CSO closes 56th season at Ravinia with panache

It was one of those weekends Ravinia managers pray for.

The cool, clear weather was perfect and so was the programming -Mahler, the Beethoven Ninth, Gershwin. Nothing like good weather anda few blockbusters to guarantee that the Chicago Symphony Orchestrawraps up its annual Ravinia residency with the approving roar of asizable crowd ringing in its ears.

Zubin Mehta, former music director of the New York Philharmonicwho was conducting the CSO at Ravinia for the first time Friday andSaturday, earned cheers for his Mahler Fifth Symphony Friday night.Saturday's audience was equally pleased with his approach toBeethoven's massive Ninth Symphony.

Beethoven's masterwork has become one of those works in whichmost of the audience is unashamedly sitting around waiting for theBig Number, in this case the final movement with its setting ofSchiller's "Ode to Joy" for chorus, vocal soloists and orchestra.The three preceding movements can sound like so much introduction,despite their length and obvious musical weight.

Mehta approached the problem by giving the symphony a resolute,almost hypnotic forward drive. Some drama was lost. Beethoven'ssignature phrases - short, repetitive, cut off at mid-point bysudden pauses - were deliberately plotted rather than hurled into theair. The opening of the second movement, with its abrupt, musicalclatter, was also muted.

Often, however, Mehta's more expansive approach allowed themusic to blossom. We are in no hurry, he and the players seemed tobe saying to the audience, so why don't you just relax and reallylisten to what we're playing now rather than count the minutes untilthe "Ode to Joy"? The third, adagio movement, with its singingmelodies unfolded serenely. Throughout the symphony, the orchestraplayed with great clarity of texture. The sound was clear and freshas melodies passed from one group of players to the next.

The Chicago Symphony Chorus and the vocal soloists - sopranoMarvis Martin, contralto Gweneth Bean, tenor Ben Heppner andbass-baritone Julien Robbins - revved up to full throttle in thefinale. The chorus sounded harsh in the higher registers and some ofits usual polished attack was missing. But the soloists brought aproperly heroic scale to their brief solos, and the final momentswere a clarion outpouring of mighty orchestral and vocal sound.

In a complete change of pace, the Ninth shared the program withSamuel Barber's evocation of a Southern summer night, "Knoxville:Summer of 1915" for soprano and orchestra. Martin's warm sopranobecame almost conversational as she painted loving pictures oflong-past evenings. The CSO provided evocative support, archingBarber's sweet melodies against a underlying pulse that hinted at therhythm of a front porch swing.

The program opened with a noble, solemn reading of Beethoven's"Egmont" Overture.

The Ravinia Festival continues for three more weeks, offeringconcerts as well as the Martha Graham and Hubbard Street dancecompanies before wrapping up with its annual Tchaikovsky spectacular,scheduled for Labor Day.

The 56th Ravinia season has been a good one for the CSO. True,the emphasis during its annual eight-week residencies in recent yearshas been on the familiar, from repertoire choice to the annual returnof favorite soloists. James Levine slipped in a few unfamiliar worksby Messiaen and Ligeti during his opening three weeks, but audienceswere obviously more interested in hearing Pavarotti in "The Elixer ofLove" or Itzhak Perlman.

Still, there were few of those nights with an indifferentconductor and an orchestra, riddled with replacements, that hadmentally checked out. Gennady Rozhdestvensky provided two weekendsof excitement and it was illuminating to hear Mariss Jansons andMehta, previous Chicago visitors, work with the CSO at Ravinia.