PORTLAND, Ore. — Matthias Pintscher made a big splash in his conducting debut with the Oregon Symphony, serving up sonic delights at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on May14 with Copland’s majestic Symphony No. 3 and Rachmaninoff’s complex Piano Concerto No. 3 with soloist Alessio Bax.
Pintscher is in his second season as music director of the Kansas City Symphony, which he will take on tour in Europe a second time this summer. His resume includes stints as music director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain (2013-2023) and the Ojai Festival (2020, though the festival was canceled due to the pandemic). He is also an admired composer whose his symphonic works have been performed by major orchestras around the world. He has conducted his opera Das kalte Herz at the Opéra-Comique in Paris and Berlin’s Staatsoper Unter den Linden.
The forces required for Copland’s Third Symphony filled the stage, and that grand ensemble created several massive crescendos that evoked a feeling of magnificence. Pintscher sculpted them with care, especially the spectacular forte in the first movement, which arrived after a long expanse of quietness that suggested dawn and a calm day. The mood in the second movement shifted from ponderous — accented by grumblings in the low bass — to downright jolly, with perky folk-like impressions. Even Pintscher exhibited dance-like steps, suggesting a rhythmic looseness.
Ethereal violins and a solemn woodwind choir highlighted the third movement, which evoked a realm of peacefulness. The tranquility was laced with sparkle from the celesta at the opening of the fourth movement, a wonderful moment of rest before the bombastic and noble theme that everyone recognized from Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man erupted. The orchestra conveyed heroism, optimism, dignity, and an ultimately uplifting, spirited conclusion — a much-needed sentiment for our troubling time.
Concertgoers showered Pintscher and the orchestra with enthusiastic applause, and he made sure to recognize individual and sectional contributions.
Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 opened the concert, with Bax also making his Oregon Symphony debut. Some Portlanders know him well because of his appearances at Chamber Music Northwest.
His performance of the Rachmaninoff concerto offered everything one could wish for as the pianist displayed exceptional prowess on the keyboard the entire way. Numerous complex arpeggiated passages flowed naturally — at times gushing powerfully — with Bax demonstrating terrific artistry while immaculately executing knuckle-crunching runs. Dynamic contrasts were superbly handled and melodic themes always came through, allowing listeners to imagine themselves in dreamy, faraway landscapes.
Bax polished the cadenzas with sensitive phrasing that elicited an atmosphere of leisure and ease before suddenly pouncing into a lighting-fast sequence. The big buildups with the orchestra created a sense of overwhelming awe and excitement that climaxed in a passionate and triumphant grand finale.
The sound of guest flutist Julia Pyke — who will become the orchestra’s principal in the fall — added an extra layer of lyricism in the quieter moments, especially in the first movement when her lines seemed to float effortlessly above the busy texture of the orchestra and piano.
Pintscher kept the sonic balance between the orchestra and soloist in check so that the piano was never buried. Portland audiences love to applaud between movements, but this time, they waited until the last notes vanished into the hall before responding with thunderous applause, drawing Bax back to center stage for a couple of solo bows.
