Glimmers of light: Oregon Symphony concertmaster Sarah Kwak and guest conductor Markus Stenz tackle Alban Berg's difficult "Violin Concerto" * Oregon ArtsWatch

"Markus Stenz returned to the podium to lead the Oregon Symphony in an outstanding January 17 concert highlighted by concertmaster Sarah Kwak giving a superb performance of Alban Berg's Violin Concerto. Stenz, who guest-conducted the orchestra in 2019 and 2024, inspired the ensemble with his intimate knowledge of the program, which included works by Lili Boulanger, Berg, and Beethoven. Each piece received an exceptional performance - even the more difficult to grasp Violin Concerto by Berg sounded top notch and relatable."

"Boulanger wrote the short, symphonic poem during the last year of her short life - she died when just 24 years old because of tuberculosis. The orchestra delivered the slow and weighty atmosphere of the piece, which ebbed and flowed with colorful textures. Yet despite the ominous clouds that threatened to break open, near the very end, the music lightened up with a glimmer of light and hope."

"Boulanger's piece proved to be an excellent preface to Alban Berg's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. Berg wrote it as a requiem of sorts for Manon Gropius, who died from polio at the age of 18. She was the daughter of Alma Mahler-Werfel and her second husband, architect and Bauhaus School founder Walter Gropius. Stenz passionately introduced the Violin Concerto by describing it as a Romantic work in which the first part optimistically depicts the possibilities of a young, lovely woman."

Markus Stenz conducted the Oregon Symphony on January 17, leading a program of Lili Boulanger, Alban Berg, and Beethoven. Concertmaster Sarah Kwak gave a superb performance of Berg's Violin Concerto. The orchestra conveyed Boulanger's D'un soir triste with slow, weighty atmosphere and colorful textures, ending with a glimmer of light and hope. Berg's concerto served as a requiem for Manon Gropius and combined Romantic immediacy with twelve-tone technique. Stenz characterized the first part as optimistic, the second as struggle and resignation, and noted a Bach phrase suggesting the divine and a journey toward heaven. Each work received exceptional ensemble playing.

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