Here are excerpts from some of the reviews of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's recent tour of Japan.
Skillful Use of Forte and Pianissimo Sounds
America's Baltimore Symphony Orchestra made its first appearance in Japan on the evening of November 11 at Suntory Hall under the baton of its musical director, David Zinman. Its program consisted of Copland's "El Salon Mexico," Elgar's E-minor "Cello Concerto," and Rachmaninoff's E-minor, "Second Symphony."
Although this orchestra . . . is not as well known in Japan as the New York Philharmonic or Boston Symphony, it presented a performance which can be considered the best of all the overseas orchestras that have visited Japan this year.
Guided by the energetic conducting of Mr. Zinman, a rather small man who conducts without a baton, the orchestra has produced music which is finely detailed. Its expression, including a beautiful sound of the string section's "tutti," is characterized by complete unity, and yet it never becomes monotonous, always maintaining a free and lively flow of sounds.
Above all, what is best about this orchestra is its seriousness in tackling each composer's work. In comparison with a series of flat performances presented by the prestigious European orchestras visiting Japan this October, the music making of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra was truly impressive, whether viewed in terms of its ambitious programming or lingering effects its performance had on concert audiences.
. . . In addition to its ability to create powerful expressions at the right places -- which is typical of American orchestras -- its expressive ability in colors of all shades is worthy of mention. Its -- outstanding ability for producing expression of great charm, however, does not depend on richness of colors, but rather on its ability to skillfully use dynamic change through nuances of musical steps, such as light and darkness, forte and pianissimo, and light and heaviness of sound.
The entire audience was deeply moved by the performance of Yo Yo Ma, a cello soloist for the Elgar concerto, who completely immersed himself in the music. The orchestra performance which supported the cello soloist was equally impressive with its finely detailed orchestration, especially in view of the fact that this Elgar piece is considered primarily a chamber-music composition.
I hated to see the concert end as I listened to the sounds of a delicately elaborated movement of romantic emotion in Rachmaninoff's work, the last on the program.
. . . The conductors of leading American orchestras, such as Chicago (Daniel Barenboim), Cleveland (Christoph von Dohnanyi), New York (Kurt Masur), Philadelphia (Wolfgang Sawallisch) and Boston (Seiji Ozawa) are all foreign-born. Baltimore under the directorship of David Zinman is the first American orchestra which has an American-born conductor at the helm. It has been some time since I have had the occasion to attend a concert given by a truly American orchestra.
. . .
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra possesses well balanced string, wind and percussion sections. The positive participation of each instrumentalist is producing the kind of sound which is both spirited and powerful. Copland's dashing rhythmic sense, Elgar's eloquent lyricism and Rachmaninoff's brooding romanticism -- these all belong to 20th-century music, and yet, instead of bundling them together, Mr. Zinman has shown us the unique characteristics of each work.
His skill in accomplishing this was truly impressive, and in doing so, he made us see what the "American orchestra" is all about, something which I had not come across for some time.
Hiroshi Ando, The Performing Arts Journal.
Emotions Expressed in Fine Details
. . . The excellent morale of the orchestra members who devote their efforts to achieve the artistic goals set by their conductor also was truly impressive. Their music making is completely different from those of other American orchestras whose sole goal is to create powerful sound, or, for that matter, from European counterparts which heavily rely on tradition. By paying close attention to minute details, the orchestra members achieved delicate nuances, showing a new direction to which the orchestra is now moving.
. . .
Nihon Keizai Shimbun
Search for Precision and Clarity in Orchestral Construction
. . . Its key word is an unceasing pursuit of perfection. It means fine precision work in both articulation and ensemble. . . . It is not unlike what we describe as an absolute faith, which
Americans hold for such concepts as equality, the concepts which are regarded as typically American, and which they had established through consensus in spite of their diverse backgrounds.
. . . It was in Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, a part of the orchestra's repertory, that the orchestra demonstrated its interpretive excellence and the essence of this Zinman-Baltimore partnership. The strength of the orchestra lies in its ability to make this complex work, not an easy piece to understand, by any means, more approachable by providing the sense of precise structure.
Makoto Nakamura, Japan Music Journal.