NEW YORK --When Marin Alsop stepped onto the podium of the Carnegie Hall stage to lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on Saturday night, a considerable crescendo of applause rose from a sizable audience that included feminist Gloria Steinem, stellar soprano Jessye Norman and Trey Anastasio, formerly of the rock group Phish.
... That feeling of good will in the house never abated.
There was a sense of occasion about the event, which drew a larger turnout from the musical press than has typically greeted the BSO here in recent years.
This, after all, marked New York's first opportunity to hear for itself what all the fuss has been about since Alsop became the first woman to be named music director of a big-league American orchestra. And, although the New York-born Alsop has been making waves in the business for nearly two decades, this turned out to be her conducting debut at the venerable venue on West 57th Street.
The program, which was performed at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on Thursday and Friday, was not necessarily the most interesting or provocative choice to take on the road. But the presence of a big American piece being given its New York premiere, Steven Mackey's Time Release for marimba and orchestra, underscored Alsop's commitment to contemporary music (the U.S. premiere was at the Meyerhoff). And the inclusion of three well-exposed items from the standard repertoire offered conductor and orchestra alike an opportunity to demonstrate versatility.
That selection proved particularly effective during the second half of the concert. As was the case at last Thursday's Baltimore performance, Alsop excelled at sculpting the sensual curves of Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, with phrasing that was spacious and subtly detailed. The playing had a gently glowing quality that bloomed in Carnegie's famously warm acoustics. Flutist Emily Skala and oboist Katherine Needleman delivered elegant solos.
Stravinsky's Firebird Suite also came through in living color. Alsop's control of rhythmic detail yielded a tight account of the eventful score, with lots of punch where it counted. But she also had the lyrical passages singing out richly, especially in the finale. The orchestra sounded not just cohesive, but alive with expressive intent. There were terrific contributions from principal horn Phil Munds.
At the top of the evening was a propulsive, mostly tidy account of Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel that could have used a few more touches of individuality from Alsop. (Too bad no one could stop a persistent beeper in the hall, apparently caused by a faulty hearing aid; the noise accompanied the whole first half of the concert.)
The things that impressed me about Mackey's work on first hearing Thursday impressed me again Saturday - myriad instrumental shades, as much from the spotlighted percussion as from the orchestra; infectious flashes of jazzy energy. It's a hefty, serious, often-arresting creation. But there are quite a few dry patches, and they seemed even drier this time. Although the composer agreed to a small trim to the score for this performance, more notes could probably be let go from Time Release without hindering its kinetic power.
Scottish percussionist Colin Currie repeated his triumphant romp through the impossibly busy solo part, while Alsop kept the orchestral side of the picture strongly focused.
After the brassy conclusion of the Stravinsky suite rang out mightily to close the formal portion of the concert, a prolonged ovation yielded an encore that stumped even veteran concertgoers - the wacky, punchy Rag Time from 1921 by Paul Hindemith. It was a nice reminder that the new Alsop/BSO partnership promises many a surprise.
At a post-concert reception in a restaurant across the street from the hall, the buzz among BSO patrons and board members who had traveled to New York was decidedly positive, with lots of talk about how attentive and responsive the audience had been. Alsop was just as upbeat when she arrived, calling it "a great night."
Squeezing into the room, longtime BSO musician Jane Marvine said, "Marin was fabulous, and we were fabulous."
Steinem spoke warmly about the significance of Alsop breaking the glass ceiling.
"To see her leading all that talent onstage was wonderful," said Steinem, who had only met Alsop on Saturday. "She was kind enough to invite me, and I'm happy to be part of the celebration. The whole thing was fantastic."
Actually, Steinem put an even more emphatic spin on that description, inserting an all-purpose expletive between the "fan" and the "tastic," and adding, with a laugh, that she knew it wouldn't be printable.
tim.smith@baltsun.com