A Sharper Edge

It’s all Beethoven, all the time for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra this month. Joined by conductor Roberto Abbado and pianist Lars Vogt, the orchestra plays Beethoven’s nine symphonies and five piano concertos.

Beyond being a musical orgy for Beethoven buffs, this festival is an important immersion experience for an orchestra striving for world-class status. “As the SPCO began to understand its place in the constellation of chamber orchestras, we realized we can’t be generalists in a specialist’s world,” says SPCO president Bruce Coppock. “To be competitive, we have to play in a style that reflects the history of performance standards, instrumentation, articulation, and phrasing.”

That competitive edge gets sharpened with coaching from Abbado, a conductor who understands the intricacies of playing classical repertoire on modern instruments. “The pairing of Roberto and Beethoven is deeply intentional,” Coppock says. “He has a deep awareness of the style requirements consistent with proper performance practice.”

At Abbado’s request, the SPCO will use baroque timpani and natural trumpets (valveless instruments that were introduced to Western music during the early baroque period). “With ancient trumpets, you get both balance and the heroic sound,” Abbado says. “It’s crispy sounding and important to the sound and balance of the entire orchestra.”

Though American audiences are more familiar with the enormity of larger ensembles, as in the Minnesota Orchestra’s ninety-musician powerhouse (which, incidentally, is making stunning recordings of the same repertoire), the symphonies were written for orchestras less than half that size, such as the SPCO.

The fourteen masterpieces represent a depth of artistic output that invites different interpretations, according to Coppock, who says the SPCO’s focus is on clarity, balance, and the inherent effort that Beethoven’s more rageful moments demand of thirty-five or forty players. Says Coppock, “What I hope audiences in the Twin Cities will relish is the opportunity to hear these symphonies as seen through two radically different lenses.” Nov. 2–18. Various Twin Cities locations, 651-291-1144

Reach Lani Willis at laniwillis@aol.com.