Two Views of a Master Orchestra, in Our Midst

Among other cultural highs in the past year, we can mark 2023 as a year when Santa Barbara got an illuminating pair of memorable concerts by the L.A. Philharmonic in its full, three-dimensional and broad-minded glory. Both concerts were presented by CAMA, which shares a birth date — 1919 — with the orchestra and has hosted the orchestra in Santa Barbara a whopping 300-ish times by now.

But, by coincidence and/or providence, the past year has extended the local welcome mat, both as CAMA’s 2022-23 season closer in May and also the 2023-24 season opener at The Granada Theatre last week. As if by programmatic design, May’s showing proudly showcased this orchestra’s commitment to new music, as current maestro Gustavo Dudamel led two premieres by women composers Ellen Reid and Gabriella Smith.

By contrast, this month’s model celebrated legendary L.A. Phil conductor emeritus Zubin Mehta, now 87, in the more traditional business of Schumann and Mahler. This is not at all to say that the recent L.A. Phil triumph was anything short of dynamic and expressively exhilarating, especially on the epic turf of Mahler’s First Symphony, the “Titan.” At a time when symphonic Mahler is in the news and on our screens via the Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, Mehta served up a potent reminder of his own depth of insight as a Mahler-ian maestro.

In other notable, international classical artist news, the recent concert also featured a speedy return from the dexterous and poetic young pianist Seong-Jin Cho, all of 29 now. Programming synchronicity blessed the region in terms of the South Korean pianist’s Campbell Hall recital, less than two weeks before his orchestral role, taking on the classic romantic opus, Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor with the L.A. Phil.

Cho’s dual appearance in town allowed for a fascinating, and rare, compare-contrast vantage view of his talents in both modes. At Campbell Hall, the highlight was his intricate treatment of Ravel: in the Schumann thicket, in taut collusion with the Mehta-led ensemble, the pianist brought a bracing clarity without short-changing bravado in proper, restrained measure. Cho’s moment in a more personalized spotlight came with his solo encore, a suitable gush of romantic fury on Chopin’s “Revolutionary Étude.”

After intermission, the Granada was taken over by Mahler, in strong, seasoned hands. Mehta clearly has a master’s touch with Mahler’s symphonic body of work, and the hour-plus sweep of the First Symphony was something profound to behold. From the gradually-forming, atmospheric opening, through myriad moods and emotional densities of its five movements, Mehta, conducting without a score, kept a keen hold of dynamics and balances, in the minute and monumental arcs of the piece.

Although this is a fairly affable score, by later Mahler-ian standards of sturm und drang, the diverse twists of its movements encompass a wide dramatic landscape. Thrilling where needed and blessed with a burnished reflectiveness at times, Mehta and his nimble orchestra’s rendering left a powerful impression on an obviously enraptured audience.

Once again, the great and worldly orchestra whose home perch is a mere two hours down the road from Santa Barbara gave much to admire, this time from a boldly-delivered traditionalist perspective. The love affair of CAMA, S.B. and the L.A. Phil continues apace.