At 8:15 p.m. tonight in the Amphitheater, guest cellist Sterling Elliott joins the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director and Principal Symphonic Conductor Rossen Milanov, for a night of “Romantic Elegance” which will blur the line between love and loss.
Beginning with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, and ending with Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98, the concert progresses from intimate and expressive to somewhat tragic, Milanov said.
Drawing inspiration from Mozart — who Tchaikovsky called a “sunny genius” — Tchaikovsky constructed the “Variations on a Rococo Theme” after his symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini, which passionately detailed two doomed lovers. Since he composed both in 1876, the contrast in romance and loss shows off Tchaikovsky’s well-known range.
“The way it starts, it sounds as though it belongs to 50 years earlier,” Milanov said. “The solo instrument is very expressive with a beautiful, rich lower register and an ability to sing, which is so important to anything that Tchaikovsky does. (The cello) is a perfect instrument for him to express his own personal style and taste in music; it’s very deep, moving with the element of thought, intimacy and expression.”
Soloing on cello tonight, Elliott has garnered great acclaim for his stage presence and musicality.
He is absolutely brilliant to work with, Milanov said; he was impressed with Elliott when they worked together in a Columbus Symphony co-commission on John Corigliano’s “Phantasmagoria” for solo cello and orchestra.
Following Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme” is Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 in E Minor — its “fiery tragedy” will stand stark against the grace of the last piece, Principal Bassist Owen Lee said. When he composed the piece in 1884 and 1885, Brahms forwent a traditional happy ending, potentially because he was contemplating his own mortality, writing instructions to his publisher of to do with the score in case “the most human thing should happen to me.”
“Symphonic works frequently end triumphantly, but Brahms’ Fourth Symphony does not — it’s sort of shaking its fist at at fate,” Lee said. “I always think of the Dylan Thomas poem ‘Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.’ ”
With a constant bass line throughout the piece, Lee finds it very satisfying to play. He believes listeners of The Cure and heavy metal music might particularly enjoy Symphony No. 4.
“It starts off on a kind of melancholy with a wistful kind of mood. There (are) just a lot of moments that stay there. The second movement is this nostalgic, bittersweet mood,” Lee said. “Then the last movement is a defiant, passionate mood. The third movement is really kind of the only relief — it’s the only one that’s kind of bright and cheerful.”
Even though Lee just played Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 in February with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the work’s beauty never wears thin.
“It’s definitely one of my desert island pieces,” Lee said. “It just says so much and touches me very, very deeply. Every time I hear it, every time I play it, I never get tired of it.”
With the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, musicians are able to fit in four rehearsals. With the sheer number of performances the CSO does in a week, one rehearsal for a program is all they have.
“We’ve gotten good at putting together programs in one rehearsal. Rossen really knows what he’s doing; I really admire that,” Lee said. “He knows how to get things done in one rehearsal and really manages time very effectively. He’s part of the reason why we’re able to pull it off.”
Having been spending summers with the CSO since 2012, Lee finds that Chautauqua is almost like a time capsule of what it would have been like to live in America in the 1800s.
“With this beautiful countryside, this place is a miracle to me,” Lee said. “It’s so nice to get out of the city and be out in nature, yet still have all the creature comforts of a city, like all the cultural offers — it’s incredible. I wish more people knew about it.”
