittre nicht,” the first aria of the Queen of the Night from Mozart’s last opera “Die Zauberflöte.” In it, the Queen of the Night addresses the prince Tamino who she entreats to rescue her daughter from the sorcerer Sarastro. Morley was fully absorbed in her character’s aura, portraying at once a magisterial ruler of the heavens and a sorrowful but later hopeful mother. With her superb vocal control, she employed a breathtaking range of dynamics to convey the narrative text, and her beautifully bright vowels overcame any fears of a dead or dry acoustic.

Next, Morley performed the longer concert aria, “Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio,” which was designed as an alternative insert aria into an opera to be performed by Mozart’s sister-in-law. Its unusually high tessitura features floating high notes well above the staff, with the soprano even reaching an unearthly high E. This made it the perfect vehicle for Morley’s coloratura; She tackled the contours of the vocal line fearlessly with her warm tone. Remaining poised even high in the stratosphere, her music-making was well-supported by the orchestra’s warm pizzicati and intricate duet with the oboe at the beginning of the aria.

After intermission, Pearlman led the orchestra in a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2. Written at a time when Beethoven’s deafness was becoming more pronounced, this condition invoked large amounts of despair in the aggrieved composer, yet the work is famously full of playful musical effects. From the rhythmic interplay among sections in the first movement to the cheeky syncopations in the third movement, Boston Baroque tackled this work with aplomb, lending a unique agility to this full-bodied work.

The orchestra was suitably light in the pastoral second movement, a comforting salve for Beethoven’s anguish and the harmonic uncertainty of the first movement. A work that somewhat successfully disguises the composer’s torment, it shows Beethoven’s visionary compositional style and culminates in a groundbreaking finale with its unusually unlyrical theme.

Lambasted by critics at the time for overzealously pushing the envelope of the classical style, Pearlman rallied all musical forces to wrangle the piece. Using especially effective fermatas in the last movement, Pearlman gave the music time to breathe before a well-paced charge to the finale. In all, the orchestra and Morley delivered a wonderful interplay of two of the Classical era’s biggest giants, bringing their unique flair to equally unique and fascinating works.

—Staff writer Lara R. Tan can be reached at lara.tan@thecrimson.com.