When Emanuel Ax plays Schubert, there’s a “just so” quality that seems at odds with the current musical styles (and perfectly suited to Schubert). No high theatrics – in the music or the body language – no heavy Romantic pauses or extreme legato. It’s matter-of-fact – the musical equivalent of those political wags who want to preserve the “original intent” of the constitution.
This (Schubert’s Second Impromptu in A-Flat, D. 935) was the encore on Saturday night, after Ax gave three “aw shucks” curtain calls to a very enthused Uihlein Hall audience after he and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra performed Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto. In many ways, Ax’s lack of flash is a perfect match for Edo de Waart and his Milwaukee Symphony. The Beethoven that emerged was a playful but measured conversation between soloist and orchestra. It was still spirited – it’s hard to get into the groove of the Rondo Finale without getting somewhat swept away – but it was the music’s spirit that came through, not the performer’s flash and dazzle.
There was plenty of theatrical flash in the second half, a concert version of the first act of Wagner’s Die Walkure. It’s a bit strange to see half-staged Wagner, enthusiast as he was of Gesamtkunstwerk – orchestrating all the elements of an opera into a satisfying whole. For much of the time, the singers seemed mired in an awkward uncertainty about whether to act or concertize. And the projected translation was so awkward and archaic that the translation could have used a translator. But hearing the piece was a complete and rare treat. De Waart brought in three talented soloists and the orchestra was more than ready for Wagner’s formidable challenges.
Margaret Jane Wray (Sieglinde) was recovering from an illness, and not in full voice. But she was still able to muster a few dramatic climaxes. Clifton Forbis (Siegmund) is every inch a heldentenor, at one point blasting a pure and resonant sustained note over the fully engaged orchestra. And Andrea Silvestrelli (Hunding) has an unearthly bass voice that brought just the right chill to the story. And the orchestra brought terrific sweep and emotion to Wagner’s great music.
