The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra performs Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26 and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G major at 8:15 p.m. tonight in the Amphitheater under the baton of Music Director and Principal Symphonic Conductor Rossen Milanov with acclaimed violinist Melissa White and soprano Aubry Ballarò.
The Violin Concerto No. 1 is always a crowd pleaser, White said. It’s one of her favorite pieces; “the first movement is very interactive with the orchestra, which I love. It almost feels like chamber music, in that we get to have conversations back and forth between different sections of the orchestra.”
Bruch’s revised Violin Concerto No. 1 debuted in 1867 and gained fame quickly; now, it is one of the most popular pieces for a solo violinist. Its stubborn popularity frustrated Bruch as he composed two more concertos, but neither garnered as much attention.
In writing to his publisher Simrock, Bruch said he simply “cannot listen to this concerto any more. I have now become rude … go away and once and for all play the other concertos, which are just as good, if not better” — however, the popularity speaks for itself.
Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, based on heaven described from a child’s point of view, is written with a pure “childlike wonder,” Ballarò said. Mahler published the work in 1901 and its origin had a great deal to do with his preoccupation with the folk world of Des Knaben Wunderhorn, a collection of poetry published around 100 years earlier.
“Imagine the uniform blue of the sky…Occasionally…it darkens and becomes phantasmagorical and terrifying: but it is not that it becomes overcast, for the sun continues to shine in its eternal blue, only to us it suddenly seems horrific, just as, on the most beautiful day in a sunlit forest, one can be seized with panic and terror,” Mahler said of his Symphony No. 4.
Ballarò will close the Mahler piece during the final 10-minute movement.
“The final movement (of the Fourth) was one of the reasons why his Symphony was actually accepted by the public,” Ballarò said. “They didn’t particularly love the entire symphony when it was first premiered, but they said that the final movement and the soprano who had sung it really stole the hearts of the audience and it was a success.”
Ballarò began singing with her church choir at a young age and participated in musical theater; she “always knew” she would be a performer. Her first professional opera audition occurred at just 13 years old with the Toledo Opera Chorus as the youngest member of the group.
“Being able to sit there in the orchestra rehearsals with these amazing world class principals — singing and soaring over an orchestra and hitting the backseat of the theater — I was in complete awe,” Ballarò said. “It’s really great to sing those roles, because the music brings back that pure childlike admiration and wonder for the art form.”
The soprano is coming back to Chautauqua after being a Chautauqua Opera Company Young Artist in 2015. Coming back, she said, “will absolutely check that box in a really beautiful way.” Ballarò is working on a couple of projects this summer with Milanov, whom she met several years back at Princeton; “making music with him is always incredibly special — being able to do that with someone who you respect, admire, and consider a friend is a beautiful thing.”
Ballarò’s Bel Canto technique is one that “all great singers sang extremely well with precision, and, because of that, “they were able to venture into other kinds of repertoire and really excel,” she said. Bel Canto literally means “beautiful singing;” it is an operatic vocal style that originated from Florence and Venice requiring great breath control to sustain long, legato (smooth) phrases.
Although she tends to play roles on stage while performing, Ballarò finds it “easier to connect to an audience when soloing with a symphony.” Although undeniably more exposing, she said, there is a significant amount of joy that stems from presenting as the person you are.
White will be taking center stage tonight with the CSO, but usually performs as a member of the Harlem Quartet. She personally “loves the intimacy of a chamber music setting,” as musicians have more time together to learn each other’s individual playing, but soloing or playing alongside an orchestra provides that the music will be set in a way that is able to be expected from a group of more than 70 other musicians.
At the age of 4, White watched an episode of “Sesame Street” that featured world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman. Noting how perfectly his chin fit into the instrument, White knew she wanted to play the violin. She started with the Suzuki method — based on listening and imitation — and loved it, but what really kept her playing was the community; she made a lot of good friends in the early days whom she is still connected to.
White will be performing with a 1780 Ferdinando Gagliano violin — an old Italian instrument that cannot be duplicated because the nutrients in the soil and water caused the wood to be higher quality — on loan from Strumenti, which collects patron-investors willing to become partial owners in the LLC that will acquire the instrument and loan it to the musician.
“These instruments just have a quality to them that is unique and special, and sings in a way that’s very chocolatey — it’s almost like you can taste it,” White said.
Ballarò and White have never played music together before, but Ballarò is especially looking forward to hearing the portion of the program that she won’t be a part of, just to be close to the sound.
“It’s nice to have one specific section of music and then be able to just enjoy the rest,” she said.
