Estonian conductor Neeme J\u00e4rvi is of the old school, and not just because the conductor is now 76. On Sunday evening, he brought the Estonian National Symphonic Orchestra and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir to the White Light Festival at Lincoln Center. Their purpose: a program of Sibelius, Tormis, Mozart and Arvo P\u00e4rt at Avery Fisher Hall. Billed as\u00a0The Word Made Flesh<\/i>, this concert was part of this year\u2019s\u00a0White Light Festival.<\/i><\/p>\n
The concert opened with Veljo Tormis\u2019 stormy\u00a0Overture No. 2<\/i>, one of a handful of orchestral works from this Estonian composer. Mr. J\u00e4rvi immediately demonstrated the value of this piece, bookended by stormy, passionate outer sections that recall the fierce charge of Shostakovich at his very best. The central passage of the overture was more lyrical, with opportunities for the ERSO woodwind players to demonstrate their quality before the first theme returned to bring the work rampaging home.<\/p>\n
Arvo P\u00e4rt\u2019s \u00a0name might still be familiar to White Light attendees who may have never heard his music. It was a quotation from Mr. P\u00e4rt that inspired festival director Jane Moss to start programming Lincoln Center\u2019s fall season with an eye toward common threads of music, art, dance, and spirituality. And given his importance to the musical development of his native Estonia, it was particularly fitting to have Mr. J\u00e4rvi conducting the New York premiere of the composer\u2019s\u00a0In principio<\/i>\u00a0a choral setting of excerpts from the Gospel according to John.<\/p>\n
In principio<\/i>\u00a0was in five sections, with the chorus intoning the Latin text over a steady rhythmic pulse from the orchstra. As each section developed, the sound swelled and engulfed the listener with slab-like chords of instruments and voices, emphasizing the solemnity of the Biblical subject. Mr. J\u00e4rvi expertly balanced chorus and orchestra to maximum effect, creating a powerful statement of faith\u2013not just in God but in the power of Arvo P\u00e4rt\u2019s music to communicate and heal.<\/p>\n
Two short works ended the first half: Mr. P\u00e4rt\u2019s equally static and moving peace prayer\u00a0Da pacem Domine<\/i>\u00a0and Mozart\u2019s\u00a0Ave verum corpus<\/i>, a short motet for chorus from the last year of the composer\u2019s life. Following this work, Mr. J\u00e4rvi put his hand to his ear to draw the appropriate level of applause from the Sunday afternoon audience. He then returned to the podium and conducted the three-minute Mozart work a second time (at a slightly faster tempo) with the same perfect blend of voices and sacred meaning.<\/p>\n
The chorus was absent for the second half of the program, which consisted of Sibelius\u2019 beloved if unconventionally structured\u00a0Fifth Symphony<\/i>. Mr. J\u00e4rvi conducted these three movements with an ear for the rustic sounds of Finnish folk music, bringing a burly vigor to passages for woodwinds and strings and allowing the majestic brass parts to make their own statement. The complex architecture of the first movement seemed to develop organically, as did the mighty climax of trumpets and horns that caps the central slow movement.<\/p>\n
This unconventional, but effective approach to the Fifth continued in the famous finale, anchored around a tolling bell-like theme in the double basses, horns and flutes. Mr. J\u00e4rvi drew the melancholy answering cello line out with a subtle baton movement, breaking hearts with just a flick of his fingers. The movement\u2019s centralfugato<\/i>\u00a0for strings was played\u00a0pianissimo<\/i>, with the complex harmonies taking place like whispered conversation before the welcome return of the big final theme. The six final chords of the Fifth were not the end of the evening, as Mr. J\u00e4rvi obliged the now-enthusiastic audience with a brisk, energetic performance of Sibelius\u2019Valse triste.<\/i><\/p>\n