Shostakovich Symphony No. 6, and Tchaikovsky Pathetique round out an explosive program

Photo: Klaus Makela conducts the New York Philharmonic Credit: NYPhil/Chris Lee

By Dwight Casimere

Just as audiences are beginning to delight in the new environment and acoustical design of the New York Philharmonic’s spectacularly renovated home of David Geffen Hall and the Wu Tsai Theater at Lincoln Center, so too were they witness to the exciting NY Phil debut of 26 year old Finnish conductor Klaus Makela in an ambitious program of new music and two symphonic ‘war horses.’ Visit nyphil.org for program notes and upcoming concert information.

Peruvian composer Jimmy Lopez Bellido, a Latin Grammy Award nominee, was in the audience to witness the NY Phil premiere of his Peru Negro (2012), which explores the traditional music of Black Peru.

“Peru Negro is an homage to our Afro-Peruvian heritage,” Bellido said of his highly personal work. “It stems from a desire to assimilate Peruvian folk music to the point of blending it seamlessly with my own language.”

Bellido is no stranger to Chicago audiences. In December 2015, Lyric Opera held the World Premiere of his full-length opera ‘Bel Canto’, which was commissioned as part of its Renee Fleming initiative. Its performance was broadcast nationwide on PBS’ Great Performances.

Makela led a spirited rendition of the work, which is structured as a single movement that incorporates six distinct sections that are based on traditional Afro-Peruvian music.

The piece contrasts expressive lyrical passages against the backdrop of a battery of percussion, which includes both traditional and native Peruvian instruments. To say that the NY Phil percussion section got a serious workout during its performance of Peru Negro is an understatement!

Peru Negro is dedicated to Bellido’s friend and fellow conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya, the former music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and chief conductor to the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. He currently is Director of Orchestral Studies at Baylor University in Texas. Bedoya suggested that Bellido create a symphonic piece devoted entirely to the rhythms of Black Peruvian Music.

Based on six traditional Peruvian folk songs, the composer chose to expand upon them to create a work that is uniquely personal.

For example, the first section opens with four notes that correspond to the initials in Harth-Bedoya’s name.

The motif is intended to mimic the cries of Lima’s street vendors. Urgent strings further develop the four-note figure before the trumpets take it up. Restless timpani emerge from the background, bringing the section to an abrupt end.

Traditional Peruvian folk songs inspire the following three sections, incorporating a Creole melody sung by haunting woodwinds punctuated by thumping bass. Strings then take the lead in a melodic lullaby, Inga, which involves the entire orchestra in rapturous interplay between the strings, bass and woodwinds.

This is where Makela’s mastery of orchestral design came into play. His exacting control brought the full ensemble to a dramatic climax.

The ensuing section, Le dije a papa (I told papa), was a tour de force for the percussion section.

Makela’s precise attack, meticulous attention to rhythmic detail and sweeping gestures were reminiscent to this reviewer of a young Seiji Ozawa in his early days with the San Francisco Symphony.

The remainder of the concert gave audiences a real opportunity to appreciate the new acoustical home of the New York Philharmonic in dynamic fashion. It was also an opportunity to witness the blossoming of a brilliant new conducting talent.

Makela currently leads the Oslo Philharmonic and the Orchestre de Paris. He is set to take over as Chief Conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw in the fall. Look for his new recording of the complete cycle of Sibelius symphonies with the Oslo Philharmonic on Decca Classics.

Klaus Makela gave the audience a fresh look at Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 6. In many ways, the composer’s use of Russian folk melodies and bombastic brass and percussion mirrored similar assets in the previous work by Bellido. It was an example of intelligent programming.

Makela also delivered one of the best interpretations of Tchaikovsky’s highly enigmatic Pathetique in recent memory. It was an interpretation rich in nuance. Makela brought out hidden voices that echoed the suppressed angst of the composer. Mysterious sounds from the divided double basses and violas were punctuated by lonely cries from the woodwinds.

Anthony McGill’s clarinet solo was one of the shining moments of this exquisite performance. His flawless musical voice emphasized the melancholy tone of Tchaikovsky’s final masterpiece. McGill is Principal Clarinet, The Edna and W. Van Alan Clark Chair, to the NY Phil.

The composer is said to have committed suicide just days after the premiere of the Pathetique.

Conductor Makela kept his hands motionless at the end of the Pathetique, pausing the audience after drawing the orchestra down to a barely audible pianissimo. It was as if he were attempting to bring the whole of Geffen Hall into a silent remembrance to those who lost their lives in recent years to COVID, gun violence, and suicide.

The mental health profession warns that a “season of despair” will accompany the current holiday season. The National Institute of Mental Health urges that anyone in emotional distress during the coming weeks, or who knows someone in crisis, should call or text the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988. The Lifeline provides confidential support on a 24-hour basis.