Christian Reif praised for last-minute performances with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Last-minute maestro Reif galvanizes CSO in Piazzolla, Adams’ ‘City Noir’
By Janelle Gelfand
Cincinnati Business Courier
February 13, 2022

When well-regarded Finnish conductor John Storgårds had to bow out of his appearances this weekend, German conductor Christian Reif – who is mostly trained in the U.S. – arrived on short notice. The orchestra was in good hands. Dubbed “Tango and City Noir,” it was already a colorful program. Under Reif’s leadership, the performances were galvanizing and fun.

Reif is a product of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Alan Gilbert, and was a conducting fellow at the New World Symphony and Tanglewood Music Center. He is former resident conductor of the San Francisco Symphony and his credits include New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival and the National Symphony Orchestra. He’ll make his Baltimore Symphony Orchestra debut in May with Cincinnati pianist Awadagin Pratt.

His only program change was substituting “Danzón No. 2” by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez for “The Canyon” by Philip Glass. Márquez based his work on the rhythms and nostalgic melodies of the danzón, still danced in Veracruz and dance parlors of Mexico City, he writes in his program notes. A first for the CSO, it was a wonderful discovery. The piece began intimately for solo violin and small ensemble and gradually built to a peak. Reif, who was a charismatic leader, felt each note of the score.Reif was attentive to every phrase, and the orchestra performed seamlessly. Some of the most colorful moments included the accordion’s counterpoint with piano (Michael Chertock) and the scratching of a gourd-like “guiro.”

For the finale, Reif led the orchestra’s first-ever performance of Adams' “City Noir” (2009), a large orchestral canvas inspired by Kevin Starr’s cultural history of California. Adams was especially enamored by the chapter, “Black Dahlia,” describing the era of the ‘40s and ‘50s that influenced “film noir” in the movie industry in Hollywood. The work was scored for an enormous orchestra and an even bigger percussion section, which included chimes, congas, cowbells, glockenspiels, suspended cymbals, gongs, piano and celeste and much more.

He encouraged the audience in his comments to envision their own cinematic story. Indeed, it unfolded as a kind of soundtrack of the “film noir” era. Reif, whose musicality impressed all evening, managed to keep textures clear through this astonishing score, and also allowed the orchestra to swing. Audiences were on their feet once again in a standing ovation.

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