Conductor: Joshua Weilerstein
There are surely few better venues for a concert demonstrating the soul of American music than Birmingham’s Symphony Hall with its glorious acoustics. The highlight of the evening is the presentation of
the UK premiere of Robert Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses – but that’s not all there is on offer in an evening replete with music that digs deep into the historical heart of the United States.
We start with Variations on ‘America’ by Charles Ives, a short piece comprising five variations on the theme of America (My Country ‘tis of Thee). It’s a piece that is well known to British audiences because as well as being the national anthem of Liechtenstein, the royal anthem of Norway and with historical connections to a number of other countries, is also actually God Save the Queen. It’s a varied piece with hints of jazz and calypso, occasionally regal and sometimes playful – and it provides an appropriate appetiser for the rest of the evening.
On, then, to Leonard Bernstein, and his Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Again this is a piece with many varied styles taken from the score to the famous Broadway show and subsequent movies. It’s a fusion of jazz and Latin, of traditional spirituals and European classics. Starting with the menacing Prologue, full of disjointed rhythms and syncopation we jump suddenly to the melodic Somewhere, the haunting melody moving from strings to brass and back in a real contrast to the initial feel of the piece. The driving rhythms of the Mambo lead to the gentler Cha Cha and Meeting, a turbulent Rumble and the quiet, unsettling Finale, eerie with the feel of tolling bells beneath the melody. It’s classic Bernstein and reflects the feel of the United States in the late 1950s in all its sparring diversity.
Now the main course – The Ordering of Moses. If there was any doubt that Dett was a composer of merit, this would surely dispel it. It tells the parable of Moses leading his people out of Egypt and for Dett, who was the grandson of escaped slaves, the story must have had a particular resonance. Written in 1932 when racial segregation was still widespread, it’s a plea from the heart for the rights of African-Americans. It’s billed as a “sacred cantata for soli, chorus and orchestra” and while its message may be less religious than the oratorios of Handel, Bach or any of the other more well-known composers the meaning comes across loud and clear. “Go down, Moses, tell old Pharaoh, let my people go”. So goes the old spiritual and these are the words we hear echoed through the opening part of the piece. There’s rattling chains, a doleful melody from the cellos creating an atmosphere laden with misery leading to a cry for freedom from the chorus. It’s a piece that’s very easy to follow, leading us clearly from slavery in Egypt through the parting of the Red Sea and the pursuing army being engulfed. It features four exceptional soloists – the eloquent tenor of Rodrick Dixon and the mellifluous baritone of Eric Greene alongside the glorious sopranos of Nadine Benjamin and Chrystal E Williams. We reach the final He is King of Kings with a joyous song of triumph from chorus and soloists.
A wonderful evening of complementary pieces – in fact, it’s only when you hear the Dett that you realise just how well-chosen this programme is. Time and again you hear echoes and hints of the same melodies in the Ives, the Bernstein and the Dett, because deep down these pieces all share the same roots, roots in the heart and soul of the United States. A memorable evening.
Reviewed on 23 February 2022
The Reviews Hub Score
A memorable evening
