L. Kent Wolgamott: Concerto mirrors Lewis, Clark journey

Lincoln Journal Star

Emotionally moving, compositionally impressive and evoking the journey it commemorates, Philip Glass' "Piano Concerto No. 2 (After Lewis and Clark)" had a triumphant debut at the Lied Center for Performing Arts on Saturday night.

Commissioned by the Nebraska Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission with the Lied Center and the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, the
35-minute concerto was written with pianist Paul Barnes in mind.

In Saturday's world premiere, Barnes delivered a near note-perfect performance that showcased his aggressive, strong yet romantic style in collaboration with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra under the sympathetic direction of Victor Yampolsky.

"The Vision" opened the concerto with energy and pure Glass tension between drama and beauty, drive and darkness.

The pulsing heartbeat of a bass drum moved the musical journey that included some of Barnes' athletic playing, working his left hand in 4/4 time and his right in 5/4 through Glass' trademark repetitions and minimal variations.

"Sacagawea," the second movement, essentially was a duet between Barnes and R. Carlos Nakai on Native flute with the orchestra providing shading for their interplay.

A continuation of the encounter between Natives and European Americans that began with Lewis and Clark, the contrast between the Native-music-based melody lines played on the wooden flute and the rippling piano made that connection crystal clear.

A call-and-response section told a story of communication between cultures while Nakai's soulful playing and angst-laden chords gave the movement a haunting, heart-touching quality.

"The Land," the final movement, felt like the look back at the end of a journey, both summing up and adding a vibrant, innovative ending to the concerto.

That vibrance comes from what is called variations in canon.

Variations in canon involves the piano playing a section, which is repeated by the orchestra while the piano moves on to the next section of the piece.

For example, in one variation, Barnes played a scale-based section while the orchestra worked through a series of trills that Barnes had played moments before.

That interplay and composition technique is highly unusual and was wonderfully executed by the pianist and the symphony.

I heard the concerto twice Saturday, attending the afternoon dress rehearsal to hear the piece before its official premiere, and found the third movement increasingly fascinating, even more complex and involving the second time.

It also is notable that the intensity of the performance increased from afternoon to evening, proof of the power of the "moment" in music of all kinds.

Technically, the concerto was well-presented with a good balance between piano and the orchestra, which performed without most of its brass and some of it bass players.
The flute, played into a microphone, was perfectly integrated into the mix.

The intense, emotional performance was rewarded with a long standing ovation during which the principal performers and Glass returned to the stage twice after their first set of bows.

Audiences give those kind of ovations too easily these days. But the response Saturday was deeply felt and well deserved.

At intermission and at a post-show reception, I heard a number of comments that the concerto was somehow a departure for Glass, somehow more accessible and melodic than his usual compositions.

I found the opposite. The concerto fits easily within Glass' oeuvre, combining his signature style with indigenous instrumentation and Barnes' exceptionally strong and direct interpretation of the material.

The evening's program was well selected with Alan Hovhaness' Symphony No. 2, Op. 132 "Mysterious Mountain" serving as a lyrical, uplifting opening piece, preceding the Glass debut.

The second half of the concert was Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 "From the New World," a piece that shares the same basic theme as the concerto.
Dvorak's familiar work was very well executed but seemed anti-climactic after the intensity of the opening performance.

Barnes, Nakai and the Omaha Symphony will present the concerto again Friday and Saturday at Omaha's Orpheum Theatre.

The Nebraska Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission should be commended for commissioning the concerto.

Rather than producing yet another representational bronze sculpture or paying for a one-time, here-and-gone event, the commission has put its name on a work of art that will endure and be performed around the world for years.

Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com.