Thursday’s BSO concert opened with Toru Takemitsu’s, a perfect vehicle to reveal the elegant conducting of guest conductor Nodoka Okisawa. Harmony and flow, rather than textural or melodic contrast, form the core of this piece. Although the overall texture is strongly homophonic, the composer pitches the first viola entrance above the violins, where it introduces the motif that we will hear in one form or another throughout. Pensive and introspective, it is constructed from chromatic motion and one descending fifth. The orchestra brought forth in these opening moments a peaceful, unified sound. Three chords marked “lourd” (heavy) conclude this first episode. The orchestra’s stabbing quality emphasized the dissonance on which the moment landed. The mood becomes calm, once again, and a viola solo, played incisively by Steven Ansell transitions to a violin melody played over pulsating chords. Okisawa observed the marked rubatos deftly, without interrupting the forward, gravity-defying motion. The piece ends with an upward melodic motion, a lovely and somewhat surprising human touch.

Dvořák wrote his Violin Concerto 1879, subjecting it to multiple revisions in the ensuing years. While not an all-time favorite like Tschaikovsky’s or Mendelssohn’s, it is very much a standard. On Thursday, Midori headlined a marvelous performance. The orchestra opens with a forthright statement, four measures that outline an A minor triad. The violinist’s entrance at measure 5 provides a rustic, plaintive contrast, that segues into a series of flourishes in E major.  Midori’s interpretive mastery and deep engagement was on full display from the outset.  The movement continues in a give and take between soloist and full ensemble and at times the orchestra overpowered the soloist. Midori did not achieve the required volume or depth of tone, in part because of the orchestra’s inability to achieve a true pp when required. Solo episodes in the violin and duos (or trios) between winds and soloist provided the strongest moments musically. Although Dvořák eschews the virtuoso cadenza which usually closes the first movement, a solo violin interlude based on the Theme 1 motive provided an exquisite transition to the second movement.

The Adagio opens with a lyrical, cantabile theme played by the soloist, while the F major tonality is reinforced by appropriate figuration in the orchestra.  The violin often floated above the gentle orchestral accompaniment, evoking a serene, rural setting. A central section in F minor received with the requisite dramatic approach. Midori met the huge technical demands with ease over an effective backdrop from the horns and trumpets. The fiendish difficulty of this section (and others of course) reminded listeners of a possible reason that the concerto is not performed as often as it might be.

The finale opens in A major, which immediately signals a triumphant and joyous mood. The full violin section plays the same melody as the soloist, but at half the volume, creating a magical effect. The balance was appropriate, but again, this listener longed for more volume from Midori. The movement is full of rhythmic and melodic games, with the violinist frolicking with each section of the orchestra in turn. The concerto ends in a classic, jubilant manner: virtuosic flourishes followed by strong orchestral chords. Not surprisingly, the audience came to its feet immediately, calling Midori back repeatedly. She obliged with the first movement, Preludio, from Bach’s E Major Partita, mixing flawless technique with perfect expressiveness.

Dvořák’s 7^th Symphony resulted from an 1884 commission from the London Philharmonic Society, the same body that had commissioned Beethoven’s 9^th in 1817. Such a commission was a huge honor for Dvořák, and while the work unquestionably owes much to his Slavic heritage, it also stands as his ultimate homage to the Classical style. A pianissimo drumroll in timpani and horns opens the piece, followed by a melodious theme in 6/8 time. The theme, heard first in violas and cellos was taken almost at full volume by the two sections. It is marked pp. Its repetition by the clarinets returned a few measures later at a lower volume, where it should have been if anything a bit louder.  At approximately measure 20, Dvořák demands an ff from the orchestra as it dramatically picks apart the main theme. At that point, however, the ensemble had nowhere to go dynamically, and the climax felt deflated. As the movement proceeded, however, many sweet and sensitive moments came across well. The second theme, introduced by the flutes and clarinets, sounded lovely. The entire woodwind section captured the drama of the recapitulation of the main theme in all its glory. As the movement closed, the horn projected the subdued final statement of the opening theme. Although not achieving the ppp as mandated by the score, the strings nonetheless captured the subdued quality of the closing; the basses quoting 2 16^th notes from the main theme in a resigned and philosophical manner.

The opening of the Poco Adagio shows Dvořák at his Classical best, with two symmetrical four-bar phrases. The uncluttered lyricism in the woodwinds accompanied by pizzicato strings could have been written by Joseph Haydn. This presented no difficulty to an orchestra well versed in the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart, exhibiting as we have heard so many times, refinement, balance and polish. Improvisatory melodies followed. The orchestra flowed marvelously in this section, which culminated in a short martial episode. The brass and timpani came across with power and rhythmic precision in this moment which undoubtedly references the Czech struggle for nationhood and recognition. The movement ends with the winds and then strings referencing the second theme and dying out on the tonic chord. The overall structure is similar to Movement 1, where great excitement is generated, before dropping back at the end.

Full of fire and dark passion, the Scherzo is one of Dvořák’s best-known, most-popular movements. The orchestra executed the simultaneous duple and triple rhythms with ease.  Occasionally, however, the sound turned aggressive.  At the close, the violas contributed their dusky, veiled sound to the mood of sadness and yearning that preceded the ultimate triumph.

The dark and brooding theme of the finale reminds one of Brahms. However, mood changes come rapidly, and in short order, a militaristic vein predominates. As the development progresses a sinister, slithery, rising arpeggio is heard in the woodwinds. Textural changes and unlikely key shifts contribute to the turbulence while the orchestra’s driving rhythm and motivic clarity moved the action forward. Expressive shaping of short phrases also kept the listener oriented. At the recapitulation, the woodwind arpeggio ushers in the opening theme in D minor. The final majestic, breakthrough to D major occurs at the very end. Through rising arpeggios and emphatic chords, it thrillingly ended a completely satisfactory evening.

Retired medical biology researcher Dinah Bodkin is a serious amateur pianist and mother of Groupmuse founder Sam Bodkin.