International viola star Tabea Zimmermann, an artistic partner with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra since 2023, sparkles with SPCO concertmaster Steven Copes as the two play together for SPCO’s season opener at the Ordway Concert Hall. Much like the last time Zimmermann directed and played with the SPCO, the violist brings a spirited presence to the performance.
The program features works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sergei Prokofiev, and 20th-century Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz, with Copes and Zimmermann playing the lead parts in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra.
The concert opens with the dramatic beginning of Mozart’s Overture to “Don Giovanni.” With its familiar themes drawn from the opera itself, it’s a bit of a taste of Mozart’s masterpiece. At Friday evening’s performance, after a rolling build and anxious back and forth between lower and higher notes, Zimmermann’s string popped. With a grin, she tip-toed across the strange to retune her instrument off-stage as the SPCO carried on to the end of the piece.
While waiting for Zimmermann to return, Copes shared with the audience that during rehearsals, Zimmermann had the SPCO musicians playing, stomping and even singing in their work together. “It’s a lot of fun to learn from her and play with her,” Copes said.
From there, the orchestra performed a short piece by Bacewicz called Divertimento for Strings. The first movement is full of slides, scrunchy sounds and dissonance, with light eerie bounces and spinning frenzy. Bacewicz’s second movement is languorous, with resonant sustained notes, while the third brings a furious cacophony.
The town of Mannheim gets a little spotlight in the weekend’s program, with examples of two orchestral techniques — the Mannheim rocket and the Mannheim roller. The Mannheim rocket launches the first movement of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1, Classical, with a quick build by the orchestra ending with a pop. The first movement’s light airiness has a Mozart quality about it (Prokofiev was also inspired by Haydn), while the second movement begins with sweet legato and features a juicy pizzicato build. After the gavotte third movement, the work concludes with a galloping finale. The “Molto vivace” movement swirls with sounds, energetic arpeggios and contrasting rhythms. It sounds like a carriage ride that finishes with a swinging flourish.
The Mannheim roller (yes, that’s where the band Mannheim Steamroller got its name) comes into play after intermission, when the SPCO performs Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante. The technique combines a thrilling string crescendo with a repeated single note played by horns and oboes.
That’s when Copes and Zimmerman’s come in, playfully trading off solos and also at times playing in harmony together. The two musicians begin the piece by making eye contact, and at times they seem to be finishing each other’s sentences. At other times, it was like they were battling, or dancing.
For the encore on Friday, Zimmermann and Copes performed a short pizzicato duet by Béla Bartók. The two musicians seemed to genuinely enjoy playing together. It’s a joy to watch that much love for the music.
IF YOU GO
Who: St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
What: Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Tabea Zimmermann
When: 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15
Where: Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul
Tickets: $68-$16
Accessibility: Elevators access all floors of the Concert Hall, accessibility seating for all mobility devices (request when buying tickets); service animals welcome (inform ticket representative); listening units and large print available upon request. One single-occupancy, accessible restroom in the Music Theater lobby.
Capsule: The SPCO performs with artistic partner Tabea Zimmermann in an invigorating concert.
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