In a famous scene from Milos Forman’s film dramatizing the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the tortured musician picks the notes of his “Requiem in D Minor” out of the air with his dying breaths. At the Woodruff Arts Center March 17, conductor and incoming Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) music director Nathalie Stutzmann also seemed to summon notes from the air with just as much drama, though with slightly less success.
As the buzzing audience filed into the crowded theater, it was clear that the night would be saturated with emotion. This feeling was due as much to the dark theme of the program as to the excitement of the concertgoers. Stutzmann seemed an epicenter for this excitement, if the booming applause upon her entrance is any indication.
Stutzmann was recently announced as the new music director for ASO, beginning in the 2022 to 2023 season. When she assumes the position, she will not only be the first female music director in the ASO’s history but also the only female music director among the top 25 American orchestras. Stutzmann brings an impressive resume; she got her start as a concert singer before eventually founding the chamber orchestra Orfeo 55, where she served as both soloist and conductor. The ensemble was later shut down due to lack of funding. Her warm reception at the concert displayed the crowd’s anticipation to see her take over the Atlanta podium in the long term.
The emotional potency of the night’s beginning carried over into the first piece the orchestra performed, perhaps too much so. In their rendition of Richard Strauss’ “Tod und Verklarung,” the musicians eloquently raced from the loud punching highs to the soft subtle lows that represent the death of an artist. But occasionally, the sections would lapse in dynamic coordination, and the eager brass would blast over the strings and woodwinds. The solos that circulated through the woodwind section were a piercing display of emotional depth. But at the same time, the woodwinds felt overpowering in their execution of the gentle pulses that conclude the work.
After a brief intermission, the ASO chorus took to the rafters to join the instrumental musicians for the first time since the pandemic began. However, before the program could proceed, Stutzmann turned to the audience with an unanticipated announcement.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shaken the classical music world, and many musicians have taken to the platforms available to them to speak out against it. This includes both international artists, especially those from Russia, and artists here in Atlanta, such as the Atlanta Opera’s general and artistic director Tomer Zvulun. Zvulun dedicated the opera company’s recent production of “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” to Ukraine. Along these lines, Stutzmann announcedthat the night’s performance of Mozart’s “Requiem” would be dedicated to those who have lost their lives in the war.
The orchestra and chorus then launched into a heart-wrenching rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem. The performance was especially personal for ASO’s first violinist Olga Shpitko, who comes from Ukraine. A solemn air hung over the audience, which had risen from their seats, and though the night’s performance of the “Requiem” was planned long in advance, the program now took on a haunting new dimension.
Unfortunately, ASO found itself on unsteady footing as it transitioned into the “Requiem,” perhaps owing to the weight of the piece’s new meaning. The trumpets felt unsure as they took over from the penetrating winds at the beginning of the “Introitus.” When the chorus finally entered, it brought with it immense power. But it was unclear if the voices lifted over the orchestra or trampled it.
By the time the ASO got to the famous “Sequenz,” a struggle for balance between the chorus and orchestra added to the funerary drama of the work. This battle reached its climax during an interestingly rapid “Dies Irae,” but when the ensemble got to the “Confutatis,” they seemed to have found their ground again. As the “Lacrimosa” brought the “Sequenz” to an end, an almost-whispered amen hung in the air like a terrifying question.
Having brought the musicians back in step, Stutzmann laid the ground for a powerful final half of the performance. Particularly notable were the forceful blasts of the “Sanctus,” with the drum of the orchestra invigorating the booming chorus. Also on display were the exquisite voices of the four soloists: soprano Martina Jankova, mezzo-soprano Sara Mingardo, tenor Kenneth Tarver and bass Burak Bilgili. The soloists’ voices blended dazzlingly with the accompanying orchestra at several points throughout the night.
The final movement of this “Requiem,” the “Communio: Lux aeterna,” was crafted after Mozart’s death by his contemporary Franz Xaver Süssmayr. Süssmayr drew significantly on the earlier sections in composing the closing bars of the work. In the ASO’s rendition of these final notes, it seemed as if Stutzmann was lifting the motifs that opened the piece back from the dead, and a haunting melody floated gently over the orchestra. Soon, the final words rang out from the chorus with an energy that demanded recognition. The audience was quick to oblige, vigorously applauding the orchestra, chorus, soloists and especially the conductor.
As the crowd stepped out of the Woodruff Arts Center, they were even more abuzz than when the concert began. Clearly impressed by the performance, they walked away from a cathartic musical confrontation with death enabled by Stutzmann’s unique control of her soon-to-be home ensemble. The power and intrigue of her musical stylings promise to make future ASO concerts a worthwhile experience for any Emory student.
ASO’s next concert is “Scheherazade & Mandolinist Avi Avital Returns” on March 31 and April 2 at the Woodruff Arts Center. Emory students can get tickets at a reduced price here.
Mozart’s Requiem in D minor will also feature in the Emory Symphony Orchestra concert on April 22 and 23.
