Matthias Pintscher & Conrad Tao
REVIEW: CSO Welcomes Spring with Invigorating Copland, Schumann Under Matthias Pintscher
From the Cincinnati Business Courier
By Janelle Gelfand
Aaron Copland’s Suite from Appalachian Spring has been performed many times by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In the orchestra’s concert on March 8, conductor Matthias Pintscher offered a performance that was as fresh and inspiring as if it were composed yesterday.
Pintscher, now in his fourth season as creative partner of the CSO, led a program to welcome spring with Copland, Mozart, and Schumann’s Spring Symphony. American pianist Conrad Tao, who has wowed audiences with the CSO on two previous occasions, returned with Mozart’s Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491.
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His interpretation of Copland’s Suite from Appalachian Spring was magical. The ballet depicts a pioneering young couple in rural 19th-century Pennsylvania. The introduction was serene and spacious, wonderfully evocative of the ballet’s characters “in a suffused light,” as the composer wrote in his own program notes.
The conductor brought energy to each of the work’s dances, going for a sound that was lean and transparent. The brass was beautifully balanced, and the woodwind soloists shone. The Shaker song Simple Gifts unfolded warmly through each variation, beginning with a solo by principal clarinetist Christopher Pell. The orchestra’s playing was pristine, and the listener could only marvel at the folk-like tunes and wide-open harmonies that give Copland’s music its distinctive American sound.
Mozart wrote his Concerto No. 24 in C minor during a burst of activity that included work on his opera The Marriage of Figaro. Its minor key lends a romantic, even dark atmosphere, which was evident in the orchestral exposition led by Pintscher.
Tao’s playing in the first movement was light and fluid. His tempos were exceedingly quick, and he sometimes rose in his chair for emphasis while tackling virtuosic passages such as arpeggios. Mozart did not write down cadenzas for this concerto, so soloists often compose their own. Tao’s first-movement cadenza had a Beethovenesque style, balancing powerful figures against introspective themes.
In the slow movement (Larghetto), Tao communicated with a singing tone, sometimes adding small embellishments to Mozart’s score. His dialogue with the winds was particularly enjoyable, as they added expressive character to the movement. The finale sparkled. It was as fast as I’ve ever heard, and at one point, the tempo nearly got away from the pianist. Pintscher and the orchestra were excellent partners.
After intermission, Pintscher returned with a vibrant performance of Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major, “Spring.” The introduction was majestic, leading into a fresh, invigorating Allegro.
Pintscher was a clear, elegant leader who knew exactly what he wanted and how to achieve it. The orchestral sound was clean and crisp, with precise string attacks and exciting brass flourishes. The string section was especially rich in the scherzo, which had a rustic charm.
The conductor led with momentum into the finale, allowing soloists in the horns and winds ample time to shine. It was an animated, enthralling performance that once again brought the audience to their feet.