The David S Operaworld blog

A series of commentary on the world of opera and of serious music hopefully with links to items of broader cultural interest, correlation with the subject at hand. There is plenty of room here for a certain amount of clowning around and general irreverence - not exclusive to me - but of course no trollers or spam please. Blog for coverage of the BBC PROMS 2010 - with thoroughly proofread/upgraded coverage of the 2009 Proms and of much else.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

BBC Proms 2009. - Proms 73 and 74 - Vienna Philharmonic, Franz Welser-Most and Zubin Mehta

One might think ‘easy sailing’ from here – the Vienna Philharmonic on Haydn, Strauss, Schubert, Brahms. Well, as it says in Gershwin, “It ain’t necessarily so.”

Franz Welser-Most, stepping in on short notice for Nikolaus Harnoncourt switched choice of Haydn symphony for his prom from fifth to the sixth of the ‘London’ symphonies – 98 in B-Flat Major. It opened with somewhat portentous solemnity - with sagging cadences and odd funkiness with dotted rhythms anticipating start of the Exposition. Tutti were simply big-band here with heavy buildup to second half of the Exposition and sloughed off series of turns toward closing same section with quasi-period clipping of Haydn’s rhythms therein too just mixed right in. Welser-Most managed to tighten ensemble for the mostly fugato development section, but then while into the recapitulation punched already stuffy accents. Welser-Most, like many others before, missed the humor of horns underpinning final return of the opening statement – consistent with so much else missed as well.

Curiously sloughed off too was the opening of quite Andante like Adagio to follow. Triplets, for purpose of getting them light, quickly lost shape. As a result, the sublime lyrical second subject opened tentatively and then continued with weakly conceived consequents within continuing line. Violins were a little too much louder than lower instruments carrying theme beneath into the Development, resulting in disproportionate balances. Restatement of opening lines was casual, flabby, over straight line through stately octaves in cellos. Horns benevolently assisted violins with shaping the second theme, as though VPO strings should ever be in need of any props – found here working way toward precious closing they gave one of the noblest of Haydn slow movements – composed just after news arriving of the passing of neighboring younger genius.

Third movement minuet was taken impatiently fast - period clippings and hiccoughs paprika’d in, I suppose, to spice Haydn up a bit. Haydn however caught up with Welser-Most in tripping him up at his own game right before the first double bar. Single beat timpani announcement of arriving at last cadence in the minuet, with Welser-Most, before catching himself, made for epitome of incurable over-emphasis at this one fine, exquisite moment. Welser-Most had also just brushed off due emphasis on the interesting harmonic changes that happen in the Development (of the Minuet). VPO principal bassoon understands phrasing for the trio section, obviously better than did Welser-Most here. Welser-Most steamrolled his way through interjecting string octaves and then hit return of Minuet more loudly, more vulgar than sufficed two minutes earlier.

Welser-Most characterized well both main themes in Exposition of the rollicking finale, while clipping phrase endings to the first of these; he also in-between got more interested in grace-note offbeat octaves in brass than in the carrying line above. Repeat of Exposition became more vulgar instead of less. A VPO concertmaster led Development heavily, and then imitated Welser-Most to perfection on how to badly phrase the first subject. Light, jangling fortepiano matched awkwardly with all the rest - with final descending runs getting steamrolled.

The Schubert ‘Great’, seemingly so in length here more than in anything else, even at moderate tempos and overall reasonable length, started off stolid with mater-of-fact straight line through principal horn solo, which cellos fortunately responded to better than they heard. Lower brass entered Brucknerian in weight, mildly inconsistent with finer limning of what had just transpired. After only a slight accelerando, the Exposition opened with heavy jaunt to it. Ensemble turned tentative for bridge theme, with just passable attempt to give this passage some lift. Certainty with placement of accents then began to drift, out of which bulge developed toward final cadence thud and lumpy accenting into the Development. By time of re-transition, one had enough flab hanging out to remind one of Celi - with lean, refined looking Welser-Most on podium instead. Command of the beat got lost, only to be almost apoplectically regained a moment later, during bridge, after inconsistently light step to open the Recap. Speed-up in sequencing brass for the coda was scherzo-esque, layered on, helping anticipate heavy clipping of final excitable return of opening horn call.

Welser-Most’s continuation of liking his Schubert practically almost two different ways at once, even switching ways at times midway through phrases persisted through first two-thirds of a slightly breezy, glib Andante con moto. This continued so before insisting on more focus to proceedings for most all that proceeded from sturm und drang climax to this - just adequate here - with straight pitch trumpets drowning out more important end of line at cadence at this nodal point. Intonation issues from within the VPO had already begun to become apparent. Nevertheless, after soggy attacks and flat-line phrasing, Welser-Most got things more focused, flexibly back on track well before close to this - feature of these last five minutes missed most of what would then come.

A lumpy, stodgy rendition of the Scherzo followed. Opening wind chord failed altogether to speak over accompaniment at one point of reprise during the trio section. Inability to resist going for making something epic every time out of steady, ascending rush up quasi-stretto sixteenths in heavily octave doubled strings was also characteristic - each time the lissome second theme would be on verge of making arrival. Idiomatic gentle soft grass down accenting and line for the second theme was followed by increasingly jerky swing and sway to alternating ascending, descending half and quarter chordal notes. All repeats were taken, which had me remind myself of endless Scherzo in a 1991 Houston Eschenbach Schubert Ninth that had me scrawl down a note to friend about Alfonso and Estrella having had a few and thus having started singing for far too long (after which we joined each other in muffled laughter as the music played on). Same applied here. ‘Alfonso and Estrella’ made visitation on this Schubert Ninth as well.

Disorganization, stodginess persisted infamously into the finale, as it had on mentioned local occasion as well. I actually attended a much better Schubert Ninth with lesser orchestra here three years earlier than Eschenbach’s under Michael Gielen.

Recapitulation, starting momentarily in this movement in E-Flat, had a late-Celi(bedache) sag and wiggle to it - quite funny, humorous in fact. Rhythms, accents were crude, phlegmatically conceived throughout. Strings of the VPO did their valiant best to hold on through this – no casual feat on their part - but it became obvious that fatigue was setting in, with woodwinds sounding a bit whiny, wheezy before end of scherzo. Transition into the coda was good, making one hope for some restraint from the podium; alas, things less than a minute later turned into the usual shouting contest one might expect of orchestras among second or third tier –and whoever conducting them. Violins held on, reminding us that this was still the Vienna Philharmonic, but as part of progress to all this ending in numerous loud thuds, through final chord. Frankly, I do not know how they still maintained sounding like even modern-day Vienna to the end; fortunately they sounded more similar to their former selves under Mehta the following evening.

Passacaglias are not quite Zubin Mehta’s strong suit, but his flexible command of same forces as above guaranteed acceptable performances of both the Webern and finale to Brahms Fourth book-ending this program. A little sag to flute obbligato during first variation of the Webern so early hinted at somewhat uncertain conception of this music, but as anticipating anything to fear that fortunately went partly unfounded. Control of dynamics was good, violins supple and not quite dripping with melos, but internal rhythm through early marking of ‘belebend’ became bland - with contrast in dynamics during fifth variation also undercut. A gently broad treatment, alert to colors to be able to deftly draw from the Vienna Philharmonic, characterized most of the Webern, so if one wanted more interpretative specificity and sharper formal demarcation lines drawn, one had to look elsewhere. It was also clear here that both Mehta and the VPO had been around the block on this piece a few times before and thus had credibly opened their prom together with this piece. Transition out of lightly gilded lyrical episode in D Major was circumspect, though starting with slightly questionable tuning from high strings; concertmaster solo later emerged sweet as fully expected, idiomatically so

Zubin Mehta’s suave way with the Vienna Philharmonic benefited him more with the Strauss, here the tone poem “Don Quixote.” The guileless innocence with which Strauss starts out was caught close to perfection; even if Mehta got a bit stodgy with two or three heavier passages later on, his doing so did not remove much from the rest of what he and the VPO accomplished here. Transitions through the Introduction – before soloists enter – were handled with light hand and aplomb, including through passage for gaggle of militaristic sounding trumpets. The supple ardor with which the strings followed this was, as expected, further reassuring. Muted horns, with great sense of parody, were pungently bucolic; the threat of some menace intruding upon things right before solo entrances got conveyed as broadly as would suit matters just fine.

Principal cellist Tamas Varga entered with ruddy tone and profile, finding more rounded tone and warmth for both affectionate lines that follow and easy exchange with the Sancho Panza of principal viola (Christian Frohn). Very well played duet between basset horn and tenor tuba disarmingly gave off a fine bucolic old-world regality to its affectation. Quixote was found tossed off his horse in quicksilver reaction to horse taking fright - all lightly, incisively put - at the windmills. Shepherds’ calling out to sheep - with the variety of noises sheep make - Mehta gently goaded to graphically make very colorful case for the second variation, thus the fright they take while under attack certainly sounded palpable and so raucous to indeed be sheep. Alternating chant and chatter of Virgin statue carrying priests, two variations later was equally onomatopoeic, full of most incisive parody and wit.

Christian Frohn’s playing of Sancho Panza, on viola, played acting into his part jquite well, with despondent reaction after two disasters so far for his Lord, and then complete gain or restoration of confident air and poise. Such poise framed so well the Don’s expansive rhapsodizing over Dulcinea - so warmly put across here. Varga played the deeply pensive fifth variation with increasingly probing, broadly paced introspection. This passage may have somewhat marked a turning point for Mehta and his approach to the tone poem, in that this music took on a heavier, self-conscious air, even through dramatically etched portrait of the Don attempting flight through the air (Variation 7) - lavishly evoked here. Much was also made very characterful of the pungent drops of water dripping from clothes and gristle of the Don and Pancha’s chins as they recuperated from the sinking boat incident. Rustically played basset horn quote in full relief of Sancho Panza tune heard earlier returned things to perspective; the finale with twilit atmospheric hues and evocation of hero at peace eloquently held sway to the end.

Here was Strauss that did not attempt plumbing any philosophical depths with it as may have, so accomplished at it, the Luisi Alpine or Nott Zarathustra during earlier weeks. Even though noisy streams can run a bit shallow in Mehta’s Strauss, his way with it here at least bespoke good success, long experience with this music and won from the VPO a response of generous warmth and flexibility. The VPO made fine show of their suave virtuosity and moreover of strong, unaffected wit that pepper a good number of passages of arguably Strauss’s finest tone poem. Quite inarguably, it represents Strauss at his most humane and affecting as well.

With subtly weighted accents, Mehta started the Brahms Fourth Symphony as supple, lissome, and poetic as he promised in interview, bringing out the wistful, autumnal colors of this music - so very well vocalized too. We were already clearly at outset of the finest performance of orchestral Brahms for the entire festival, among three given this year. Several flaccid accents getting into bridge section of the Exposition momentarily slight inattention. Once the violins began their long arched line through this, Mehta’s shaping, with tiny break between A and G high up gave perfect shape and elasticity to much effortless legato playing in his employ. Woodwinds emanated a softly glowing fine shape through the second theme preparing a well-gauged climax at end of section if slightly holding back more excitable anticipation thereof. Mehta’s grip on rhythmic shape continued both flexible and secure, working in gradual buildup to still much ahead.

Flexibly molded line through G-sharp Minor duet of clarinets emanated fine melancholy thus it strongly framed re-transition to follow. The Recapitulation then emerged in fine relief, anticipating buildup of mood through it so atmospheric and ominous at once. Without elucidating great command of intellect in approaching Brahms, Mehta clearly proportioned coda to the first movement, bringing it to a fine, well churned up conclusion.

Mehta’s start to ‘Andante sostenuto’ elicited well honed mix of solemnity and supple line. Contrast between violins’ ascending line and pizzicato underneath continued to reveal very supple command of all at stake here. Minor issues with achieving complete finesse here emerged intermittently. After what had been heard the previous night from the VPO - with projected accenting then - anyone would’ve had to be churlish to complain about this Brahms. Strings achieved fine sinew to their lines through agitation to follow, even if with violins a bit heavily approaching their singing out of a few lines. Often ominous episode in coda was played light, wistful without it becoming bland, Mehta saving more ominous accents for the rich shaping, strong framing he gave ending phrases here.

Sense of occasion increased with festive, robust rendition of the scherzo, with fine spring to its rhythms, only bringing out flutes slightly too incisively at one point. Even late in the day here, Mehta still found more than sufficient lightness for reprise of the second theme that instead can get so jerked around by those less prudent at it. Luftpausen’d stretto toward the very end of the scherzo did not weigh things down. Contrast in color between sunny flutes and dark, burnished brass informed a well guaged re-transition at halfway point and calibration of both rhythmic spring and trenchant quality to partly ominous triplets building up to a practically, naturally bursting at seams conclusion.

Unqualified success with this Brahms Fourth ended with the scherzo, but some measure of success still persisted through the finale. Even so, the passcaglia got off to a start a little off-kilter that took wind concertato through third variation to restore equilibrium. Mehta intermittently cut excessive slack two other places before an otherwise very well prepared ideally wistful, tragic flute solo. Keeping bathos at bay as well, horns intoned their lines with fine depth and nobility. Mehta risked losing focus at end of reprise of the main theme, coming off this; beautifully gauged string tremoli quickly intruded to keep things well and alive. Mehta won on allowing, risking some slack for following agitated stretto variations, finding also incisively Mendelssohnian lightness in concertato triplets from VPO winds. It was only during the coda that Mehta mildly suffered loss of focus, even while building a satisfyingly tragic conclusion to this.

Coming off very musical, if not most profound way with E Minor Brahms, now being played on tour through Japan with stops in Seoul and Shanghai, Mehta and the VPO exuded - instead of streamlined breathless punch - out of Lightfoot and Tritsch-tratsch by Hellmesberger and Strauss, a far more irresistible obviously infectious joy in playing them - irresistibly Vienniese – such as I did not know Mehta could incite so well. It provided fine reason to bring all in attendance to their feet. After what sounded worse-than-most the night before – no pandering attempted toward the Brits here – the moment for such exhilaration had indeed arrived.

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Thursday, September 24, 2009

BBC Proms 2009 - Prom 65 - Jonathan Nott, GMJO

Prom 65. Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, Jonathan Nott. Matthias Goerne. Royal Albert Hall, London. September 4, 2009.

This prom - Also Sparch on with Atmospheres - did not necessarily look the most enticing offering at this year’s festival, but then the program also included Schoenberg’s Five Pieces and Mahler Kindertotenlieder. Even so, if someone else had done this program, there could have even been a way to compromise the musical values of the Mahler and Schoenberg too, so as to fit in with all the rest. Such was not going to be the case this time – even for either the Strauss or Ligeti.

Jonathan Nott’s earlier showing at the 2009 Proms with Bamberg curiously came across as bland, in part that it opened with what is best to dismiss as cheap a composition by Jorg Widmann – nothing to make one forget Rihm’s Verwandlung, complete masterpiece next to this. Nott’s take on Bruckner Third (original version) one could only take as slightly off-center – next to the Mahler Fourth they made at once so mercurial and sinister at the 2006 proms - after definitive on the Rihm. Nott’s second Prom this year simply left no doubt as to how closely or not this career should be followed.

First came Ligeti’s Atmospheres. In revealing supple quality and interaction of how the sonorities are built in this piece, their delicacy and fragility as well, Nott opened up a view on not only the purely musical values of this work, but also its innate humanity with suggestive nuance. The reach to make incisive what count up to several most firece stretti, at or working with very close intervals, was fine. One passage had such ascend up from a major triad to intertwined close intervals to very high thin pitch cluster through which Nott sustained even, tensile line, holding it until all could gently waft off. The effect throughout ranged from mercurial to intimate, from spellbinding to deeply meditative. Color itself throughout was the designated formal element here, helping to define things far better than as just gilded shapeless mass. It is welcome knowledge too that Ligeti sued Stanley Kubrick for using his music, in lieu of copyright, without permission. Nott and his forces just settled for playing this music as just itself - very effectively this way.

Matthias Goerne joined Nott for the Mahler Kindertotenlieder. He sang this earlier this year with Ingo Metzmacher and DSO Berlin both at home and on Asia tour this past spring. Nott’s support, accompaniment, while being slightly idiosyncratic by comparison, played no second fiddle to that of Metzmacher. Nott phrased the opening song, starting a little slower than in Berlin – already slow there – in measured, slightly detached manner. One's attention got keenly drawn to how Nott gently probed out its most distinctive colors and internalized feelings of desolation and despair expressed within. Lower winds played obbligato to expressive French horn as, as much as feasible, with distinct voices, edges pointed out heterogeneously only so much as to be distinctive. Nothing sounded forced or things thrown off more than slightly close to off kilter. If there was strangeness to this, then it is in this music already - as pointing to the free floating linearity (in how sonorities are handled) in late Mahler and Schoenberg.

Great desolation and deep telling emotional resignation – on ‘ungluck geschah’ for instance - Goerne savored here; Nott gave him space for opening out freely most poetically, not to mention very long legato Goerne gave his lines without taking breaths. Nott made the short cadential phrases that open “Nun she ich wohl” speak in full with ending dissonances well pointed. Goerne gave “O augen”, contemplating the gaze from eyes of a father’s lost children, the special searching quality needed and emotional urgency to “das sieh der Strahl;” he also delineated contrast between “doch ist uns das abgeschlagen” and “was dir nur” for their tone of deep resignation and enlightening by false hope, respectively. Nott accompanied Goerne here with fine elasticity, contracting out and reining back overall line freely.

Goerne sank deeply low for addressing “furchterlein” with profound grief over loss for phrase ending during “Wenn dein Mutterlein.” English horn opened the song haltingly, before gently picking up pace for Goerne. In broadly reaching for crest of one line in the song's second verse, Goerne briefly opted for a more tubular means of vocal production that caused him, same passage, a little more trouble in Berlin. Breaking up last instance of “Der Tag ist schoen” in “Oft denk ich”, as again in Berlin, sounded affected, but he managed understating the case better at the Proms than he did there. Even through these two songs, in both locales, the emotion expressed was very genuine and vocal mastery of challenges always acceptable. Gently swaying accompaniment for the fourth song here was very supple.

Nott pointillistically accented string tremolo opening “In diesem Wetter” and brooding downward chromatic lines with fine detachment, enhancing their menace and foreboding. He thus separated out sonorities, without breaking any of the klangfarben unsettled sound world or atmosphere too much apart. Goerne broodingly expressed great woe. Nott’s easy support for Goerne’s easy reach over crest of his lines with gathering and receding swaying beneath in the strings distinguished the epilogue, enhanced by fine melos from principal flute, equally warm French horn as undulation in the strings started to slowly dissolving into the blue - into deep chord in winds and brass.

With fine-tuned baroque precision and incisive anticipation of terror,“Vorgefahle” (Premonitions) so distinctively started Five Orchestral Pieces, Schoenberg’s Opus 16. Nott uncannily established a prescient sense of cause-and-effect between different strands. Rigor in preparing this was complete, but all for effect of sounding entirely spontaneous. Nott even thereby encouraged high woodwinds to riskily push the envelope on some of their agitated downward arpeggios and other activity. Contrast in placing of straight eighth note, even at times pounding string ostinati was also very telling, as framing conditions on verge of breaking out into chaos at any moment. Nott made tracery of interaction in woodwind lines of “Vergangenes” (The Past) fascinatingly Mozartean in impetus and texture. The movement opened with cello, though marked piano, like so much else in environs, imaginatively placed back. Episodes of celesta ostinato broke out of suspended, arched appoggiatura from full strings, so supple in how Nott nudged them into shaping such gesture – and then also in winds, double time as marked, without undue agitation or exaggeration. This expectantly framed setting up a suggestively vernal quality to this ‘night music’ before completing somewhat terraced descending line in extension through lower winds and brass.

“Farben” sounded slightly rushed, with high woodwinds momentarily careless with dynamics on their interjections. Pulsation of chords and keeping their voicing between themselves suitably detached - as according to the composer’s wishes - was completely secure and intact. “Peripetie” began sharply with much snap from trumpets, percussion and rattling ostinato in horn. Nott made incisively audible little jagged break-ins of straight eighth note triplet ostinato in solo instruments and in sections playing off each other both imitatively and in free, partial inversion. All this was set off with muted brass chorale, at first brief then gently extended out later on in this piece. Ineffectual a stabilizing influence on so cracked a psyche suggested therein could this ever be.

Affectation of partial restoration of order, in Schoenberg half effective on purpose, informed ‘Das obligate Rezitativ” to close this, as much here arioso with gentle lilt, and intermittently with just hint of waltz motif this piece is as well. Nott was found especially supple where fragmentation of the line here might become more obvious, but not as to gild or dovetail a thing or in the least compromise what qualities made this music from the get-go a standout from all else. Buildup to very nearly searing climax on melodic thirds in the violins was most notable, with both at once tensile and supple receding from such to make cumulation of the argument absolutely complete. Nott sprung tense the wide reach over appoggiatura in violins at preceding nodal point - but all at once as though elastic, in descending light tremolo in flutes, strings, etc – within more substantial line it anticipatorily framed so very well.

One has read already that more oomph in the Schoenberg might be more ideal. For some tastes such might be suitable, but cliché of banging around some of the textures of this music would definitely be limiting by comparison to what got heard here. Just reckon how well voiced, iconoclastically so, and at same time delicate some of Schoenberg's textures are. Eschewal of vulgar expression to emanate from such was complete, without any preciosity or manufactured grace, new mannerism to (supposedly) fill in gaps. The members of the Mahler Jugendorchester, so urged to put all padding and unnecessary (typical youth orchestra) device aside, were fearless at their assignment here, even more notably so with this than in the Strauss to follow. So clearly evident it was that Nott’s respect for their abilities and expressive potential was complete.

Such rapidly achieved expressive maturity was equally something at which to marvel during the Strauss – Also Sprach Zarathustra. Opening trumpet calls sounded decisive and lean - pointed to ends of cadences as though to open out a world that has and will have little to do with what lurks out beyond Earth’s orbit. For Strauss and Nott the world of humanity, all its aspirations, passions, needs, desires, imagining perfectly sufficed.

“Von den Hinterweitlern” at outset with no underlining, groped its way into light, and all very refreshingly things through luminous chamber orchestra sonority ruminations remained free. Firm pulse through sinuous line - no suffocating it from divided strings - remained ubiquitous. There was ultimately no forcing of any impatient anticipation of what will follow. Hearing this passage, with instead the passion in it to burn from within as opposed to making one great slather out of it all turned out so very refreshing. Perhaps there was here already a hint of earlier career Klemperer or someone along those lines in the objectivity of such a reading, as opposed to something more echt such as from Clemens Krauss, but better not to affect something that can not really exist anymore. Development of ‘grossen Sehnsucht’ into ascending octuplet thirty-seconds in strings was organic, sculpted, even if revealing slight strain - but without trying to make huge igneous eruptions out of it all as shoved hard as possible that often brings about much worse faking from fully professional orchestras. “Von den Freuden” smoldered with well generated passion but from far beneath; well calibrated support, through beautiful voice leadings made way for “das Grablied.”

A most gentle yearning informed the dirge with concertmaster aiding cantilena in the strings into wafting state of reverie with nothing either to sag or unnaturally tighten up. All the time taken in the world was there to be had and savored for what follows the 'immer ruhiger' (always calm) marking. Musicianship had reached such a high level that one began to wonder what got read to the musicians at rehearsal. No great philosophical depths were plumbed here quite, but impetus sounded so constantly at high alert here. Some suggestion of philosophical import must have been made but as to achieve most convincingly the highest form of simplicity attainable in modern played Strauss. Deep ruminative intimacy – as Strauss emulating late-period Liszt - opened “Von den Wissenschaft” - sehr langsam fully observed - with transition made to marking of ‘schnell’ sudden as marked, effortlessly and without streamlining anything. The prop of docking upon reprise of introductory trumpet call for anchoring ensemble (tight) got removed from underneath; nobody here sounded in need of any props. All energetically mobilized lines remained clear, through “Der Genesende” (“The Convalescent”), to fine, certainly loud, but never blasted climax.

Out of dark groping emerged an infectiously joyous Tanzlied - forest all about alive, hopping, guileless, with no gilding - all so echt-Vienniese as Nott having been to the manner born, ‘leicht und elastich’ observed unusually well - all thought erased of the forcing of many lines chasing each other around to keep things together. A little more overwhelming climax has been made of what comes of this; all happened as such that I would not want such back in place of what qualities these people brought instead to this often bowdlerized score. Nott clearly thought ahead at very outset from where ascent towards peak begins, also having helped make supple beautifully played duet between concertmaster and English horn. Nott completely without preciosity brought out of closing passages to this Zarathustra great febrile melos - with it seeming not so much to be over when it stopped as perfectly ready to recommence - pulsation was still so alive.

The joy in making music here was real. No better new rendition of this piece has appeared before me since Metzmacher with Orch Nat’l de France; this was one to rate worthy to stand right next to it – either one vastly better than lately from the Proms by Zinman (Tonhalle Zurich) and Jansons (Bavarian Radio). I also can not recall a student orchestra to have near so much thrown all student orchestra mannerisms as far aloof as are the four corners of the globe. Here was an effort in what must’ve gone into it - most everyone on stage looking delighted to participate - I tend to associate more with architecture students than with music. Watch this on youtube - generously submitted by double-bass player from within this year’s ranks. You will then know.

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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

News of the week - RAVE opera series and MetzmacherDSO Edinburgh broadcast (online this week)


First of all, it is hot to report that the Metzmacher concert is currently audio online.

The program, performed on September 2nd at the Edinburgh festival this month included the Passacaglia by Webern, Berg Violin Concerto with Christian Tetzlaff (before repeating the concerto two nights later at the Beethoven festival in Bonn) and the Brahms Fourth Symphony.

Your links for locating this are as follows:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mrxq8

This notable program, in intent an exposition of what is very logically construed as a tribute to Bach by all three composers listed, was played online live from Philharmonie in Berlin last February in anticipation of tour of four cities in Asia - and played just as listed above in Hong Kong in early March. It all turned out most excellent and as close to definitive as I have ever heard an interpretation of the Berg Violin Concerto. In other words, this is a concert not to be missed.

Easy to find on the BBC Radio 3 site by doing either a keyword search there or on google, is the Discovering Music link for a very easy to follow, coherent explanation of the Berg Concerto - as listed down just reasonably lengthy list of works offered this way there - this for those of you out there who may still have a little difficulty appreciating the music of New Vienna School composers - not so new anymore - the Berg Concerto just slightly past the heyday for all this is close to 75 years old - but widely accepted today as the timeless masteerpiece it is, at least approaching something in stature of the great single Beethoven and Brahms concerti for the instrument.


RAVE Motion Pictures has finally put together from their conversations with Emerging Pictures a series of opera in HD from the movies - from opera houses other than the Met. The way they go about presenting these, as I have seen so far, I find more professional than how the Met has gone about it so far. I welcome not being yanked by the arm backstage, so to speak, in view of the Metropolitan Opera House, before I have had a chance to catch my breath for instance at the end of Act One of Tosca.

Included in plans are a satellite streamed absolutely live presentation of Carmen as opening night at La Scala on Monday, December 7th - such as with a highly disappointing Don Carlo from La Scala happened at only six theaters in the U.S. last year. A new Georgian mezzo is the Carmen and Jonas Kaufman adn Erwin Schrott stand off as Don Jose and as the toreador respectively, with Barenboim conducting. The producer is, somewhat from the avant-garde theater world, Emma Dante. Barenboim's choices of producers for what he conducts I have found ninety percent trustworthy, and usually at least something engaging, provocative on some level.

The Robert Dornhelm studio movie of La Boheme, starring Netrebko and Villazon shows this Thursday night in theaters across the U.S., as it seems as promotional and with good cause of getting better attendance for the rest of the series. A live Trovatore from Barcelona follows the Carmen, starring Luciana d'Intino as Azucena and Marco Berti as Manrico on December 22nd, in a production by Gilbert Deflo.

Several delayed, recorded live presentations remain in between, including Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte in new Claus Guth production from Salzburg. Guth's Nozze di Figaro in starring Anna Netrebko as Susanna and as in Cosi, Bo Skhovhus, has done very well in the press, with audiences and by now in dvd sales. Miah Persson is the Fiordiligi and Adam Fischer conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Most notable among these several however are the I Puritani to show here next month from Bologna - Pier'Alli the producer, and starring Nino Machaidze, Juan Diego Florez and Ildebrando d'Arcangelo., and then in November the production of Eugen Onegin by Dmitri Chernyakov, who has made a few headlines lately, and starring Mariusz Kwiecien and (expected in Houston for Pique Dame this coming spring) Tatiana Monogarova (Tatiana), with Anatoli Kotscherga and former Tatiana Makvala Kasrashvili in the supporting cast. All important that Rave may have overlooked, in my opinion, is last-spring revival at La Scala the classic Luca Ronconi production of Rossini Viaggio a Reims with set design by architect Gae Aulenti - as audio preserved from Pesaro on DGG conducted by Abbado from Pesaro twenty years back, but still inexplicably not professionally on video as of yet.

For more information (dates, times, locations), consult RAVE site listed right below and then for casting, production details the website www.operaincinema.com - latter again for a little more detail on each presentation coming here and then on opotential ones as well. Reviews of several of these events at least will appear on this blog, as well as for the Tosca listed right below. I personally encourage one and all to come out for this and encourage any to all who might even halfway take an interest to attend as well, and my hope as well that these are happening in a city near you.

www.ravemotionpictures.com and www.operaincinema.com


Tosca just opened at the Met Monday night, to be presented live on Saturday, October 10th, and received some booing there, for what is deemed to be a controversial production. So confident that Luc Bondy is the professional he is in producing theater and opera, such reaction from still pro-Zeffirelli members of the Met audience is more cause to attend this instead of avoiding it, in my personal and humble opinion.

The BBC Proms is over. There are only several events that I hope to finish giving coverage for here, once everything is ready. I am delayed on posting a review of Jonathan Nott and the Mahler Jugendorchester on what turned out one of the most excellent Proms of the season by circumstances, opportunity that has presented itself in the past couple of days - in addition to getting also a little hamstrung by combination of the complexity of the Zimmermann piece just reviewed, how everything has piled up the past few weeks, and a little fatigue as well.

History has repeated itself lately in Munich with the Philharmonic and at the Bolshoi in Moscow. Christian Thielemann benightedly thought that decisions about what guest conductors to invite back and programming decisions should be mostly up to the orchestra itself, as opposed to the Intendant, whoever might fill that position there. The Culture Secretary for Munich, Hans Georg Kuppers, however thought differently, and said now in need of replacing Thielemann in the position there, Thielemann now compelled to resign, that in doing so the orchestra does not need so much another star as someone who has good interpersonal skills. For those who know this business, 'interpersonal skills' is one of the worst euphemisms I have yet come across, and as addressing the position as needing someone to fill it who will get along with the orchestra (members). What I fail to read in any of this however is how this is a situation in which the maestro was slipping in any way in getting along with the orchestra. It seems that it was merely intendant and administration with whom he was doing less well in getting along.

At the end of the day I have a flash for Andre Schmitz in Berlin, concerning Metzmacher, Kuppers in Munich as well, and municipal leadership in probably both cities. There are those out there who, using interpersonal skills, are aggressively jockeying for open positions out there, and pushed beyond what they know (where to go and how to handle where they might wind up) by their coaches and booking agents, including one person I read on the list for who might eventually replace Thielemann. There are those who can turn on the 'interpersonal skills', and then there are those who come to their work to make music. Given what the real job description is, this is 90 percent of what matters, and to the musicians qualified to be in their jobs as well playing for those who are in the relevant positions.

Whatever you think of Metzmacher, Thielemann, Vedernikov in Moscow (fine conductor I am told for controversial production of Eugen Onegin playing at the movies here in November and across thirty RAVE motion picture locales across the U.S.), one has to admit that those who are running things or are badly attempting to do so are not only dropping the ball but behaving in as unethical a manner as can be construed possible. The business of preserving our orchestras, including those finest ones over in Europe, as some of the finest cultural institutions in our midst, is at stake here.

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Wednesday, September 9, 2009

BBC Proms 2009 - Prom 64 - Jurowski/London PO - Zimmermann Dialoge (revival) - Aimard and Stefanovich

Prom 64. London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski. Pierre Laurent Aimard, Tamara Stefanovich. Royal Albert Hall. September 3, 2009.


Vladimir Jurowski, for annual 2009 London Philharmonic Proms showcase, got themselves allotted a well varied three-tier program of sorts. Least successful first segment had (almost) alone a Gallic emphasis. Point to be made by making constantly stinging accents out of gratuitous violin off-beats for procession opening the Jacques Ibert Bacchanale must have been important for all that Jurowski gave it. There just may be exception that one may have good reason to doubt it really actually was. Charming swagger of opening ideas for orchestra and brass, some interesting rhythmic shaping therein, including jazz-like syncopation, all became here somewhat rigid - allowed only limited space. Antiphonal chatter in woodwinds got undercut by being limited to so austerely shifting harmony within - as all compelled to yield to relentlessly driving motion. Gently broad relaxation was welcome for the trio section, in which full character of this music emerged at last and still somewhat through return of main section - that is until its closing pages that Jurowski gave all emphasis anyone could have mustered.

Including B.A. Zimmermann’s Dialoge inspired, for before the first interval, inclusion of Debussy’s Jeux. With slightly disproportionately arranged dynamics, this Jeux started off tentatively. Pulsation in harp and tone for line in the strings were both too dry and thin from the outset. Introduction of scherzando moments became antiseptically disjunct. Strings and winds making febrile warming up out of fluttering trill-inflected lines following this were apt and then were followed by well engaged Tristan-esque ‘Sans rigeur’ leaning appoggiaturas in first stand violins.

More than another minute into “Jeux”, trouble started to emerge, and things, before finally regaining some real footing just two minutes before the end, began to seriously unravel. What sense of structure even implicitly underpinning so much going on became completely lost. It was with hardly any natural or well cultivated feeling for the idiom that Jurowski may have felt that the best way to reveal to us the modernism of ‘Jeux’ is to have it turned almost entirely upside down. No strategy, except for how surface of things was approached ever became clear or coherent.

Working with a dry, even at times unresponsive timbre from the London Philharmonic, a lack of any real rhythmic life generated from anywhere beneath quickly became worrisome. This music thus sounded like it had been conceived as completely episodic, but in being so, with incredibly dauntless, careless distortions of Debussy’s rhythms, through which much of ‘Jeux’ – as even anticipating ‘Rite of Spring’ – finds its inner life. Debussy did not mean by ‘arabesque’, such as gesturally and otherwise animates so much of this music - distending languorous moments and by same token contracting measures of scherzando, staccato, etc. until the whole thing breaks apart. Little wonder that the climax to this piece, when it did arrive – strings heavily covered up by brass - sounded clotted or stiff. For sensuous effect, the gauzy, thin, vague tone of the strings of the LPO did not cut it, other than becoming part of a Debussy merely hard and vulgar.

Debussy’s marking, intense et expressif’ for unison of bass clarinet and bassoon (in part of long ascent to climax) in which Debussy gives his players plenty of space to make it happen settled for putting it out matter-of-fact. What then of the apoplectic hiccoughs Jurowski wrested out of the strings in heavily clipping their upward waltz tempo figurations? With so much heavy tweaking of all about going on, the modernism of descending xylophone moments earlier mixed in with downward slopes of light sonorities got neutralized.

The mouvt de valse ‘joyeux’ cascades up and down of arabesque got crudely shaved off, leading to much clotting and muddiness through ‘En animant progressivement,’ This led to from upon high long string unison agitated descending stretto, so heavily clipped that neither the concertmaster, nor anyone else when they repeat it could adequately emulate what had just been played. This all had by then become quite different music than what Debussy had composed.

After a segment that sounded much longer than slightly under thirty minutes, Mozart as part of a real study in contrasts came on for start to part 2. Pierre Laurent Aimard and Tamara Stefanovich performed the Mozart D Major Sonata K. 448. Not until Exposition section repeat did the duo sound entirely engaged with what they were playing, though competently accurate from the outset. Upon repeat, the gentle charm of second subject and animation of alternating downward arpeggios and sequencing scales back upward in very close imitation of string writing fully caught their imagination. They also pointed subtly the combining of thematic material from both main Exposition subjects in the brief following re-transition. Opening subject for recapitulation emerged better, with all sufficient grandeur; lingering over closing themes then became all supple and lissome.

Played very gracefully too was the slow movement, including embellishment of the line for recapitulation therein - only sign of heaviness where the duo matched up for ‘singing’ duet octaves in repeated alternating half-tones at crest of the line. Final sonata rondo was guileless, charming, with its opening carillon-march, with in effect tiny equestrian bells accompanying. Contrasting chorale subject had appropriate stately grace, runs very fluently, brilliantly accompanying it, in making way toward festive conclusion to this.

The Brahms First Symphony followed second break. That this received a conservative interpretation by design and impetus did not surprise. The first movement opened very forthright with such tight profile to line that it almost escaped altogether. All voice leading therein however was intact, if a bit dry, before clotting up at approach to one or two half cadences. Tight dense, thick articulation ran into the Exposition, with space allowed for second subject to breathe, before sloughing off its ending, making for workaday transition into agitated closing theme; clipping and flaccid response on ending figurations became evident upon repeat. After starting the Development short on atmosphere, things cohered well in extension of long line, but accompanied by weak string section tremoli, and dry voice-leading in woodwinds. Huge bump accents, grand-standing, capped the line to usher in the Recapitulation, after just adequate buildup to them. Final, brief, buildup of motto into the Recapitulation was entirely lacking in color. Jurowski shaped repeat of closing theme better, but after streamlining the lyricism right before. Passing around of three-note motto in the coda was strict, close to point of self-parody - with souring intonation in the winds.

The Andante opened with rhythmically amorphous color and profile, as though perhaps Scriabin instead of Brahms. Principal clarinet found more shape to second of oboe led subjects in the Exposition, whereas principal oboe had somewhat streamlined both. Ascending line in the strings betwixt the two was fine and matters improved for the recapitulation that opened in more yielding fashion. Violin and horn duet had fine shape and expression, but with dull string accompaniment underneath - all eventually to a slightly rushed, choppy close to what should aspire for sublime. Third movement intermezzo sounded somewhat disengaged with its pastoral character, bringing along with it fresh encounter of rhythmic vulgarities encountered earlier.

Understated opening to the finale sounded mildly Slavic, welcome in a way, but that did not get calibrated entirely right – until all improved upon repeat moments later. Steady, slow tread through remote sounding pizzicato was fine, but things became somewhat ragged in building stretto that followed all this the second time, making for fractious cut-off to open the horn call episode. Horn then was fine, principal flute drowsily very expressive, brass chorale spacious and dark, but strings thin. Good shape informed opening of the Exposition - pizzicati underneath animatedly nagging to push things along slightly faster than they would go. A little stiffness, crude gesture ended an otherwise fine Exposition. Expressive shaping of all informing what followed, led into well-organized, rhythmically well-sprung secondary Development - but with forte, fortissimo tutti strings clipped diminutions of horn call motif closing it plebeian. Remainder of the recapitulation slid off in phlegmatic manner from how focused things had been shortly before, with excessive detachment in approach to coda to this imposing finale. Shaping of the coda was engaging, but with some stepping on the brakes right before final reprise of loud brass chorale leading to a ringing if not especially memorable conclusion.


Debt of gratitude however is owed team who also put forth the performance of Dialoge by Bernd Alois Zimmermann – my hunch being that this was more Pierre Laurent Aimard’s baby than that of anyone else involved. Jurowski led slightly ad libitum a performance somewhat imaginatively rhapsodizing it and distending length of certain rhetoric, passages therein. Whatever help he had in organizing this performance, he did assist himself in doing this music some service. Next however to my one other source for listening to this, the recording conducted by Bernhard Kontarsky, there was something missing in line, thorough control of pacing and rhetoric to be consistent with maintaining what line there is. And yet that there is a different way of hearing this music did still enlighten and certainly could repeat doing so.

Dialoge is not a concerto, even in an unconventional sense, but just as named, a conversation between two pianos and different members of a large orchestra – a cornucopia of small groups made up of such. For those who become accustomed to many grinding dissonances found therein, there are certainly some riches to be found here, in its completely innate cross between serialism and collage. One eventually finds intimations, echo, mimesis in serial language of Mozart, Debussy, and Bach practically on order of the sublime.

Fine placement of different solo passages was evident, such as very expressive Stravinskian grace note infused chorale writing that during the fifth movement of this is first played on trombone then mid-to-back in apparently deep state of reverie in single line on piano. Fragment of such chorale line could be picked out in alternation of very strong echoing chords during the cadenza, that itself made for obvious reminiscence of passage heard earlier. Such was just merely one example of how snatches of melodic idea could mimic each other here, across both well varied different instrumentation and equal variety in means of figuration. It helps that there is written in here a strong ear for color, such as even in string harmonics does not always define pitch in any conventional sense. It is such that could be heard, at least under most optimum conditions, to echo such passages in this as heard giving more definite pitch.

It takes, such as exemplified on the Kontarsky disc, the best ear possible to have to be able to hear organization of such music in any way comprehensively. Reason for saying so is to be fair to Jurowski here; there is something ornately baroque about this music. It being so, with ear being sensitive to how different voices are placed, choirs thereof, this music most definitely has something to say about the function of memory in music. In question here is the effect of listening to any music on most any of us. The follow-through here is such that at times numerous references get even so subtly echoed to being commented upon by percussion. Evocation of memory works in making employ here of birdsong in the piano part, obliquely referred to by flutes and possibly also percussion during the fifth movement in genuinely stylized arabesque.

The opening of the fifth movement, with its whimsy of string harmonics, light combination of woodwind and percussion scoring can easily be a favorite passage of this for someone newly familiar with this music and key to what sublime ear Zimmermann possessed. .It contrasts well with the more sombre terraced framing of opening to and other passages in the sixth movement. An ear, if still a somewhat naïve one such as mine, could still pick up an intimate level of call and reply between individual musicians and aggregates of the same. At one point, string harmonics could be heard intimating at trope chords set up by combination of individual orchestra members, seconds beforehand to start the fourth movement.

Measured, broken recitative in pianos was found in the fourth movement mixed with contrasting interplay from minutiae, small gesture in brass and percussion, brightening up texture and thereby helping to move the line along. In the third movement, decorated single note ostinato in the pianos would yield intimation of line in vibraphone or xylophone that got set off by capricious writing for light instrumentation. The extensive cadenza for two pianos, almost completely serial makes excellent review, as to take inventory of much to have transpired earlier during the long sixth movement of this, with very fine grandeur and poise.

An excellent, disjunct postlude (‘Apreslude’) – on purpose mildly alienating - excellently framed ‘Dialoge, as did Prelude with its fine contrapuntal writing between lower strings and percussion intertwined by string section melisma at its outset. The postlude brought this nearly twenty minute piece that should be heard again at the Proms before long to an abrupt close. One should hope too that the highly unique challenge of taking on Zimmermann might sober Jurowski as to how he might approach the music of Claude Debussy next time opportunity arises. It would be good he see or hear things so.

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Monday, September 7, 2009

BBC Proms 2009 - Proms 61 and 62 - Jansons, Concertgebouw

Magdalena Kozena (Duparc chansons). Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Mariss Jansons. Vesko Eschkenazi, Liviu Prunaru, leaders. Royal Albert Hall, London. August 31, September 1, 2009.

With Mariss Jansons, concerning especially the first two symphonies of the great Finn, one has sensed often a taste for the iconoclastic - as one might assess more brash or wannabe than really effectively breaking with anything much. Among Sibelius’s first several symphonies, it is the First that, from anything that had come before it, shows the most progressivism, notwithstanding moments in the Second and Third Symphonies – moments in the Third that momentarily anticipate highly unusual genius with the Fourth.

Concertgebouw, when they have done Sibelius before, have tended to do so with qualified reserve. Whether in part as replying to just or unjust criticism of his Sibelius, tendencies of Jansons’s Sibelius familiar before were still there, more circumspectly so this visitation. It could have been to better achieve effective grasp at last of the larger picture or perspective.

Clarinet tone was deep, soulful to open the first movement, but with nagging there to be perhaps some gap underneath. It still should not get heavily enveloped, but perhaps somewhat out of which in somewhat igneous manner the jagged opening theme of the Allegro energico body of the first movement can freely emerge. It did so, much more circumspect certainly than on earlier occasions, with rhythm and shape more intact now, but also phlegmatically this time around. More, swaying lyrical consequent to this got back phrased, and swoops up in rapid sixteenths to tutti reprise of main idea muddied, covered up.

Exposition closing statements were detached, verging on breaking the music apart, such as common to earlier Jansons renditions of this, but obviously without the jagged impetus that had preceded what occurs here before. Animation of dancing woodwinds spinning about was strong, but with under-girding ascending runs in lower Concertgebouw strings weak – not good for reputation based on many years of tradition for this orchestra. Framing of flutes, clarinet, horn during the second Tranquillo was lovely, merriment of wind concertato that then spins out perfectly bucolic, but Jansons denied climax for final agitated triple-forte descent in the strings by hitting accents too hard right beforehand, thus showing his mapping of the first movement coda to be found wanting.

Moderately paced, the Andante started off blandly, with retiring attitude for opening statement - with all for a while then proceeding in pleasantly direct manner and feeling for atmosphere. This was true most of all in the Molto tranquillo section for harp and violins’ accompanied bevy of horns. Overall shape to frame connecting episodes throughout however remained unclear. Cello line out of rhetorical recitative, both based upon first theme became soggy - with denatured clipped arabesque runs in descant woodwinds. Jansons then applied a check on vulgarity through stretti to follow - in such a way that made most of the remainder of the Andante careful, reticent, instead of peaceful and flowing - or as toward making definite resolution.

Outer sections of the scherzo emerged jerky, detached, without near enough driving this music from underneath, not overlooking fine contributions from woodwinds. What was found atmospheric in color with the Trio section was denied by thoroughly episodic grasp of how to render it shape; Jansons regrouped the retransition thus for it to be almost completely out of place with the rest - leading eventually to closing the scherzo not only flat-line, but that also gave us flat Concertgebouw brass - indicative of the ‘world’s greatest orchestra’ – under secure leadership evident here.

Horns just adequately anchored strong string section recitative to start this ‘quasi una fantasia’ finale. Other than some soggy playing in descending winds, the first Allegro molto, though bumpy from Jansons getting into it, was properly incisive. Shaping, coordination of line over long breathed ballade second subject proved awkward. Tchaikovskian strings' doubling of it for the recap sagged, proved on verge of total bathos, after efficient, but choppy, almost untethered negotiation of spirited enough fugato during the Development. So much was made out of every episode on last page or two of this Sibelius First that a potentially exciting ascent in cellos to help save the overall effort and bring it a broadly paced finale to a fine conclusion somewhat misfired. The clue, solution to this Sibelius First is in achieving some grasp of form, but nearly required as much vitality as has Jansons’ certainly misguided former approach, still half-alive, to this music. It is foremost in securing grasp of Sibelius’s individual mastery of form, that all can best come to life.

Concertgebouw, with deft ear for textures, got somewhat of a rest with set of Duparc that followed, as sung by Czech mezzo Magdalena Kozena. “L’invitation du voyage” proved languorous, but as a bit thick, pushed in production, hooty from Kozena. Support by febrile grasp of Duparc’s at times vague harmonies beneath the vocal line proved effective. Kozena lent “Extase” fine grasp of naivete, though with swallowed consonants - with horn solo alleviating some sogginess also in the accompaniment; the lovely postlude from lower winds at the end proved sufficient anchor to what had preceded it. Kozena’s manner with “Chanson triste” showed some want for better emotional intimacy, but for latter song, Concertgebouw provided opulent support wafting along through harp led accompaniment and lines in clarinet and horn. Kozena and Jansons both provided “Phydyle” subdued, debauched sense of the song’s smoldering eroticism, with Kozena’s voice opening out at last with the freedom one sought, soaring to affirmative G-Flat right before the end.

The Debussy Villon cycle excerpt, proved animated from both - well pointed in rhythm, color, Spanish charm - but “Clair de lune” (orch: Caplet) after the following Ravel proved perfectly amorphous, rhythmically distorted - enough to fully anticipate complete desecration of “Jeux” from the London Philharmonic so soon to come.

Fine grasp of birdsong from winds and other somewhat well gauged atmospheric effect was not quite enough to save an overall work-a-day, phlegmatic rendition of warhorse such as the Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2. Even with lack of specific shape to proceedings through much of this, textures were maintained self-consciously lean and mildly lacking in resonance. Emily Bynum played the long Pantomime with fine technical aplomb and fine animation, yet with slightly approximate accuracy of idiom. Jansons’ tweaking of accents, incisive moments came across as contrived at least as often as they might generate steam. Fortunately, Jansons spared organic development of “Lever du jour” opening portion of the suite from being too thrown off. Clarinet solo and other fine woodwind tracery through “Danse generale” did not suffice in saving it from much heavy docking in the brass, crude negotiation of arabesques of trumpet trios, and heavy clipping right before the end. Anyone could tell that most of this concert got played efficiently enough, but should not more be expected from Concertgebouw than this?

The second prom a little more surprisingly did not sufficiently respond well to, hypothetically speaking, such inquiry. Jansons provided the Haydn a fine introduction to its first movement, at least up until point of slightly ham-fisted cadence letting in the Allegro. Fine accenting from within of tempestuous episode right before and chortling bassoons and lift to consequents in the violins to graceful antecedents were all fully apt, toward setting things off. Charm of Allegro opening theme was intact, but regularity of ensuing pacing slightly careful, self-conscious in how much proceeded from there. Light marcia closing theme to both expo and recap was found not so coy to be over-the-top, but just adequately charming; contrasts, transitions through tricky Development section were marked well to be clearly heard and characterized. However, Jansons then rushed reprise of the opening theme, as perhaps to rationalize enforcing strong downbeats for following tutti of the same. Upward rapid flourishes in the violins were clipped during first movement coda. as to render them fully stylized, swooping quasi-glissandi.

Generous color and suavity of Amsterdam winds got the second movement off to a fine start, but one could already suspect here something insufficiently specific in shaping of its (deceptively) simple lines. Incisive trumpet call demarcated lines in the following Minore variation followed but for reprise of C Major, Jansons failed to avoid sag to the line and even risked eclecticism. Things from here on took turn toward being often alternatively stiff and flaccid in accenting - impetus to line in both tutti and concertato almost alike. Minuet and trio, taken moderately, Jansons gave excessive lift in proportion to its weight, and thus to the dignified, great noble feeling of nostalgia and poise that we are accustomed to thinking that this music at such pace for it should convey. With coy trim and clipped phrase endings, it could not. More forceful statement of opening theme, upon return after the Trio section, turned comical, that still in its aftermath failed to lend things more character - after alternatively excessively galante manner for and jerky, clipped transitions during the Trio.

For just slice or two of plentiful Haydnesque sleight-in-hand in nuance and transition to follow, Jansons settled for kitsch - or if you will, post-Shostakovich Ninth, post-Schnittke Haydn. Closing theme, especially during the recap, was door to modern day toy shop fully ajar, to practically high whistling vulgarity, including for comfort’s sake airbrush away of any potentially harsh sound effects. If without best shaping of its lines or true respect for Haydn’s rhythms, proceeding remainder of finale to Haydn’s ‘Military’ coasted along well – fine especially if this had been St. Louis Symphony Haydn instead.

Jansons during the early 1990’s recorded the Shostakovich Tenth Symphony in Philadelphia - arguably one of its finest several recordings the past forty years. Not as having blind allegiance to the first recording I have heard of a piece of music, I was first time I heard it, quite mystified, reminded well of an old Svetlanov on Melodiya - indeed the first Tenth I ever remember hearing. The broad shaping of the music’s ideas was similar, with making strongly etched ideas or dramatic points along the way. What made Jansons compelling then was the complete follow-through and inner vitality for it in having taken the approach he did.

With Concertgebouw here, I heard nothing so specific, though certainly reminded well occasionally – where things here succeeded most – of how it went before. First sign this time of less clear definition was that lower strings tended to sag when playing, repeating opening statement for the first movement – with violins and violas then at least firming things up in reply to lower strings repeating it. Jansons then suggested bloating the brief climax that ensues right before first occurrence of ‘waltz’ subject. A tendency to excessively underline and approach phrasing from retiring perspective turned mannered – in effect withholding confident shaping of the arch that frames the often fractious interior of the first movement.

Brass sagged on their forceful statement of the waltz subject, resulting in a brief trailing off of lighter trills seeming to have had the air taken out of it. Jansons understandably then leaned on things hard to achieve tight climax to the first movement - as though achieved organically from further back than it really had been. Coming off this, Jansons bulged – to remind one of Rostropovich - heavy unison straight eighth note rhetoric from the strings; focus on line resulted in being off again before another minute had passed.

Lower strings, rock solid, regained Jansons a surer footing through lighter duet of fine clarinets on ‘waltz’ subject, along with very fine searching piccolos in high register to nearly close the first movement. The nocturnal focus, character of the first movement, with terror from the immediate past reflected upon, got shortchanged here, as strings rhetorically inflected perhaps a strand of phrase line or two too much, too many again.

A measured, calculated approach curiously held sway for the following whirlwind of a scherzo. Jansons’ grasp certainly held firm, but then some of this music’s character was lost. Virtuosity of the Concertgebouw went unchallenged - such even to deny that this music is about much more than that. As played here, Jansons excessively understated the character of this music in being too careful, anticipating downbeats and overall being deliberate toward encouraging this music to generate a good head of steam.

Underlining, other marked gesture during the third movement made for a more detached, glib account of this music than usual. It seemed to be so for sake of uniquely pointing out such instead of for better than half of this having it depict overall state of mind, composure for picture in view. Rhetorical dragging of the first theme, clipped pointing, so chic, of concertato wind band right afterwards, distension of violin section led ritornello into back phrased climax toward end of movement all seemed to try telling us that if we should be able to fully appreciate the sophistication of the composer’s inspiration here, better perhaps to hold all of this movement at considerably more than arm’s length. We should be grateful for being so engaged as far as we have instead – such as held true too with Zinman in Schubert and Mahler a previous night. Not all sense of atmosphere, scope, character of this music was denied or got removed. Jansons though has already given us a much more unified perspective on this music on disc than encountered here.

Intonation somehow got lost on concertmaster and viola solos right before the close of the third movement, but woodwind solos opening the widely spaced landscapes that desolately open the finale were very fine. Jansons, before finding good lift, vitality, even simplicity for the dance rhythms of the vigorous fast section to follow, was inclined here to take so much a straightforward approach. It apparently led him to start rushing past crying laments of fine Concertgebouw winds and more obviously hurried ruminations from lower strings that demarcate them. Off-setting some streamlining of fast sections and after achieving fine peroration to so much agitation that has built up by this point, laments in the winds and mournful sense of loss in the strings received their full due. Jaunty reprise of Allegro first subject in low bassoon was equally apt.

After slightly clumsy landing to close the Shostakovich, Jansons followed up with a lugubrious, curiously episodic, detached account of Sibelius Valse triste - unclear as to what it should say, as was unfortunately much of this year's visit by Concertgebouw to the Proms.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2009

BBC Proms 2009 - Proms 52 and 57: Gergiev/LSO and Robertson/BBC SO

Prom 52. London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Valery Gergiev. Elena Zhidkova. Royal Albert Hall, London. August 24, 2009.

One had to wonder, with what one might first learn about Schnittke’s cantata, Nagasaki - while on such a serious, even harrowing topic but composed just out of school with a certain naivete, what it might be doing on a program with the Eighth Symphony by Shostakovich. The Shostakovich Eighth can work very well on a program with something very contrasting to it – as happened on 1960 Leningrad PO visit with Mravinsky to London for its UK premiere – the Mozart Symphony No. 33. Regardless, Valery Gergiev and the LSO attempted the pairing they did and it partly worked. It also helped to listen to a piece even now new to most of us, though composed fifty years ago just as alone; it stands on its own well.

The heavy opening theme to ‘Nagasaki, city of grief” over organ chords and slow pulsating octaves in the piano, recalls, generally speaking, melodically, choral passages of Bach’s St Matthew Passion. Arriving harmonically a semitone down from what has preceded it, an interlude of orchestral chorale in canon with horn obbligato makes one think of perhaps having heard the Shostakovich Tenth Symphony recently, though without specifically thematic allusions to it. From loudly declaimed ‘Nagasaki’ antiphonally marked by measures of straight octave sextuplets in the lower strings, breaks forth syncopated increasingly enhanced percussion writing along Stravinskian lines. The aesthetic overall still operates along lines of Shostakovich.

Gergiev brought out very well this music’s inexorable tread, with flexible shaping of lines in chorus and lyrical orchestral interludes, culminating in blazing writing shot through with Byzantine colored lower brass and three note motto above them in the trumpets - a flurry of oscillating sextuplets in flutes swirling all about. Provocative near end of the first movement, noting some sobering back up to C Minor as where this piece starts, is the bi-tonal chord (B Major/C Minor) with which the first movement almost closes.

The next three movements proved most compelling - third following the second with hardly any interruption. Antiphonal broken perfect fourths deftly spin off each other, amidst supple bright flourish depicting easier life before wartime. ‘Oriental’ color became distinct as also some of the quintuple meter writing or semblance thereof chorally hearkening back to wedding songs from Russian folklore - example to Rimsky-Korsakov in his operas. Contraltos gently spun out extended smooth line of fine simplicity, quasi-Italianate, in depicting the Orient. Shimmering alternating whole tone in the violins effectively formed haloed descant over women meditating wordlessly on parallel modally harmonized triads - punctuated ominously by drone from low trombone. Getting past gathering tension, Gergiev deftly made transition back to final glimpse of life unspoiled; after brief remark on celesta, a huge multi-layered chord seemingly arose from the deep.

Out of such highly dissonant meltdown arises well crafted an overall mood of outrage or protest s to hold sway amidst fugato and toccata writing hinting at Hindemith, Shostakovich and in percussive ostinato rhythms also Stravinsky’s Symphony in 3 Movements. In there remaining some drive to this, wisely just simply pointed out by Gergiev, this vitality left the listener with glimmer of hope, even while depicting something most harrowing. High trill over choral declamation of protest nightmarishly recalls similarly effective climax to first movement of the Shostakovich Tenth. A march in C Minor allusive to theme opening ‘Nagasaki’ abetted LSO chorus toward utterance of firm protest - as enhanced to pressing level by a two-pitch-descant b-itonaity Gergiev handled well. All then dissolved softly into a multi-layered, dissonant chord. Gergiev then delineated well the simple mostly repeat-note flutes ostinato as demarcated by occasional, strong detached piano chord for complete sense of frozen stasis here.

Schnittke did not stop in sculpting dignified melodic line for “On the Ashes” with genuflecting accompaniment as happens in Prokofiev’s Nevsky, but made orchestral involvement instead psychological in its own right. Elena Zhidkova sang this movement with requisite steady tone and noble reserve. Ostinato on theremin (electronic instrument) and picking up the mezzo’s lament on the same is harrowing, after grimace of pain from brass and wordless chorus. Ornamentation of line from celesta, winds, percussion is incisive, elaborate. In Gergiev’s hands it became deft and precise toward expressing what this music should say, attendant upon many expanded out layers of meaning. With such could not the authorities in charge been more specific.

”The Sun of Peace” finale, opening a semitone higher than the key it actually is in, C Minor, sounded clichéd at first, but steered clear of ultimately becoming oppressive as such. Promise of a well thought out, if not always most imaginative cumulation to all that had preceded this got confidently maintained here. The tragic sentiment, naivete of this music, its simple design, and elaborate musical mind in nascence but already absorbing so much could hardly have found a better advocate in Valery Gergiev here or anywhere.

The focus of this concert was to be still the Eighth Symphony by Shostakovich, or has it started to be played so often – as opposed to how things were thirty years ago – that it starts to become like the Fifth (or Seventh)? Cellos and basses opened the long-arch Adagio with fine rhetoric, though missing the double dotting of the motif that as stated has pushed them in. Meditatively taking on a long expanded second half of first subject, violins of the LSO found unforced means to make it deeply felt over crest of their lines. They still sounded a bit phlegmatic on their own restatement of the very opening but wisely without overstating the case. Contrast of deep musing on lower winds with acrid comments above from trumpets upon high got well delineated.

Gergiev treated coolly section with irregular phrase lengths marked Poco piu mosso, including on directly phrased ascending lines that according to personal tastes, could have used slightly more space. The chorale however that followed in lower strings and then with its repeat registered spaciously, reaching for deep recesses of focus and emotion as should occur here.

As the agitated middle section got under way, one sought just a little more intensity; such registered from the LSO this time as glib, phlegmatic with contributions from winds in high register being the exception. The ‘death-dance’ (Allegro non troppo) pushed forth urgently, but lacked ideally sharper rhythmic profile. Extended English horn solo coming off imposing climax was full, nobly expansive in its sorrow, rhetoric, this time without any Rostropovich learned underlining and excessive dramatizing thereof to carry over to an otherwise excellent Adagio last time the LSO played this at the Proms – under Bernard Haitink. Spacing of all that followed, including the still, peaceful close, was excellent, for Gergiev. LSO strings undercut here preparation for last ominous fanfares from duet of trumpets right before the end of the Adagio.

Slurred lower strings opening the first scherzo, octave doublings already present, felt a bit Tchaikovskian insipid here, giving piccolo double duty in making his part upon entering incisive enough without overstating it; he managed it famously so. Tricky shift to triple meter after fine calibration of high concertato of woodwinds came off very well too, managing to usher in the working up of a pretty good head of steam, somewhat short-lived, for reprise of the first subject eventually leading to understated case for close to this. The toccata that followed strongly suggested fear, relentless struggle from violas, but intensity seemed to go only just so far. Such was true too with slurred trumpet leading the trio section and phlegmatic negotiation of other material as main section resumed, leading to only approximately firm ending climax to this.

From this point on, all became close to spotless. Once a minute into the passacaglia, one felt as though one had at last been transported in full to world this music inhabits. If a Shostakovich Eighth can be most memorable for how all has transpired during its quieter moments, there then is ultimately little issue one can have with one winding up so, whatever might have felt shortchanged before. Other than principal clarinet starting off by missing dynamics slightly, this was a passacaglia without going self-consciously too slow, that caught all the rhetoric of it in full nobly so at moderate pace. All helped make, following fine contributions from all winds and hushed strings - a very still opening to the Allegretto finale.

In all the characterization that Gergiev gave every episode, he made something – it sounds oxymoronic – deftly Mussorgskian out of this, starting from naïve hurt expressed by bassoon - wounded innocence, simplicity at the core to the hilt - in halting step, imploring tone the LSO principal provided his solo. Equal at naivete, more animatedly so, entered the flute. Cellos reminiscing on B subject from the Adagio and menacing wind concertato registered as sobering up an atmosphere where not even near time yet for true relief or cause for real joy or feeling of successful release. Before start to an imposing fugato, the violins entered sharply with their incisive tavern dance as though unawares of what could always, was about to get stirred up again; mildly complicit in all that has transpired apparently has passively been the complacency of the Russian people. Again, Gergiev is right – here is as much Mussorgsky inasmuch as it is Shostakovich. Dynamics were perhaps slightly understated for shattering climax to come; it was all in the preparation that it still made one’s heart stop - that brought in as though unawares it would rear its ugly head again.

Bass clarinet, continuing dance from earlier, provided no consolation, neither did ‘tavern’ concertmaster, but then so very specific at last entered solo cello and concertmaster too with temporarily reassuring gesture. Right after, the concertmaster, the principal bassoon both sounded apologetic but as if to say, ‘for what?’ The close to the fifteen minute Allegretto was very still with concertmaster limning final ascent up to final C Major chord toward reaching a perfectly sublime state, a beautiful febrile stillness, but including with ominous warning from deep recesses of the LSO, clear sense of this still being an unstable or restive peace.



Prom 57. BBC Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson. Stephen Hough, Steven Isserlis.
Royal Albert Hall, London. August 28, 2009.



How it happened that Concert Fantasy by Tchaikovsky could follow Agon on the same program was, as found here, truly confounding. Agon closed complete Proms survey of the eleven ballets of Stravinsky that had begun - using same orchestra as has Agon, with an incomplete performance of Petrushka (using the misguided concert version) weeks earlier under Belohlavek.

In Concert Fantasy, with its garden-variety usage of folk melody, with kitsch tambourine for entering dance in ‘Contrastes’ (second movement-finale), little ultimately gets said with extensively thorough technical display for the pianist, which Stephen Hough negotiated very well, as he just had also the First Concerto under Vasily Petrenko. The lightness was there where expected, but also the weight and guided rhetoric for the heavily chordal passages - awesome cascades up and down for the instrument, in display of Tchaikovskian ardor and elaborate sequencings bursting forth thereof.

It is with relief that remainder of this program was of material promisng more substance, starting even with Rococo Variations as played by Steven Isserlis. The neo-classical touch came across with near assured feeling for its own naivete. Isserlis’s tone tended to turn thin when faced with some of the daunting technical challenges his part poses for him. At such places thin to practically skittish support from Robertson and the BBC SO became order of the day. Variation eight of this piece’s original version was included here, with usual final variation coming in, Isserlis sounding stretched by it, instead as fourth variation. Though with less full than desirable tone – precariously thin especially at harmonics at the end of several lines – Isserlis smoothly limned the melancholy lament of third variation here in D Minor and then the rhapsodic poetry of the seventh, supported quite eloquently with supple hand from podium. Coda spinning off the original final variation however became simply too much - with at times more scratch than tone.

Concert Fantasy, as it turned out, did not only pair badly with Agon, but also ultimately with what closed this program two pieces later - both having fantasy in their full titles. The fantasy overture ‘Francesca da Rimini’ sounded little more substantial than just yet another concert fantasy here. The opening Andante lugubre with throat clearing, dry cellos and basses to usher it in became practically instead an Allegretto grazioso. No ‘lugubre’ was within sight or hearing range. So lugubrious was the breezy way with downward tread in cellos and basses, as though promised air ventilation equipped circles of hell beneath for thus far a Francesca closer to Oberon or Fra Diavolo than to Wagner's Tristan und Isolde Robertson invoked in interview. In such context, the guilty Francesca and Paolo could have stepped closer to blast of wind to touch during their forsaking of good eternal destiny, given that its abrasive edge here sounded so airbrushed away as to register as little more than the gentle gust of a spring breeze.

High flute and other woodwind decoration, complete with Mendelssohnian grace and spree, of steady ascent up to forceful lite, quasi-athletic statement of Allegro vivo main theme succinctly fit right in. Brass, not playing excessively loud, covered the melodic line in dry BBC strings, making so many repeated notes sound more compelling than melodic line - inexorable sweep that one reckoned before should come with it.

The Andante cantabile interior Robertson taught us had it foregone conclusion that perhaps either the tenets of Christianity or of social correctness too had in time taught Francesca and Paolo that it might be better they never touch. What condemnation might ensue for just feeling lust instead of acting on it and bringing it to full fruition as sin I suspect must have gotten picked up from Protestantism. Tutti reprise of sad strain of clarinet introducing sadder episode than anticipated portended sorrow by our dear Paolo and Francesca to have probably missed out at least to full extent that for which they are condemned - for just to have only vaguely (or perhaps slightly more than that) felt it instead; all proceeded with greater oomph then, still tragedy lite, forward to an Italianate band-y brash conclusion.

The right place for Robertson to have put Stravinsky’s Agon was to follow Francesca da Rimini – Francesca as heard after Chairman Dances or Dr.Atomic - here, more apt, an Agon not quite as having been heard or conceived after Desert Music. All was lithe with this Agon; with Agon there is fortunately more than one way to skin a cat; there are indeed many ways. So wily a concept, Agon with its shifting levels of nuance and meaning among bridging works - competing with Canticum sacrum – leads the way from so extended neo-classicism to Stravinsky’s then too abbreviated late period of serialism.

Plasticity of line and gesture was everything in this Agon; what indigenous roots in which certainly some of Agon finds soil – I have not yet read Taruskin for how deep the roots might go - sounded as though mostly pulled up by now. In other words, if you have Taruskin on your shelf and think his way is how Agon should go – the other extreme - then you must have certainly been dismayed or struck dumb here. At the same time, I blithely found something a bit sexless about it all - now feeling like George sounding off to Nick and Martha about cutting of tubes in Albee’s ‘Virginia Woolf’ in so speaking up.

With contained feel for so much - thus then for purpose of score analysis Robertson might be ideal – ability to tap near any emotional core for this was more vague than norm. A firmer grip on connecting tissue through it all could have been useful. Tempos for Double pas de quatre and for the Pas de deux tended toward sluggish. Fleeting hints of Sacre du printemps and also of beasts of prey - just so far back as climax of Orpheus - were there - marked, but defanged. Sense of stasis during the Pas de deux was certainly somewhat apt, but there being little upon which we could concretely put our hands or feel. Robertson subtly gave account for transition from the diatonic to constructed world of serialism, aptly so, while delineating well occurring reference to jazz motifs in Agon. The undercutting of wet sensuous harmony, interplay for mandolin and harp, piano in Gaillarde automatically called for here an emulsion or humidifier.

I complained early during Proms survey of Stravinsky ballets issuing forth about it all several times being too safe, sterile – docile just about altogether. Agon is different than the other ballets. From the get-go, we assume meeting up with pure abstraction here, along with bad cliché of Stravinsky being charged thus. It is never anywhere near being so, but in a few subtle ways, but indeed may be easier to get away with it on Agon than again on earlier works. The passion, exuberance, vigor, grief and fragility of human existence are all on display here, even if framed relatively abstract.

Pierre Boulez, who may have mentored Robertson, described Tchaikovsky as threadbare (in inspiration). Even so iconoclastic, could not he better than Robertson, still have made something, if still different, out of Framcesca da Rimini?

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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

BBC Proms 2009 - Proms 56 and 59 - Luisi/Stk Dresden and Zinman/Zurich Tonhalle

Prom 56. Staatskapelle Dresden, Fabio Luisi. Lang Lang. Royal Albert Hall, London. August 27, 2009.

A most auspicious debut at the Proms and much inauspicious return to the Proms are topic here.

First off for Fabio Luisi and Staatskapelle Dresden was ‘traces’ by Berlin based British composer Rebecca Saunders, protégé for a short while before of Wolfgang Rihm in Karlsruhe. This was a study, sixteen minutes long, in sonorities, with minute adjustments to their pitch, dynamic, level of interactive response with other occurring strands. They so interact as to communicate as such, comparable in her thinking to vaguely alluded to text by Samuel Beckett and Italo Calvino, but moreover perhaps in their vague to quite metaphorical simulation of occurrences in nature. Luisi and his forces attended to task at hand with optimum care and precision. This would certainly call for repeat listening, as for what allusions one will pick up that might get missed the first time.

Interruptions of long held pitches, harmonics, overtones, what have you, by an isolated accent in percussion might be such to even recall the brief Ohio Impromptu of Beckett. It would be hard however to find any other specific allusions than that – not to risk getting insipid here. Needless to say and in manner that even gives impression of being even virulently fluid, this music does however speak, even in what a great extent allusive elements thereof are distilled to their very essence. As such, one will then hear them in this piece echo each other, overlap, oscillate around each other, with gaps suggesting that they far beneath the surface inaudibly continue to do so. That there was something to be gained from having programmed this became evident especially in the Strauss that followed later that had qualities brought out here, but thereby missed in performances lately of Mahler (see below), Tchaikovsky, and others. Brief, but fully reflective postlude followed a longer central movement, chock full of violent eruptions and feedback from them of varying focus, intensity, and scope, following five minutes of mostly calm six minute ‘exposition’ of a first movement.

Arresting about the Chopin right away was the first orchestral ritornello or actually exposition – how it got played here. One usually hears this music as too fully written out for the strings; Luisi kept ensemble tight and brought out colors and interaction from winds, with very fine command of rhythm and frame, that so much life was then breathed into passage and others that often land like a dull thud. At times if risk of taking such an approach is employed, it would then possibly make this music seem anemic instead, but not here. A possibly quick study with all this at the keyboard was someone for whom I have not expressed much admiration in the past – Lang Lang, in some of the best playing I have heard yet from him. He spoke in interview, as though fully convinced of what he was saying, about the operatic bel canto link (and passion) in Chopin’s piano writing; such did often emerge here most effectively.

There were still a few octaves and such that especially low were handled in such a way as to not quite ideally bring out their resonance – and those places, especially in filigree, where Lang Lang felt compelled to excessively gild or dovetail things. Subtle command of the French rhythm in playing Chopin is not quite there, but even so it is refreshing to hear what will hopefully grow some greater subtlety in his approach to Chopin, and thus that the broad brush thus far so common in Lang Lang’s playing and touch can start being put away at last. Speaking of command of French rhythm, one is led to think of how much it has been missed in half of the performances of Stravinsky ballets this summer (Volkov, Gardner, Karabits notable exceptions) and in dull Falla and Ravel the other night from Philharmonia and Salonen. There was fulsomely unaffected noble, introspective sculpting of Chopin’s melodies, to lead one to consider having underestimated Lang Lang's abilities and potential to further develop them.

The finale opened with mostly well sprung caprice, but including just playfully going over the top in clipping a bit ‘Oriental’- not especially Chopinesque – a few accented notes, light octaves up high. Bravura flourish, dauntless chord sequence arpeggios, in both outer movements tended most to ring true, as did a good share of the poetic rhetoric for middle placed ‘nocturne’ in the concerto. Lang Lang had in Luisi a superior accompanist and collaborator for precisely what he needed here – for encouraging what could be at last some emerging artistry from Lang Lang.

With no effort whatsoever, light so gradually emerged from darkness at the start of ‘Alpine Symphony’ by Strauss, as almost uncanny. One might have expected to get a little underlining of descending B-Flat Minor scales, but none was forthcoming. Once to ‘Sunrise’, the texture at this point was trumpet dominated, but with strings still emerging as clearly heard and in tune just slightly above, and with both at once clear direction to the line and full texture shot through with light – to scintillating effect. It was with such that Luisi and Stk Dresden, with cellos and basses’ lean take on Ascent embarked us not only on a hike up the mountain and back down, but one that took us deeper than this, as to the recesses of one’s own soul or being and how interaction with the natural world can live within most of all. This all happened without mysticism applied to this score from without – as for instance seems at times the case with early 1980’s Karajan concerts and disc – but as to be found solely from within. The opera “Frau ohne schatten” that Strauss wrote quite simultaneously with ‘Alpine’ I have already cited here.

‘Alpine Symphony’ is a score ornate with detail to practically hyper-Baroque proportions, - such detail that even the best orchestra in the world today might not be able to fully encompass – with moments too in this that are clearly over-scored. Without calling attention to anything but the music itself and what woven messages it may want to convey, the discipline of the Dresden forces and of Luisi’s interpretative acumen in taking so much on was highly exemplary.

The discipline with which this was all carried out was hardly at all the point. Transition through shadowy forest to clear and more airy scene by the brook proceeded in all a supple manner without any of this becoming slick or detached thus - with breezy, just slightly flagrantly garish downward chordal sequences in enhanced violins filling in perspective, suggesting first encounter with high elevations. Space was beautifully calibrated on meadow pasture for shepherd’s calls, clanking bells, and noise of sheep to all bucolically be heard in most natural and mysteriously engaging perspective. The almost bejeweled flooding ‘Dresden china’ waterfalls sounded arresting in their overlapping harmonies incurred in shadows hanging off them - all with great simplicity, sense of naivete.

Mozartean grace with sumptuous Flowery Meadows complemented the supple brooding eloquence with which Luisi so infused the reflective Elegy not long before Storm below; it also contrasted with prickly brass dissonances and caprice in winds for ‘Lost in Thickets.’ Luisi avoided all coyness as in dovetailing effects a la Disney. Calibrated so effectively, angry brass just started to crowd out tensile strings ‘on the Glacier.’ A little similarly found ensconced in thick underbrush were animatedly descending triplets through ‘Precarious moments’, suggesting in nature of the writing, a taking off in flight from one contrasting sphere to another - as for instance as taken on by malevolent Nurse in “Frau ohne schatten.” Luisi handled with great finesse the tricky transitional material to immediately follow that, amidst an atmosphere losing stability by the minute.

Luisi had his strings practically inebriated in response to heroic brass at C Major attaining of the summit, fulfilling tight scaling of it right beforehand. Lighter episode of thrown about shadows and light in “Vision” hinted at so airy a state as found during the peaceful closing pages of “Frau.” With fine, well calibrated preparation of all to follow, ‘Storm’ made a vehement impact while allowing in very telling shafts of light. In so heroically scaling the heights afterwards, Luisi may have been able to allow strings a little more space on upward scaling melismas; once attaining the crest of enormously extended and elaborate line, he had his strings playing as though possessed. It was with regret but no hint of bathos that things gently sank through organ benediction to somber depths from which all first arose, here near foot of the mountain past nightfall, or as though near end of life or on verge of a very long, deep sleep.

One had here not just the sensation of a great hike up the mountain - taking in so many sights - but as enhanced by such thoroughly idiomatic playing from Dresden, a much more encompassing experience. In Houston, we needed videos to enhance our ‘Alpine’, but definitely not here. With often lean, well sculpted lines throughout sections and internal nuance with color, sonority this in hindsight made the Saunders at outset seem entirely relevant by end of evening.

Had such Strauss from Luisi had been heard by more people here, the Met (New York) would not have scrapped ‘Frau ohne schatten’ from this coming season, in the great Herbert Wernicke production they own - so richly deserving of high definition exposure in our cinemas. Though Luisi will presumably conduct other Strauss instead there the coming two seasons, the Met still has greatly erred. One can only envy anybody so fortunate to have attended this - especially when it opened under Thielemann seven years ago.



Prom 59. Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, David Zinman. Dawn Upshaw. Royal Albert Hall, London. August 29, 2009.



It was, after the Luisi, to come too far down to hear next prom or two coming so hard on its heels as they did. Mahler encountered earlier this proms has included a Ninth of great feeling and expression, though with mild tendency toward lugubrious at times, and an arched, angular Sixth that, though fiery in doing so, risked leaving perception of it two-dimensional. Nothing even so interesting as all this occurred here, though it goes without saying too that we had just had 'Alpine.'

In the name of ‘period’ perhaps, awkward, arbitrarily ham-fisted negotiation of the somber opening – here then too somber – opening of Schubert’s Rosamunde Overture got things off to a clunky start. Zurich Tonhalle wind principals delivered fine uncoached feeling, sentiment for their lines, but over unyielding goading from strings and podium. Strict handling of ritornellos in bridge from first theme to second during both halves of the body of the overture emerged almost as cross between pep rally and Biedermeier – with dry downbeats – noticed second time around – pseudo-enhanced by little swells on each of them. Other handling of thematic material was mostly adequate to coy; handling of ascending triplets in lower strings in the coda to this was so clumsy as to suggest full engagement in American vernacular to, anymore, hardly unexpected lengths - plenty vulgar for piece in question.

Poor man’s Berio followed in form of a set of Oswaldo Golijov transcriptions of four Schubert songs, as sung affectionately in good voice by Dawn Upshaw, with appropriately solemn opening to Wandrers Nachtlied, but with wonky diction and nuance of such – such as detached on repeat of the word ‘Schweigen.’ Exotic water-coloring of accompaniments came across as merely generic, insipid – nothing of real interest or persuasion. Before scooping the opening of ‘Nacht und Traume,’ “Das sie hier gewesen’, namesake of the arranged song cycle here, dragged on to exotically pretty but too saccharine filled length. Sentiment being too layered onto the surface of things and excessive breaks in line made the last two songs here seem to drag on to nearly twelve minutes, while in at just slightly over eight.

Such meager quality in being able to sustain line and avoid layering on, tweaking of the music for what could not be felt through and through excessively infused as well the Mahler Fourth Symphony. What point of view of the piece as given here remained unclear or completely vague. Such was true, other than at times to somewhat inflexibly and too carefully transcribe into sound Mahler’s instructions in the score, that is, while capable of staying faithful to them. Ritornello right before second theme and intrusions in on closing theme were strict to extent of denying each their sense of bucolic merriment, as though Zinman to be good at his Mahler, sophistication at it should be one distance removed from such considerations. Massage of close to first theme reprise ending to Exposition did not help matters, but horn solo for once was fine after ignored crescendo in concertmaster solo starting the Development section. String section negotiation of contrapuntal writing and of transitions therein vacillated between being too stiff and downright sloppy. Trumpet call preview of Mahler 5 segueing the recap, through alternatively clipping it and letting the line sag towards end lost all its shape - following enormous thud on timpani

Zinman unintentionally infused more parody into Mahler than already exists by having horns play more loudly their obbligato than line in the strings during recap of first theme. Even the French horn solo at the very close of the first movement barely rescued feeling from having altogether become too sniffy, precious at this point. There was achieved decent character from solos during the macabre scherzo, not lightly enough macabre to be disquieting really - with it slightly arbitrary whether to underline places therein or just have his Zurich forces just read through them. Display of how Zurich double-basses can play assigned increasingly wide interval glissandi was good but just seemed mostly to serve that purpose alone.

Pacing, structural grasp of the Adagio (‘Ruhevoll’) here was fairly solid and expressive limning of alternatively radiant and anguished lines in this pointed well numerous times. It all carried on however in manner of muzak right before the opening of the gates of paradise – opened by very awkwardly broken end of upbeat prepared downbeat. Line connecting episodes of the Adagio though tended to plod; negotiation of those episodes of sudden change of tempo to much faster, for sake of parody, seemed too careful by half. First-stand woodwinds provided most expressive relief for this in what otherwise for slack in the line seemed mildly slower pace than usual, but hardly was at all.

For greater attention to diction and infusing so many lines with childlike wonder, Dawn Upshaw sounded considerably more at home with the finale to the Mahler than with contrivance on program for first half of this concert. Her understanding of parody in Mahler in a way upstaged that of David Zinman a couple of different times here – element of such so understated earlier. Zinman showed up to be on same page with Upshaw on introspective modal harmonized interludes during this movement and gently undulating, just almost stumbling pace to the opening of the movement, as should be. Upshaw only overcooked things in beginning last stanza of the finale in too much the childlike manner; at this point, we have in Mahler the adult’s view of the child’s vision of ‘himmlische leben’, as music indicates here; what joy and spring she brought to ‘tanzen and springen’ and so much dance and parody with all the rest.

If, as an aside here, Royal Albert Hall reverb had perhaps been a bit thick for moments of Strauss’s Alpine Symphony, Zinman left more than room enough in his negotiation of textures of the Mahler, in that they are already better economized than in the Strauss; it was however the Strauss that became fully memorable this past week.

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