OVERNIGHT REVIEW: L.A. Phil, Johannes Moser and his "e-cello" at Walt Disney Concert Hall

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
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Los Angeles Philharmonic; Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Johannes Moser, electric cello
Adams: Short Ride on a Fast Machine; Chapela: Magnetar, Concerto for Electric Cello
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major
Friday, March 4, 2011 • Walt Disney Concert Hall
Next concerts: October 28 and 29 at 8 p.m.; Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. (Mozart and Richard Strauss)
Information: www.laphil.com
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The last few years have seen a spate of classical music compositions for electronically amplified instruments. I suppose it began in 2003 with John Adams’ The Dharma at Big Sur, which featured an amplified violin and was one of the works that help open Walt Disney Concert Hall. Earlier this fall came Derek Bermel’s Ritornello (for electric guitar and orchestra), which opened the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s 2011-2012 season (Review LINK).

This weekend, the Phil got back in the game with the world premiere of Magnetar, Concerto for Electric Cello by 37-year-old Mexican composer-guitarist Enrico Chapela, a considerably heftier work (at 25 minutes) than Bermel’s 14-minute baroque-like ditty.

What is an electronic cello (or e-cello, for short)? The instrument looks like the shell of a cello — there’s a standard bridge, fingerboard and tail and the framework is shaped like a cello — but there’s no wood on the front or back to provide resonance (as he introduced the piece last night, Gustavo Dudamel called it a “ghost cello”). The sounds are created through two pickups (one is under the bridge) hooked up to a computer system that pours the sound out through two large amplifiers surrounding the soloist.

As Johannes Moser noted in last night’s preconcert lecture, he’s playing the instrument but the sounds are totally generated by the sound system (the computer is controlled by Esteban Chapela, the composer’s nephew). “After spending 20 years producing the sound from next to my belly,” said Moser, “it was really hard getting used to ‘outsourcing’ the sound.” Aside from bowing and fingering, Moser also uses two foot pedals to control volume and the “waa-waa” sounds that often show up during the piece. “I feel like an organist using both my hands and feet,” said Moser. “That took some getting used to.”

The concerto has three movement, which the composer terms “fast,” “slow” and “brutal.” The title of the work refers to a rare type of pulsars in space, which have gigantic magnetic fields that explode out of cosmic noise (represented at the beginning and end of the first movement by the orchestra players rubbing their hands together and later stomping their feet rapidly).

Throughout the piece, Chapela provides massive, periodic bursts of sound to further illustrate the theme. A lot of that sounds comes from a massive percussion section that included crotales, tubular bells, vibratone, suspended cymbals, tam-tam, tom-toms, bass drum, vibraphone, spring drum, tambourine, snare drums and timpani.

There were moments when the “e-cello” sounded simply like an amplified guitar, but there were also times, including in a cadenza that separated the first and second movement, when it produced lots of squeaks, scratches, other assorted sounds and noise, although I’m not sure you could call it music.

Fortunately, the second movement featured a haunting, bluesy jazz motif and dueling “waa-waas” between the ecello and various instruments (including trumpet and timpani) that, for me at any rate, became the highlight of the piece.

The “brutal” third movement was just that in terms of its speed and complexity, both for the orchestra and the soloist. Moser and the percussion led the way to a splashy conclusion that brought forth a big ovation for all concerned, including the composer.

Dudamel bobbed, weaved and danced his way through the accompaniment and — especially considering how little time it had to prepare the piece — the orchestra was remarkably precise and expressive in its playing.

Prior to the concerto, Moser introduced Magnetar by saying, “Chapela writes music for now; he doesn’t care what it might sound like 50 years from now.” Judging the reaction from the large number of younger people (and others) in the audience, what he wrote for the “now” was exceedingly popular. Both the composer and his father, who was one of the dedicatees, were in the audience.

The entire night was a showcase for percussion beginning with John Adams’ four-minute 1986 fanfare, Short Ride in a Fast Machine. To no one’s great surprise, the orchestra played it with exuberance and impeccable rhythmic precision. However, what struck me the most was how Adams has grown in his compositional style since those minimalist days of 25 years ago. It would have been instructive to hear Short Ride paired with, for example, City Noir, the work with which Dudamel opened his Disney Hall tenure as LAPO music director three years ago, if for no other reason than to hear the differences in styles.

The evening concluded with Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, which like Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7 (Leningrad), was composed in the crucible of World War II. However, unlike Shostakovich’s work — which was written about and during the siege of what is now known as St. Petersburg — Prokofiev’s 5th was composed in the summer of 1944, shortly after the D-Day landings, and by the time it was premiered in January 1945, the conflict’s end was in sight.

While it’s the most popular of Prokofiev’s symphonies, the fifth isn’t really a mainstream work, although Dudamel and the orchestra did their best to argue a persuasive case for its inclusion. Dudamel reverted to having all the violins seated to his left with the violas outside on the right and the string basses next to the violas stretching to the rear of the ensemble, which helped to accentuate the rich resonant string tones that poured forth all night beginning with the first movement, which Dudamel took at a magisterial pace.

The scherzo leaned heavily on the sardonic tune that bounces from section to section. The brooding adagio, which was highlighted by sparkling solo work from Principal Clarinet Lorin Levee, led without pause to the finale, which concludes with the sort of whiz-bang finish guaranteed to send the crowd home happy. However, since this program is being played Sunday at Davies Hall in San Francisco, Dudamel and Co. offered a gentle rendition of Prokofiev’s Gavotte from his Classical Symphony as an encore.
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Hemidemisemiquavers:
• The Phil’s two-day appearance up north is part of the San Francisco Symphony’s centennial celebration; the Phil is the first of several visiting American orchestras that will be appearing during upcoming months. Monday’s concert is a repeat of the season-opening Disney Hall concert earlier this month: Adams’ Tromba Iontana, Esteban Benzecry’s Rtuales Amerindios, and Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique (Review LINK)

• If you’re interested in reading more about Magnetar and the electric cello (the instrument was created by Yamaha), the program notes are HERE.

• Tao Ni was principal cellist for last night’s concert (he’ll also play Sunday night in San Francisco). According to a LAPO spokesperson, he is taking part in an audition for the orchestra’s vacant associate principal position.

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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.