It's a safe bet that if the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and guest Conductor James Feddeck had played an encore of Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony Friday night β all 47 minutes, four movements of it β hardly anyone among the audience nearly filling Tucson Music Hall would have left.
Sure, we've heard Beethoven's Third Symphony before and from this orchestra β last time they played it was 2010. And every performance has been noteworthy and commendable.
But on Friday night, Feddeck breathed new life into the 300-plus-year-old masterpiece. It spoke to us on a level that perhaps had much to do about the times we're living in. Or maybe it was a case of good timing; December is a month that can be so challenging with the holidays and all the end-of-year details we scramble to put in place. We needed a moment β or 47 minutes worth of moments β to catch our collective breaths.
Feddeck did not rush us through the piece or fall back on the composer's sometimes bombastic nature (think Symphony No. 5). He let the strings soar and shimmer in the opening and gave enough space to accentuate the clarion call of the french horn.Β
The rumble of the timpani was more of a soft roll and brass notes rang bright, even in the sobering funeral march of the second movement.
The shattering finale felt more like an "until we meet again" statement than an "I'm outta here" exclamation.Β
Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 came at the end of the all-Beethoven program, following the composer's First Symphony and Overture to "Coriolan" that took up the first half of Friday's concert. (The concert repeats at 2 p.m. Sunday at Tucson Music Hall.)
Feddeck is all business at the podium. No flashy foot work or grandiose baton play. Instead, he focused his full attention on the music, allowing the notes to fall gracefully at times, with more urgency when called for. Gentle sweeping strings opening the First Symphony hung in the air and then came in a shattering rush near the end of the fourth movement.
Β Throughout the 47-minute performance of the "Eroica," it felt like we were wrapped in the blanket of an old friend, familiar and cozy. And yet, as the musical conversation evolved, we learned new things. Feddeck was methodical and thoughtful, allowing every note and nuance to come through. Emotions seemed more pronounced in the second movement, which was played at a number of high-profile funerals including John F. Kennedy's. At one point in that movement, the strings played at such a furious pace that all you saw was bows fluttering in a blur that seemed like 10, 20 movements per second. And then they settled down as if they were taking a deep breath.Β
Friday's audience barely waited until the final note was played before bolting out of their seats in thundering applause. Feddeck took a bow and then went to the back of the orchestra to the french horns, brass and percussion sections and shook hands with nearly every musician. He then returned to the front of the stage for his final bow with the orchestra standing alongside him.
As he left the stage and the house lights came on, the audience seemed to pause for a moment, maybe hoping there would be that encore.
