Tokyo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jonathan Nott at Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, July 21st 2019

At first glance the eclecticism of this concert’s program was more than apparent. Starting off with a Viennese Strauss waltz followed by an ominous 20th Century masterpiece. Then followed after an intermission by another masterpiece from the pre-baroque era and closing things up with a another repertoire staple, this one being a tone poem from the late 19th Century. I don’t think this concert was advertised as such, but it was not difficult to see how this juxtaposition of styles worked as a parallel soundtrack to Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The contrast between Johann Strauss II and György Ligeti in the first half of the program was similar to that between the images of futuristic state of the art technology and Strauss’ Blue Danube in the movie. A ship landing on a space station as the aforementioned waltz climaxes at its finale is not a jarring juxtaposition, it works because both elements remind us of the inherit beauty of a well-oiled machine. For this concert we had The Blue Danube’s twin piece Künsterleben, written closely after the huge success of the former. Translated as An Artist’s Life, the piece also is built in a set of dynamics that are as engaging and effective as those of its inspiring piece. 

After its conclusion a large choir entered. The Tokyo Symphony Chorus occupied all the rows of seats in the back. The lights dimmed and Ligeti’s Requiem started. The scale and complexity of this piece renders it a very rare treat in a live setting. Jonathan Nott opted to conduct it without a baton as a choral conductor usually does, leading the ensemble of voices to that otherworldly cluster of sounds in the Kyrie movement that Kubrick used to illustrate the discovery of the mysterious monolith on the moon surface. Recently I watched the rerelease of the movie in an Imax theater and that scene has to be one of the loudest, if not the loudest, I’ve ever seen. In the same way this piece’s sounds, stretching the limits of musical instruments and the human voice, were at its time, and still are in a way, unprecedented. They represent a time, the sixties, when the idea of revolution was still an excellent idea and composers like Ligeti tried dismantling the notion of music. These efforts left us treasures like Requiem, truly a unique experience.

After the intermission the choir returned for another spellbinding performance. This time it was an a capella sacred piece written by Thomas Tallis back in the 16th Century. With the lights dimmed more than usual and just a spotlight on the conductor, Spem In Alium was another atmospheric treat. Usually performed by a small ensemble, the massive choir was able to deliver the subtleties that this piece is famous for.

Speaking of spotlights, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra regained it for the program’s closing piece. Death and Transfiguration (of an artist) written by Richard Strauss gave full closure to the theme started with the earlier Strauss’ Life of an Artist. This powerful and dramatic piece was a showcase for many soloists from the orchestra and it was a precise performance, but it couldn’t help to be a bit anticlimactic after the two that preceded it. Nonetheless it captured that romantic effervescence that is well known for. It also linked with the 2001 parallels evoking the image of the Star Child stoically looking at the audience as another Strauss staple closed that film.
  
In the same way that movie is arguably the apex of creativity in filmmaking, this program reminded us of the weight of art and artists in their role as spokespeople of an era. It was like a history class that portrayed the spirit of the Renaissance, the 19th Century’s opulence and Sturm und Drang and the revolutionary spirit of the sixties. All in all a truly well conceived and executed program.

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