‘Wagner & Sibelius’ @ Fort Worth Symphony

—Wayne Lee Gay

Lavish musical romanticism in works of Wagner and Sibelius takes the stage at Bass Performance Hall this weekend in concerts by the Fort Worth Symphony and music director Robert Spano.

While Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and numerous other composers charged full speed into musical modernism in the first decades of the twentieth century, Finnish composer Jean Sibelius chose instead to extend and continue his exploration of the possibilities of soaring melody, rich harmony, and traditional structure. Widely lauded as a leading symphonist by his contemporaries, Sibelius slipped onto the list of "composers-we-don't-listen-to-anymore" in the decades following his death in 1957. 

But the more eclectic, inclusive tastes of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries have brought him back to a more secure place in the repertoire. For this weekend's concerts, conductor Spano chose a relatively late work from Sibelius' symphonic output, the Sixth Symphony of 1933. (Sibelius, for various reasons, composed very little after the l920s.)

Typical of all Sibelius' Symphonies, the Sixth draws unabashedly on the natural beauties of the orchestra; compared to his earlier works, it is, if anything, even more lavishly melodic. It spreads over a relatively succinct (for a late romantic symphony) four movements totaling approximately half an hour. As in much of his work, he eschews the grand (and sometimes grandiose) final moments associated with musical romanticism, closing each movement efficiently and logically; and in the final moments, he fades away quietly for a thoughtful, serene ending.

Conductor Spano beautifully commands the intricacies here, demonstrating and communicating a deep love and respect for this relatively neglected score. The orchestra supplies a magnificently radiant tone from the strings and solid response from the other sections. As in his other major works, Sibelius here evokes the expanse of the Finnish landscape married to a classical sense of balance. 

After intermission, the orchestra and Spano join a trio of outstanding Wagnerian singers for a minimally staged concert version of Act I of Wagner's Die Walküre (The Valkyrie). The demands of casting and orchestration have made Wagner productions a rarity in Fort Worth, a community which seems unwilling to finance costly operatic productions. The most recent full-fledged staging of a work by Wagner was the production by the Fort Worth Opera of Die fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) in 1982. Interestingly, the Fort Worth Symphony was onstage earlier this month for a semi-staged version of Puccini's La boheme produced by Fort Worth Opera—and the Symphony itself will produce a semi-staged version of Die fliegende Holländer in April 2025. 

For this version of Act I of Die Walküre, the orchestra provides a brilliant and essential accompaniment for the vocalists, who are themselves vocally superb. Wagner was a great composer, intriguing poet—and an ultimately flawed playwright who in this case insisted on verbalizing every action, resulting in a drama that actually moves more slowly than real time. 

Sets are next-to-nonexistent, with minimal early Iron Age costumes. Even by the standards of a semi-staged performance, the staging was occasionally too understated. (As an opera-goer who prefers Wagner with a little bit of shock and awe, the replacement of the incestuous kiss with a brotherly hug at the close of the act seems safe but a bit dull.)

Finnish-born soprano Karita Mattila brings a wondrous combination of power and beauty as Sieglinde; American bass Raymond Aceto is appropriately gruff and vocally resonant as her barbarically possessive husband Hunding. But Montana-born Brandon Jovanovich is clearly first among equals here, setting the hall on fire from his entering note with a burnished tone and flawless range. Ultimately, Wagner's music, along with superb performances by orchestra, conductor, and singers,  creates a memorable experience.

WHEN: April 19-21, 2024
WHERE: Bass Performance Hall, Fort Worth
WEB: fwsymphony.org