The BSO Delivers a Good Concert with a Flawed but Exciting New Piece

On April 26 and 27, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus premiered a new piece by Aleksandra Vrebalov, “Love Canticles,” along with two established classics: Igor Stravinsky’s “Symphony of Psalms” and Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 6.” Conducted by Andris Nelsons, the concert ran in that order, with Vrebalov appearing to introduce her piece for its first public performance.

“Love Canticles” is a large-scale piece, requiring two pianos and a large chorus, despite omitting the violins and violas. In commissioning it, the BSO requested that Vrebalov set Psalms to music — the intention was to link “Love Canticles” with Stravinsky’s “Symphony of Psalms” to create a coherent concert. The fact that they both set psalms to music isn’t their only parallel; Vrebalov’s orchestration, particularly the usage of two pianos and the omission of the violins and violas, is directly influenced by Stravinsky’s.

“Love Canticles” was performed marvelously by the BSO and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. The piece itself was impressive and had great moments. The singers powerfully performed some of the piece’s haunting dynamic swells. The usage of harp was beautiful, there was some fascinating writing for the trumpets, and the choral harmonies were rich and surprising.

However, there were ways in which the piece fell short. The name “Love Canticles” isn’t compatible with the music, given its incessant dreariness. Saying something has incessant dreariness is no sophisticated critique, but darkness needs to be justified by enough motion or emotional transformation. “Love Canticles” tended to wallow in a narrow emotional landscape.

At times, there was also a strong dissonance between the lyrics and the music. Sometimes, such a dissonance can be artistically powerful; In this case it wasn’t. At lines like “the lord is merciful and gracious,” for instance, the music held steadfastly to its general misery. And, lastly, despite bearing several similarities to the “Symphony of Psalms,” the two are actually spiritual opposites. Stravinksy’s work is full of wit, motion, and a spiritual peace, especially in the third movement. “Love Canticles” lacks the first two, and its spiritual peace, if one could call it that, is anguished and static. Given that most commissioned pieces give very little, however, “Love Canticles” was still a pleasant surprise. It’s clear that Vrebalov is a talented composer, and the work had its moments, especially when the music swelled. These climaxes were enchanting, but the music in between lacked emotional intrigue.

Next up was Stravinsky’s “Symphony of Psalms.” It is a masterpiece of the modernist era, fusing lighthearted irony, tragedy, and serene spirituality. Nelsons chose a slightly fast tempo for this movement, which was enervating at times. The texture, too, felt slightly dry. Stravinsky, in general, liked sharp, dry textures. But the BSO went a little too far in that direction, which flattened some of the piece’s grandiosity. The second movement, although excellently paced, had this issue as well. The orchestra was technically on point in both movements, though, and the chorus delivered throughout.

The third movement was the highlight. It contains the most gorgeous choral passages and repeats similar choral motifs throughout. But, despite the repetition, it still breathes with life. The repetition doesn’t dull the music, instead it reinforces its beauty. The whole orchestra was on point during the third movement, and timpanist Tim Genis specifically did a great job gelling everybody together.

After intermission, the chorus left and the violins and violas came onstage to perform the Shostakovich. Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 6” has a slow, long movement to begin and then two shorter, faster ones to finish. As the BSO began, the beauty of their string tones was immediately clear. The violins and violas were lush and hypnotizing. The whole first movement was deeply felt — they effectively brought Shostakovich’s combination of the metaphysical, the tragic, and the bitterly ironic to life.

The most sublime moments, however, were in the next two movements. The orchestra played quickly and passionately, with full force for the moments intended to be overwhelming. The percussion in both movements was fantastic. There’s a dejected and strangely marionette-like feeling that the percussion section is supposed to give in these movements, and it came through very powerfully. The last two movements were exhilarating and ended the concert on a very high note.

Overall, the night was a good concert from the BSO. “Love Canticles” was a flawed piece but it delivered some magnificent moments. The performance of the “Symphony of Psalms” wasn’t perfect in the first two movements, but it was adequate, and the third movement was beautiful. The performance of Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 6” was the most consistent; it was deep and exciting.

—Staff writer Nate H. Cohen can be reached at nate.cohen@thecrimson.com.