There are certain guest conductors who send symphony orchestras soaring. The anticipation of working under their batons is, for a musician, not unlike an actor’s thrill at working under the direction of Steven Spielberg.
Spanish-born Juanjo Mena, one of the most distinguished maestros of his generation, is one such conductor and he steps to the podium Saturday night at the Music Center at Strathmore to lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in a program of Romantic works by Brahms and Strauss.
If you go
Classical Concert: Three Romantics
Where: The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Info: $25 to $80; 301-581-5100; strathmore.org
And if that were not enough sparks flying around the concert hall, Mena and the BSO will also welcome internationally acclaimed pianist Louis Lortie performing Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, a lilting and joyful piece that points to the composer’s love for his wife. Lortie has been praised for the fresh perspective he brings to the entire classical piano repertoire, most especially in his interpretations of the Romantic compositions. London’s Daily Telegraph has called him “one of the half-dozen pianists worth dropping everything to hear.”
“[Lortie] has an elegant sound that brings a lot of class to the works being performed,” Mena said. “For Schumann’s Piano Concerto, he brings special color and interpretation that is perfect for the piece.”
Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 showcases the interplay between the melodic clarinet and bassoon, with the last movement featuring a dramatic duet that adds a calm element to an otherwise passionate performance.
Richard Strauss’s tone poem “Don Juan” was written when the composer fell in love with a famous soprano of the time, Pauline de Ahna. Overwhelmed with emotion, Strauss chose to base his piece on Don Juan’s quest for female companionship and deep love.
So there it is — a marquee-worthy triple play of an evening starring the Romantic works of Schumann, Strauss and Brahms as performed by the BSO and Lortie under the direction of Meno. The mixture is as creatively forceful, as the man at the helm.
“BSO patrons are in for a real treat whenever Maestro Mena is at the helm,” said Carolyn Kuan, the symphony’s artistic administrator. “He and the BSO musicians have a dynamic chemistry that infuses every concert with an extra energy that is palpable.”
