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.

Friday, April 29, 2011

DR Kultur: AB neo-expressionismus zyklus III. Bernd Alois Zimmermann. Bruckner 9. DSO Berlin. Kent Nagano. Matthias Goerne. Philharmonie. 23.04.11.

Here was a program closing series of three, each featuring a mature Bruckner symphony paired alongside work(s) by (near-) contemporary composers, likely, even if obliquely commenting upon each. Architectonics of sound and light, between two works by Jorg Widmann and Bruckner Five provided first program its unifying idea. Here likely it was the absence of light - in pairing two overtly spiritually and definitively pessimistic works. Perhaps in the progressivism of each can be found some glimmer of hope, even within pervasive gloom of Zimmermann’s ‘ecclesiastical action.’ “ich wandte mich.”

Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s swansong, ‘ecclesiastical action’ programmed here, is based on very insightfully interspersed verses, passages from Book of Ecclesiastes and ‘Grand Inquisitor’ scenes in Dostoevskii’s Brothers Karamazov. ECM liner notes trace model for Zimmermann’s inspiration at least histrionically back to the action sacre’s of four centuries ago – unique cross between oratorio and almost opera they are. ‘Hope in a life worth living’ had all but altogether disappeared for Zimmermann, undercut by illness at little over fifty years old, that even in the dark world he reckoned, he had his other works express. Aspiration toward such is even difficult to find here. Taking on the surface what this music expresses, represents, as openly elaborated on Heinz Holliger’s fine recording, there is no hope.

During moments of larger or full ensemble ritornello in ‘Ich wandte mich’, one finds continuing a practically baroque application of serialism in much elaboration that fully characterizes Die Soldaten. Anything from slow allargando polyphony to sudden, as though igneous eruptions of intermittent rapid stretti still surfaces well – but as though perhaps from activity more than half of such submerged, relegated to a crypt. Emulation in serial language of Gabrieli derivative intradas - just several times relegated to brass alone – Nagano with fine sense of proportions well revealed their providing eloquent framing Atmosphere of minimalistic expressionism is pervasive, such as infuses late Nono and some of Wolfgang Rihm’s compositions; a sensitive ear gets beckoned to pick up through overtones intimation of melodic, harmonic progressions left merely implicit.

For setting of text stressing a continuing or relentless strife between oppression and liberation, between life and death, Kent Nagano seemed most interested here in what makes ‘Ich wandte mich’, according to Zimmermann’s forbears, twentieth century music. Nagano’s pace through this was quite breezy overall. Long sustained notes, pedals extending out, thus leading the ear to sense of conventional harmonic moorings still in play, did not receive underlining here they do under Holliger (ECM), even with what stark dissonances emerge from them. One sensed here a streaming motion, even through thinly scored passages, their often pinprick articulated, demarcated spacing. Vast space indicated here almost rivals scoring inherent to Luigi Nono’s Prometeo


Matthias Goerne proved the lyrical soloist for Kent Nagano, filling out his lines with fine expressive import, plus melisma and other mannerist articulation of his stark lines with fluidity, firmness, and internalized emotional engagement. (Andreas Schmidt, of naturally lower tessitura than Goerne, proved the darker timbre and the more histrionic, more stretched soloist for Holliger – in employing more conventional tempos and profile than has Nagano). Nagano’s two speakers (Ulrich Matthes, Thomas Thieme) and instrumental soloists within DSO Berlin fit deftly into Nagano’s more abstracted perspective on this work – dryly certainly as compared with more evocative representation Holliger and his team provide. Obbligato for electric guitar, stripped just partly from vernacular associations one makes, is very striking - hardly less that for double-bass.

Zimmermann’s merging of his highly developed serialism with the vernacular does not more acutely emerge than it does here. Sounds of softly rattling maracas, cowbells, antique cymbals, such to perhaps almost get lost in the Philharmonie’s diffuse acoustic got sensitively handled here. Nagano, favored leaving much, not quite all manner of expressive or histrionic device to one’s imagination. Sense of running contest under way between the two speaking roles for audible, perhaps philosophical supremacy came across here somewhat reticent or removed.

Word painting - impetus behind it understated here - such as duet of trombones (then mimicked by piccolos) accompanying ‘Ich sah an Arbeit’ – expressing futility of two accomplished masters envying the fruit of each other’s labors - over pounding bass drum, further illustrates the frequently utter grimness of this work. Concertato of trio of piccolos, pizzicato in cellos and melisma infused vocal writing hints at scoring tendencies common to the music of Gyorgy Ligeti. That all eventually sinks a good ways into adopting a meditative, reflective stance reveals Nagano, still unflinching before what violence occurs here, to be not far off the mark in subtly enveloping, shrouding good portions of this work in an air of abstraction. Heratic sense of where overtones lie, associations through recall of particular motivic activity, enveloping, framing provided by such Nagano subjugated to taking secondary role to the most progressive tendencies this music offers toward seeing beyond – also beyond some of the despair, gloom, despondency of Zimmermann’s vision here.

One could vaguely pick up perhaps a mystical grasp of how encountering such a work thus may offer way of being able to linger on a while. Nagano’s handling of fine brass chorale quote of Es ist genug, and jolting crunch with which Zimmermann truncates it came across forcefully, to decisively bring ‘action sacre’ to its conclusion. As observed as from a distance, blunt force characterizing Zimmermann’s vision, its rigor, terseness, at times fraught animation got appropriated more fluidly, streamlined than may be the norm, but within perspective of where this still oft neglected composer may fit within pantheon of the past century’s greats.


Kent Nagano then fully eschewed emotionalizing the Bruckner Ninth Symphony, opting to delve deeper instead. Outer movements got taken broadly - while acutely reckoning formal constraints at every turn. With tendency to keep distant full emotional involvement with content of the Fifth and Seventh symphonies, the probing character of this Ninth was remarkable - full simplicity achieved very impressive. Recently again during the Fifth and Seventh, emphasis for strings to project their sound with as much of their articulation possible or feasible became somewhat paramount throughout. One would normally expect Nagano drawn to forward-looking aspects of the Ninth. In no way then could anyone have felt disappointed.

For Nagano, it was in getting all harmony, voicing clearly spelled out, implications involved that impetus toward propulsive motion for argument throughout this piece got somewhat undercut - never beyond necessity to maintain good line and define well all contrasting episodes All emerged here very cogent and focused. Interesting to look back, because with forward moving impetus compelling Oswald Kabasta’s classic Munich Philharmonic account along, the modernism of all the dissonances in that Ninth as encountered therein, are also stark.

Nagano favored reasonably lean sonorities with which to approach the Ninth – also characteristic good freedom to freely contract and tighten overall sonic picture facing him. Nothing ever sounded denatured from what best characterizes this music, i.e. perhaps anticipating things becoming too detached instead. Equally fortunate, one sought in vain heavy or special underlining of any full scoring for the strings – or for that matter swooning over to death what sonorities can emerge just for their sake alone. Broad tempos combined with emotional stoicism framing everything, optimum flexibility with shaping the coursing line throughout became also highly notable.

Second theme, placed higher as recapitulated especially, got captured very knowingly, its sensuality emerging in full by being simply drawn out of well varied voicing and harmonic shifts through it and underneath. The same quality of workmanship provided third theme group unencumbered, naturally supple flow throughout. Nagano, making mild subito piu mosso out of switch to Moderato for the third theme group, obviated both its almost aimlessly wandering character followed by decisive character of how it develops - especially during well extended later reprise. Minor tendency to insert half to one second pauses to better demarcate episodes from each other during this first movement, proved very apt, very seldom self-conscious.

Broadly paced grasp of mystery opening the first movement through elementally, organically striving buildup through stoically enunciated fortissimo statement of the first theme beautifully laid groundwork for all to follow. What proved virtuous from Nagano in the Adagio closing the Ninth got anticipated by a very restful, meditative lingering over transitions between theme groups. Varied approaches to making incompletely fulfilling restatements of brass chorale motif from the Introduction, detachment toward making it to goal made (proto-existentialist) doubt expressed therein eloquent.

Even at broad pacing to all of this through for instance descending march of pizzicato in the strings, goal of achieving firm restatement of the first theme remained clear. For it, Nagano imposed a curious subito piu mosso as in effect to send all flowing through it. Tentatively starting buildup to auspicious climax in F Minor and achieving it may have frustrated a few wanting it milked for all its worth. More vulgar is to have the trumpets resoundingly on their jagged dotted rhythms make something Bruckner-star Galactica out of this passage; fortunately that did not happen here. Climax before coda was febrile in its intensity, wringing last drop of waning vitality out of it all, preceding wearily, stoically despondent brass chorale anticipation of very broadly paced coda rounding all out with compelling power and intensity.

Demonic quality of the scherzo became suggested as opposed to overstated - clearly lurking beneath it all through an internalized violence (pressed a little harder the second time through it) of achieving the minor dominant halfway through outer sections.. The lousy overstating of accelerando, worst on Karajan’s late 1970’s recording of this, mercifully got thrown out. Incisively playful interaction through ret-transition preceding through it Nagano beautifully clarified – in manner one would normally associate with Bernard Haitink’s Bruckner interpretations – also the bucolic lift informing the ferocity of this scherzo – yet without undermining it. The trio section with incisively achieved skip through its opening plus slight lift from behind for sighing consequents (and without rushing one bit principal flautist Thomas Hecker) got excellently characterized here. Mystery with restarting piquantly opening Scherzo was memorable – then extra heft through a hell-bent emphasis on upbeats bringing the Scherzo to an incisive conclusion.

The quasi-Klemperer like stoicism, broad pacing informing the first movement paid off equally compelling dividends for the Adagio A performance of this of more noble poise, well achieved outline than this from anybody today would be difficult to imagine. Stoic anguish expressed took on Amfortas like proportions, but with transfigured light glimmering throughout - auspiciously through clearly voiced dissonant climax toward the end, equally febrile invoking terror - letting unforced strings resound above the brass with very compelling clarity and intensity.

Space allowed for lingered over consequents in solo oboe and horn and for once over clearly enunciated comments in double-basses - all connected – characterized, succinctly shaped, the broad introduction to the Adagio. Slightly tentative opening to second theme each time proved lone distraction, perhaps welcome, from the deep underlying and often quiet intensity to this Adagio.

Full concise shaping of the B Minor agitated inversion of the Adagio’s opening theme framed intense, long trailing off thereof in high winds basking off glimmering light ascetically far across the horizon – how effortlessly all could turn sublime here at achieving ideal simplicity of expression – equally remindful of much excellent work Nagano achieved while in charge in advent of succession by Ingo Metzmacher. Long breathed anguished ascent off mid-phrase re-entering first subject past halfway through this Adagio, as to not quite deny brass interjections good space, leading up to fully harmonized sigh of descending chorale in the strings, was also notable. Achievement of such moment of repose turned out all unaffected, sublime. Break off of winds on clearly detached hollow major seconds from exchange of introductory minor-ninth opening motif between strings was very exact – and harrowing.

Intensity, lightly achieved, reaching far, to open the coda was thrilling. Coming off perhaps the very last crescendo in starting extended preparation for quoting the opening of the Bruckner Seventh closing the Ninth momentarily became slightly jittery, but as though to remind all of the utter humanity of such endeavor. With all taken very slowly entire way through horns’ ascending phrase, sense of motion still being alive, coursing throughout emerged through very nobly limned conclusion to this.

As even modernist an approach Nagano’s is, it made the often quite fine Rattle interpretation heard recently in London seem, by comparison, to linger on the surface. Rattle’s interpretation of the Ninth, in even perhaps helping expose its weaknesses, and fractured psychological state of its composer, along similar lines of how Robert Simpson has criticized this work, might seem now almost cheaply deconstructionist in perspective. The feeling of all being at peace at the close of the Nagano was achieved by accepting Bruckner as is, through beautiful preparation - by the most highly organic, unforced means. Opportunity to make chamber music out of many lyrical, transitional passages of the Sixth – hardly ever self-conscious – as played at the Proms six years back – typified this effort as well.. This Ninth proved fine testament to the resiliency of the human spirit while facing immediate prospect of life ebbing away.

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Monday, April 25, 2011

BBC: Royal Opera McVicar Aida - serious casting, podium upgrade from last season provides fine musico-dramatic focus. Fabio Luisi.

It turned out well for David McVicar’s production, new last season, of Verdi’s Aida to have received a second chance at Royal Opera, given how strapped it got with musically disastrous results last season. BBC annotation then more emphasized a kind of generalized smorgasbord of costuming styles, generations from ancient past to modern, something to please everybody, being thrust upon Convent Garden stage. This year their sound bite leaned much more on the garish, even graphic violence to depict of an at best vaguely located totalitarian war-mongering state – equally de-Egyptologized – no elephants, no pyramids – as how things appeared last year. Figures to represent shriveling up, rotting away corpses off the field of battle hung off meat hooks above Amneris’s richly marble enhanced boudoir.

More assured, confident to conduct this performance was Fabio Luisi. Most likely helpful too was the cancellation of Micaela Carosi - given how inadequate last year she proved for the title role – thereby Ukranian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska made her Convent Garden debut. Dramatically, she provided cogent, well considered understanding of much at stake. Vulnerability of Aida’s plight, naivete with Amneris, toughness under stress, subtly and directly manipulative way of compromising Radames all evidenced themselves.

Good line, legato, coloration of the above adequately carried forth, albeit compromised by occasional cloudy tone, soggy diction, bluster toward pushing up the sound, artificially darkening it thereby; thickness around the break made this at times a real issue. Of concern also was tentative stab to get more lyrical acuti to float, sound less obviously detached, and thereby to keep intonation stable. For heroic utterances, such as closing Act Two, she clearly made herself heard, even while flat, and through Nile duet with Amonasro as well. Flexibility to lighten voice during ‘O patria mia’ and through much of ‘Fuggiam inospiti’’ later along the Nile was lovely. Grasp of how to float her sound waited several lines or so however to establish itself during tomb scene with Radames.
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Roberto Alagna, largely assisted by deft, sensitive accompaniment from Fabio Luisi, revealed a more probing look at Radames through tendency to scale voice back and more subtly negotiated demands it makes than evident at La Scala several years ago – subject of the Roberto Alagna Milan Walkout, it turned out once. His sound was drier at Convent Garden than in Milan, but with considerably less of a constantly pushed up, projected quality than under a concise, more forthright Riccardo Chailly.

Some strain through ‘Celeste Aida’ was again apparent, its tessitura precariously centered around the break - as has occurred many times. Alagna still provided the smarts to define character – mix of sense of wonder and naivete innate to a good Radames – if all slightly weak at filling out heroic dimensions also characterizing the Egyptian captain. ‘Nel fiero anelito’ upon greeting Aida along the Nile Alagna provided good ring and purpose – and then shaded nuance his puzzlement at Aida’s imploring him to join her in fleeing south. Fabio Luisi proved his attentive best at not allowing Alagna to get precariously stuck for long on spinto required acuti to follow. (Radames murdering two guards during futile attempt at escape from the priests seems both indulgent, out of character). Despondency during scene with Amneris, despair with which to open the Tomb Scene and melos in head voice for final duet therein with Aida both got securely achieved. If not quite renascence of Carlo Bergonzi at lyrically essaying Radames, Alagna revealed an extra helping of nuance – beyond what may have in the Italianate repertoire been often likely during much of his past.

Olga Borodina was the regal, imposing Amneris. With years of experience at it, in fine voice sheobviated well the psychological complexity of the princess – also complexity of means by which Amneris gets her way, attempts doing so. With age, slight loss of certainty has crept in, in terms of keeping solid low notes, evenness between registers, but once past trio in Act One,, such uncertainty seemed to evaporate. Particularly moving during Act Four, an Amenris full of desperation and regret, Borodina overall made Amneris more the woman than avenging angel – stock interpretation that comes from singing the big Verdi leads three-fourths of the time. More than cantabile, melos for opening lines of Acts Two and Three, Borodina came across fully convincing as woman fully infatuated with Radames, then deeply uncomprehending of her passion going unrequited. Her feigning of concern even for Aida during Act Two, expression of empathy overall, was so good, it is still hard to believe it had not been real, albeit her ‘Trema, o schiava’s – as forceful, implacable as the best around - Borodina still insurpassable an Amneris.

Although without quite the natural bite in diction of an Italian baritone singing Verdi, Michael Volle made, secure across the range, ideal casting as Amonasro. Guelfi, Vratogna, heard at the Met, Convent Garden, Munich, La Scala, other places lack sufficient tone for ability to sustain it. Evenness of tone, assurance this way, by comparison, was here in spades. Along with fully humanizing the part, Amonasro’s plight, Volle frequently incisive with text whether using full voice or sotto voce, became all-encompassing. Volle’s catching the very circumspect and equally subtle conniving qualities of the beleagured king was all spot-on. The twenty minutes in which Amonasro must dramatically make an impression were such upon which Volle capitalized in full.

Not quite evil black ball of sound I found - as described to me by long time friend of mine who actually saw Kowaljow in London during the same run sing this. A relatively lean, still dark toned Vitalij Kowaljow, baritonal on top, mostly made convincing the both overtly firm and implacable aspects of high priest Ramfis. In providing solidity at bottom to cast overall, Kowaljow hardly ever came up short. Grasp of the solemnity of priestly character, simplicity of addressing Radames at trial directly both brought out the visionary reach typical of any good Ramfis - though vision being toxic - necessary to avoid resorting to stock villainy. Brindley Sherratt was tonally lean, all business as King of Egypt, imparting through ‘Su del Nilo’ sense of outrage out of supposedly being forced into (new) campaign against the Ethiopians. The smoky sensuous toned Preistess of Madeleine Pierard sounded probably soon worthy of larger assignments.

Several contemporary productions of Aida, probably good handful by now, offer setting generic as to specific time or location, or in case of Chris Alden’s in Berlin, updating and bringing action close to home altogether. Along with this arrives a new musical sensitivity - working toward eschewing making any characteristic pointing to much anything religious, political, social too specific. Repartee on replayed episode of PBS syndicated drama New Tricks however got me wondering about the good old legendary ancient Egyptians. From momentarily a much peeved ever headstrong Sandra Pullman to one of her detective co-workers - I paraphrase – ‘Say that again (and) I will make myself earrings out of your testicles.’ Ouch! McVicar already has accomplished near as much, as to how to suggest ancient Egypt - thus maybe not so good to provide him any further ideas.

Fabio Luisi opted for approach predominantly flowing, lyrical, mildly Teutonic in specificity over how to weigh, voice especially choral and brass sonorities. Having said that, Luisi steered mostly clear of replacing supportive line in the orchestral part with amorphous profile thereof, into which his singers should blend – as frequently occurred under Luisotti last year. Limning of string, then string-accompanied lines for flute made limpid magic out of preludes to both odd-numbered acts. Stark simplicity in building both Brahmsian stretti during Act One prelude was also insightful, as was measured pacing, attentive to getting rhythm precisely right and rests within line their full value to frame opening of the Tomb scene, infused throughout with limpid support for the condemned lovers, supple calibration of all else. Passages for brass, timpani, especially referring to priests, their asceticism Luisi replaced coming across (potentially) loudly violent or aggressive with bringing out dry sonorities strongly implied instead.

Attention to overall line and also dramatic interaction between singers, especially during the Nile Scene and last act – also during audience between Aida and Amneris and ‘Ma tu, Re’ during Act Two - was apt, mostly concise. Positive qualities to the scrupulous leadership from the pit also became evident throughout the rest, but most of the way until the opera’s second half, one had perhaps to grope around for being able to perceive any really specific point of view about Verdi’s Aida overall. This included streamlining of more forceful cabalettas - toward end of the Nile Scene and then during Act Four between Radames and Amneris. Alongside incisively minute attentiveness of Luisi to singers’ needs, while facing numerous potentially precarious moments, came some fussiness, thereby intermittently flaccidity as well, notably during the Triumphal Scene and for dances during earlier scenes.

Through the graphic violence of the staging, one could grasp issue of how any ‘lower depths’ regardless of time, ethnicity, nationality can get ‘marginated’ – word I learned this evening from repeat of PBS interview of Helen Prejean. I think word Sister Prejean wanted instead was ‘marginalized’ – during anecdotally wise citing of having temporarily resided in notorious St Thomas projects in New Orleans – concerning residents’ overall plight there. Or perhaps the word she intended might have been ‘margarinated;’ handful or two of mostly guys (Baker 13) at one fairly elite varsity, ‘Harvard of the South’ nearby opts for shaving cream instead.

Nevertheless good sense of purpose, resolve in mind here got Aida performed responsibly well, at last bringing dignity to bear upon David McVicar’s still relatively new production.

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Thursday, April 21, 2011

BBC: BBC NOW, Thierry Fischer. Stunning realization of Berlioz Romeo et Juliette (complete). Cardiff, Wales. 15.4.11.

Whenever the occasion arises Thierry Fischer conducts something major Berlioz, this performance of Romeo et Juliette further proved all should get put aside to attend or hear such an event. He borrows from the ‘period’ movement somewhat in how to conceptualize how Berlioz should sound to modern ears, but less as a musicologist, ideologue than the unusually insightful flautist he has been – under Abbado and Harnoncourt (with Chamber Orchestra of Europe). The results reflect subservience of what we know about playing nineteenth century music ‘period’ – on modern instruments here – to music composed instead of vice versa.

Nothing Berlioz composed better explains how genuine the working out, attainment of his goals than his ‘dramatic symphony, Romeo et Juliette. Fischer, while at helm of the BBC National Wales has prudently waited until after programming several other major works, notably the less evenly inspired Damnation de Faust (for which he had better vocal soloists than for this). Berlioz, with Romeo et Juliette – inspired by insatiable infatuation for Harriet Smithson – ratcheted up what expectations he had for performing this from how he composed Symphonie fantastique not long before.

Among settings of Shakespeare’s tragedy to music, including Gounod opera inspired by this, this instead of being conventional setting of synopsis to music is transformation of sorts instead. The premise for their being purely orchestral movements enclosed within external frame of this work is highly unusual. They exist to suggest a level of expression that words, in breaking off, fail to express, even perhaps still as set to music - why performances of just the orchestral movements fail to satisfy. Truncation away from what – even in a rarefied way – prepares the listener for hearing all of this music, combining chanson, orchestral form, chorally accompanied cortege, purely scenic music, and finally cantata never seems quite right. Calling this the greatest genius in having set Romeo and Juliet to music understates the case.

Keen anticipatory sense informed dueling fugato opening the Introduction with violas and cellos chomping at the bit - keeping all incisive and firm at once. Spring to the rhythms more than how hard Fischer’s musicians can dig in became paramount – with paprika from woodwinds stirring up agitation from within. Brass triplets accompanied marcia, at cut time, elicited fine swagger, while firming up all about. Lean brass nobly profiledthe Duke’s edicts – strings daringly very light with broken ‘fight’ music beneath. Anticipatory sense through simple textual pointing replaced going at choral prologue ‘church style.’ Susan Bickley, lightly intoning her distraught lines expressively, matched choral work well. Brief interlude previewing the Capulets’ ball was well animated with BBC NOW winds slightly lengthening out their staccati. Inhalation, exhalation informing choral lines opening with ‘Helas’ conveyed the mystery of Berlioz’s writing, with meaningfully ‘scene d’amour’ preview natural outgrowth of all having preceded.

Much febrile wistfulness informed sighing violins opening ‘Romeo seul.’ Winds next sighing cantilena refrain on simple four note figure – limned by fine violins’ obbligato, helped complete the picture. Rustling preview of ball scene neatly limned continuing spinning out in oboe of cantilena above – ending with suggestion of ‘Scene aux champs’ from ‘fantastique’ well delineated here. Precisely terraced forth party music helped bring all out in the open, for dizzying vortex encircling bacchanalian main idea taking center stage, suffusing every level. Incidence of intrusive dissonant explosions always clearly emerged without blocking surge forward. Razor sharp incisive engagement while keeping all light left developing energy through all this left in check. Formidable chorale in unison brass took forefront over continual repeat of revelry theme, just having passed through upper woodwinds lightening it over deft pizzicato. Muffled rumination in bassoons, lower strings under momentarily deeply subdued wild revelry prepared final lift of blazing intensity to playing, scenography represented thereof.

Besotted post tonal haze engulfed all air about – strings marked double pianissimo to segue in ‘Scene d’amour’, trailed by more alert remaining allotment of carousing revelers well off in the distance. Berlioz had already written his choral bacchanale in Benevenuto Cellini (popularly known from the ‘Roman Carnival’ Overture). Imagine how well less of an impression he may have made had he included choral parts for wild party at the Capulets. Berlioz perhaps improved a little upon Shakespeare here without such.

Wafting in with ease then emerged ‘Scene d’amour.’ Distraction comes to mind of the inane ‘shadow play’ of previous action in the Ring at the Met to pictorialize narration by Siegmund and Wotan - Wagner, in need of props, in other words. Narrative sense combined with never layered on, but fully suggested eroticism provided complete picture with all color to infuse it, including very light murmur filigree in violins placed far back. Lift over crest or refrain to main subject happened with great ease, through achievement of full flush in C Major (minor key mediant). Short figures then intimated Juliet’s deferring reply to Romeo’s impassioned entreaties. Anguish in violins’ suspension laden ascending line gradually intensified. Affectation of ‘period’ throughout Scene d’amour, while played on modern instruments and without handicapping feeling this music should evoke was most, instead of least effective here; one would not need any props to be able to visualize picture in mind. Regret, desire for all to linger on beyond indefinitely acutely highlighted all expressivity during what followed.. Fischer informed the self-transformative character of material on display here, what made it ‘new music’ the time it was written, with plethora of detail micro-managed deep from within this music’s fabric, for it to all speak eloquently on its own.

An almost Webern-esque pointing of sonorities opening ‘Queen Mab’ Fischer handled just as such. Presto marking got understated, but much light pointing constantly shifting colors made all appear as though going by more quickly than it was. Middle section, mournfully intoned from winds beneath sustained pedal of harmonics in the violins was equally rapt – at tempo hardly slower than for outer sections – ‘Mab’ still lightly pulsating underneath. Descant chording in winds subtly obscured full resumption of ‘Mab’ followed by bright caccia horns’ episode moving toward sudden blaze in full brass – understated here – shock of making dissonance of common chord sufficiently compelling instead. Surrealistic lighting to infuse further caroling of ‘Mab’, decorated by harp and contra-bassoon, was very distinctive, then working way itoward slow drifting away into the mists of encroaching daylight. Jean-Paul Fouchecourt ideally made tripping arabesque out of Mab scherzetto ending Part One, with alternatively pointillistic diatonic and filled out chromatic sonorities behind him - toward very brief visited foreboding close to this interlude.

Into cortege opening Part Three, overall spell still carried over. Seldom a chorus on too often self-important repeated sustaining pedal of one pitch, sings softly enough to naturally place behind sinuous lines in strings and winds – toward having repeated pitch intertwined all within – but it happened here. By time choral and orchestral forces trade places, all usually has started sounding vaguely Brahmsian instead. Rapidly repeating E’s up higher, carrying drifting spectral line off well into the distance, at last avoided sounding merely silly.

Connecting line through ‘’Romeo au tombeau des Capulets’ was, comparable to during preceding cortege – again something to behold. Mystery engulfed low bass chords in very foreign keys, coming off ascending agitated sequence of tremoli led by the strings. English horn led lower winds dolefully lamented Invocation to follow with neither pause nor stylization, but with color between combined unison winds very rich. Through several acute final episodes, intensity of the playing, backed by security equalling that of any modern orchestra, was amazing. Fischer’s achievement of harmonic ear, way of providing illusion of sustaining overtones beyond dry grounding in groaning contra-basses far underneath, through broken wild interjections from especially the strings was practically surreal – for music seemingly impossible to ‘get right.’ Romeo’s invocation provided Fischer ideal sense of sustaining impetus throughout all this.

Until forthright benedictory ode to complete, frame both Part Three and symphony itself, Fischer in accompanying baritone Jonathan Lemalu (Frer Laurent), unstable vocally, became helpless in how to sustain any further musical interest, with Berlioz having left it to the soloist to do so here. This cantata, with its concluding ode, is musically the most conventional portion of this work. Fischer’s flowing and sinuous accompaniment for Susan Bickley through Strophes (Part One) was valuable in preparing what would follow. Encountering slight effort around the break, Bickley, vocally plain overall, was expressive, faithful to text, understanding well its meaning.

Among three Colin Davis recordings of Romeo et Juliette I have auditioned, the one with the Vienna Philharmonic, with fine soloists, has proven the best. I still have yet to try his first Philips recording. Furtive glance can be made back at comprehensive Berlioz legacy Davis has assembled, as to how he approached this music - and proto-period accents therein – before we had ‘period’ interpretation of music written (well) after 1800.

There is, apart from Les Troyens, no more a tour de force musically, aesthetically within the Berlioz canon than Romeo et Juliette. Berlioz had indeed reserved a most rarefied quality for achieving what opens out here. Thierry Fischer painstakingly revealed here how one can open out some truly incredible insights, toward making the radicalism of Berlioz’s vision seem entirely fresh. Fischer is acutely sensitive to Berlioz having drawn upon music, tradition of the past – especially Gluck, whose aesthetic invocation of antiquity spurred on Berlioz’s vision, radicalism thereof. Fischer’s grasp of the simplicity deeply ingrained within this sphere, as something inhabiting a different dimension than any ‘period’ practice can alone convey was very telling - Berlioz’s vision paramount, indisputably of sole importance – most sublimely effective with ‘Romeo et Juliette.'

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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Met on NPR: Levine valecditorily led Wozzeck. Unqualified triumph for Waltraud Meier (Marie). Mark Lamos production. James Levine. 16.4.11

James Levine has since 1974 made Wozzeck, then several years later Lulu central staples of Met repertoire during his now very near forty years with the company. A certain amount of credit is due him for being, as many Met patrons estimate, a stirring advocate for Alban Berg’s two operas. His long familiarity with Wozzeck, played Saturday without a break, clearly evinced itself here. He dropped conducting Das Rheingold in its second run for the season and also second run of Il Trovatore (as presented at Met in HD) to guarantee himself this now likely valedictory opportunity to do Wozzeck at the Met.

Virtuosity of the Met orchestra for Wozzeck became, as expected, fully on display. Hardly anybody could have left disappointed, including with fine principal solos from viola, flute, contra-bassoon during this opera’s first scene alone. Much of their work fulfilled many, if not quite all of Alban Berg’s formal, expressive intentions. Lushness of realizing full expressive potential of the final scene of Act One got better realized this time than perhaps on two previous occasions. For Levine’s better, if still less than ideally integrating fanfare derived ‘lust’ motif introducing it into remainder of hothouse the scoring provides also on its own merits, the deeply interwoven motivic fabric infusing everything spoke forth more decisively. Contrasting with this, intricate pointing of detail, mostly to bring out character for instance of the individual dance movements of quasi-Baroque suite to which the opera’s opening scene is set was very attentive, incisive. Buildup of climax during ‘rhapsody’, scene among the brushes with Andres – with Wozzeck, literally on the verge, so to speak, achieved evocative realization

Levine, ever loyal accompanist to his singers, tended also to succumb here and there to restraining himself from tightening up musical and dramatic tension to where it might put one of his singers under additional strain, such as during brief epilogue for Marie to single encounter with Wozzeck during Act One, capped by her impassioned reprise of Wozzeck’s signatory ‘Wir arme leut.’

For Act Two, concentration for maintaining optimum grip on the inner workings of Berg’s scoring then seemed distracted. Key was impulsivity on Levine’s part to underline or enhance some extra certain key moments – such as his rushing exaggeratedly through brief stretto interlude between its first two scenes. Even with the bizarrely transitory quality of how much of the central Largo (Scene Three) of Act Two is written – and its episodic references back to both Drum Major sightings during Act One, this Largo contains much of its own material on its own merit. Principal cellist Rafael Figueroa’s vulgar rushing of his opening solo to this made segue into streamlining of much of the rest of this scene.

Proportions for the tavern, ‘grand opera’ scene emerged mostly intact, with fine Mahlerian lilt for its opening laendler. Concertato of brass framing ‘pitchless’ huntsmen’s choruses was excellent, until toward end of scene becoming too rushed. The best at grandiose gesture had to wait until interlude into the final barracks scene, starting off with choral snoring amongst the men clearly louder than marked. String section parody, gavotte style, of military piquancy got the point across, though all slightly worked, toward abetting clipped brass stretti to break out.


Waltraud Meier’s artistically superior command of Marie assisted bringing Levine, his shaping of things into intense focus, with fine lyricism, including well honed in tone painting to limn numerous things during first half of Act Three – such to never fully get restored again until orchestral epilogue to the opera. Crest to the big line building through this interlude formed in part by much reminiscence of earlier events was very fine. The two scenes prior to it got rushed - played mostly for melodramatic effect, through, frustrating, rushing through the swallowing up of Wozzeck into the depths; eerie atmosphere surrounding children at play for brief final scene eloquently, disquietingly framed the preceding interlude.

Allan Held, replacing Matthias Goerne, played Wozzeck. While singing calmer, still despairing passages, such as aria with which to fully introduce himself, he disguised well some thinness from often now a conspicuously hollow middle register. Low notes are also weak. It was for these moments, calm opening of final exchange of lines with Marie by the lake included that Held won the most sympathy for his character.

Tendency to shoot much higher for pitches or Sprechstimme suggestion thereof also showed up early though. Exaggeration of dramatic gesture during long scene in Act Two in company of both Captain and Doctor needling him, took Held clearly beyond the pale, beyond point he could maintain any tonal quality either spoken or sung, at all - rendering him practically hoarse. His giving some lines, often hallucinatory text some shape and meaning during passacaglia alone with the Doctor revealed good musical and histrionic understanding of what is going on, along with calm solicitude of Marie and child during two other scenes. Loss of dignity for Wozzeck during much of this was such that other than to voluntarily suspend disbelief, it became difficult from Held to perceive any better a Wozzeck than as though cut out of cardboard.

Stuart Skelton emerged sturdy vocally, at first gentlemanly as the Drum Major, scrupulous to pitch and Berg’s note values while coming across haughty, a little blown up in both what develops into confrontation with Marie and then later with Wozzeck. Of less consistent quality were the Captain and Doctor of Gerhard Siegel and Walter Fink, respectively. For each of their individual scenes in Act One, their individual comedic sense of their absurdist lines was very fine. Siegel relied well upon text, good pointing thereof to at first convey the Captain’s (willful) neuroticism. Fink drew upon deep vocal reserves to assist in making parody on much hyper-attenuated gravitas of the Doctor. Over what started as fine intricacy and voice leading from Met wind principals, both failed to avoid exaggerating everything during their Act Two extended scene together.

Russell Thomas made very flexible turn out of an ideally earthy, artless, simple Andres, with fine bonhomie, sanguine demeanor. The two workmen, Richard Bernsteibn, Mark Schowalter, started off lustily, robustly, but with Bernstein hamming up the absurdity of opening his proto-Marxist sermon at the tavern until making better sense of how it wraps up. Wendy White took to Margret’s exchange of gossipy invective with Marie on very broad terms, then settled comfortably into her Thrid Act song for Swabian lass with fruity aplomb, but got rushed off making the most of her menacing designation of ‘Blut’ across Wozzeck’s right arm. Philip Castagner made exaggerated caricature of the Idiot.

Utter theatricality of this venture was seldom in doubt, pairing up Mark Lamos’s plainly lit abstract set, with which to amply provide the action space, and toward humanizing matters with James Levine’s broadly Romantic leaning approach Pacing overall was good, exception being some compulsive rushing through certain passages – in part to compensate for lingering a bit much to gild several others. Levine, even today, wears things still a little on the sleeve his affection for this music, and narrative it unfolds.

Nothing here however could compete with the fierce and uncompromising dedication to the part of Marie Waltraud Meier provided. Not only does she fully convincingly live the part on stage, but painstakingly accomplishes singing literally everything perfectly in tune, drawing out of the Met orchestra beautiful limning of their sonorities during for instance the first scene of Act Three.

Contrast between saucy repartee with Margret and doting lullaby over her son, just as much between her at first glib attention to Wozzeck’s raving and smoldering passion for the Drum Major became perfectly established here. Meier also made Marie’s pleasure in company of her son and with gift from the Drum Major equally palpable, contrasting with her growing anxiety in presence of Wozzeck and then her eventually, ominously defying him. Marie’s beginning to awaken to conscience, while sifting through varied emotions and Bible verses very stoically, realistically took on tragic proportions, together with very poignantly rendered belated attempt to better reach out to Wozzeck during their final scene together. Some can still recall Falk Struckmann’s definitive interpretation of the title role at the Met, fourteen years ago, to attempt reckoning what such match-up practically anywhere could have yielded. Meier and Struckmann have now met for short run of Parsifal in Vienna the following week.

As an aside, Struckmann was the dramatically vivid Scarpia on an otherwise quite ordinary January Met broadcast of Puccini’s Tosca; I did not remain tuned in after Act Two. Since, as further aside, the Luc Bondy production of Tosca opened at the Met in 2009, with its willful postmodern eccentricities, nobody else has so definitively contributed to portraying any character therein so well ,as Struckmann now has.

Had the Met been able to bottle up the intensity Meier and Struckmann have contributed to their parts from principal players and conductor involved too, overall effect of such a Wozzeck, instead of being just relatively fulfilling as occurred here, could have been explosive. What will linger on from this experience will most of all be the unforgettable Marie from Waltraud Meier, taking curtain calls with John Albert,as the boy – Meier again revelatory of what might or could have been – in context her selfless and complete dedication to marriage of Alban Berg’s music to Georg Buchner’s text.


Comments dedicated to Dr.'s Richard Kim, John Baird (retired0 and to Connie and their seemingly indefatigable good work.

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Thursday, April 7, 2011

Dr Kultur: AB neo-expressionismus zyklus II. Wolfgang Rihm. Bruckner 7. DSO Berlin. Kent Nagano. Rayanne Dupuis. Philharmonie. 19.03.11.

Over-riding theme to this second pairing of mature Bruckner symphonies with contemporary work commenting upon it seemed to be German-ness, opening with work of particularly critical, soul-searching, deconstructionist perspective from Wolfgang Rihm. Kent Nagao conducted at the Bavarian State Opera four years ago his 35 minute monodram - Das Gehege (‘The Bawn’). Gabrielle Schnaut played the woman, Anita, accompanied by dancer as ‘eagle’ at its word premiere – pared with Strauss’s Salome (portrayed by Angela Denoke). Its text is the final scene of play by Botho Strauss, Sclusschor (title allusive to finale to the Beethoven Ninth).

A woman, night the Berlin Wall has fallen, has by stealth entered the Berlin Zoo and become involved with a caged eagle she finds therein and frees from its cage. She implores the bird to engage with her, taunts it to come nearer her, which it does. As the bird becomes more provoked, she becomes haughtier, more intrusive on its space - to point the bird then lunges at her; she then kills it, then emerges from the scene drenched in blood. A golden eagle, symbolizing Germany, with crises to which Germany has subjected herself to over the years, gets left subject to interpretation. Parallel between the eagle becoming an object of desire and Jokanaan’s severed head for Salome in Munich became obvious. Suggested is some ideation of the ego, concept of national identity closely related thereof.

Rihm’s rhapsodic scoring, definitely more conservative than his two full-length operas, evokes past musical heritage, but commenting upon such as in effect zooming in and out, alternatively subtly and abruptly for effect of varied distances and perspectives. Two orchestral interludes feature procession on echoing pizzicati, chimes, interspersed winds, brass all in detached whole tones to evocative, distancing Orinetal-esque effect. This all works confluent with the varied emotional, psychological states of Anita during strange encounter in question. Reference to an extended diatonic past musically has for Rihm something more to do with memory, recollection than anything else - challenged, confronted here full-out. Subversive it is to reveal tonality as Rihm does - left constantly floundering, between being subject to brass interjections from without and prone to self-destruction from within. All this seems to work parallel to the shattered psyche of the woman and morbid association in neurotic, even erotic identification with the bird to an aggressive extent - as Jens Laurson for MusicWeb Internat’l has indicated. Brass interjections help bring to the fore ramifications of extending tonality into numerous seventh, ninth, eleventh chords, overlapping thereof.

Over suspended dissonance in harmonics, other instrumentation, Das Gehege begins with assertive lines of reproach for decaying features of aging bird in question - parallel to revulsion one feels at first seeing the head of Jokanaan to start final scene of Salome. As contrast one has the woman muse elaborately over concept of ‘Wald’ – repeating the word a dozen times, to close this monologue, accompanied by varied orchestral reminiscences of what has transpired – ending below trailing off concertmaster harmonics over vast unfilled space. Mood for such development is elegiac - several waltz-like allusions to the music of Richard Strauss also, ranging from warmly nostalgic to sultry, debauched - latter as during Anita’s depraved observation of the bird’s decaying physical condition, i.e. in lusty chest tones on ‘Rippenkorb’ (repeated). Both at moment’s notice can abruptly break off into jagged, agitated stretto through violent swoops, half-glissando up in the strings – feigning strong beating of bird wings - peppered by highly dissonant brass interjections. Echoing of lyric lines, phrasing in harmonics, high woodwinds also comes across detached, less so poignantly elegiac writing for oboe and English horn.

Several quiet interludes in this create sensation of time suspended – with ostinati running through them seemingly devoid of any better than vaguely allusive connection to what has preceded or will follow them. ‘Time shards’ Michael Cherlin speaks of, regarding Arnold Schoenberg’s Erwartung definitely come to mind - likely Rihm’s least contrived sounding allusion thereof in ‘Das Gehege.’ March like rhythms emerge at moment’’s notice with little regularly paced to accompany, even during one interlude of increasingly clastic application of Alberti figuration in the strings. Concertmaster solo riffs off the section Alberti on harmony a whole tone up to accompany tellingly Anita addressing the eagle with line ‘Wo ist dein Doppenbild?’ Such reference to march rhythm, other musical allusion to militancy arrives by wonderfully varied means of instrumentation, placement, whether to the fore (and without tune to accompany) and/or functioning as something without aim, direction - ephemeral or upon which one at best can only obtain a tenuous grasp.

Onomatopaeic references to nature abound, such as telling extended moment for principal flute and concertmaster on harmonics playing exposed lines reflexively imitating each other as Anita reflects on how much or how little the eagle does toward matching her disturbed frame of mind. Free floating line of harmonics tremolo in exposed concertmaster solo, thinly accompanied during closing paragraphs is one more instance. Qualified masterpiece, mildly contrived as this work sounds, even through its air of nostalgia, there is some potent undercurrent here – remindful of how Rihm’s other operatic work, Conquest of Mexico for instance, really pushed the envelope.

For comparison’s sake, long track by Nancy Gustafson and Markus Stenz with Gurzenich Koln can be heard on youtube, for which we can be grateful. Both orchestras sound equally at home capturing the idiom, fully internalizing this music. Nagano and his more histrionic soloist Rayanne Dupuis – with hollower sound, slightly greater impetus to vent hysteria, but less warmth than Gustafson - lent this work the more detached perspective. Written very well, comfortably for the voice, animated here is much gestural variety, affectation through well connected line of recitative, arioso, declamation, melisma - all helping provide unifying quality to elaborate psychological landscape on display. Dupuis’s low notes were less secure, less lustrous, thereby less suggestive of deeper motif than those of Gustafson. Hardly less authoritative, less imaginative though has been this rendition.


Kent Nagano then offered Bruckner’s Seventh relatively along conventional lines, drawing full bloom out of DSO Berlin strings for their broad lines to abet sustaining fairly moderate pace for its first two movements. His perspective still seems mildly averse to bringing out what might be construed this music’s hieratic aspects. In fact, to avoid such intangibles, some interpretative sameness or generality took over sometimes. While openly maintaining linear clarity throughout the first movement, some specific turn of phrase, innate nuance thereof got mildly streamlined away.

Direct shaping of broad opening theme was good, but by there being some emphasis on strings projecting their sound forward, a little stodginess crept in early with violins extending out noble first theme toward its crest. Nagano then, assisted by his winds, regained focus overall shape with the second theme, winds providing very good light pulsated ring for ongoing current underneath. Buildup through ascending line in the strings thus sounded more circumspect. Not much there was to do to bring things down to making all down to earth; bourree like third subject opened with plentiful character until Nagano felt inclined toward arching, projecting line to emerge thereof, then to deftly close first large section of this movement. Reposeful opening of next section got slightly heavily enveloped – much ardor then drawn out of line DSO Berlin cellos with which to reply to wind’s first theme inversion.

Somewhat lean, dry in persuasion, loud C Minor transition, inversion Nagano avoided rushing excessively, although making slightly conspicuous mild slowing up for restatement of the first theme when it can enter more surreptitiously instead. Restatement of first theme material transformed in relaxed frame of mind held forth better appeal to Nagano; simplicity with such through altered third subject in a redefining new key then took over very nicely. Steeply arched first theme consequent based paragraph eloquently issued forth - pressed forward trumpets then to blaze forth moments later bringing all to a fine, noble conclusion.

Nagano moderately pacing the Adagio, may have curiously only achieved shallow depth in feigning simplicity at its core while stopping at only suggesting spiritual fervor associated therein. Warmly intoned by DSO strings, expression for opening paragraph sounded ready to settle for generically elegiac. Melos radiated through lyrical second subject; better shape got achieved with first subject reprise - anticipating ascent through early climax (in C Major). Sequencing of consequent to the main theme got provided good color, shape, contrast thereby. Nagano eschewed underlining or sentimentalizing reprise of second subject for sake of ear’s grasp of this episode’s harmonic function, placement within keeping intact majestic subtly contrasted entirety on display. He also thus subtly hid notion of too much riding on the surface, Overall profile became stronger during final reprise of the main idea for body of the Adagio, over slowly running sextuplets; Nagano held line supple and firm, even if making climax to the Adagio more suggested than cumulative. Hush over coda, with Wagner tubas, other brass very warmly framed conclusion to this with fine resolve.

Good swagger held sway for rollicking scherzo - good spring to line persisting through re-transition to restating the opening trumpet call. Voicing filled much out, helping make light incisive segue toward carrying line forward. Most all got confidently projected toward brightly ending both scherzo and its return, while keeping tempo rock steady. Strings drowsily gathered fine shape for the Trio. Nuance in brief measure for underpinning trombone got missed, however. Line sumptuously filled out with angst before fine passing state of repose got easily restored.

Through ruddy double basses picking it up, the finale’s first theme started off at a strongly syncopated jaunt. In fine contrast with how this opened, sobriety filled out chorale idea to follow. Nagano mildly distended jagged unison augmentation of opening idea before infusing first reprise of chorale with extra warmth. Development of mostly opening theme’s inversion lent overall line slack through repeat of jagged brass augmentation – until exaggerated reach for fully weighted high B from brass to forcefully frame, then cut idea off. It took until imminent coda for the brass to fully regain poise. Nagano then called emphatically for greater stillness and awe with which to provide chorale one final stopover. With aplomb, toward perhaps shaking off several cobwebs about to accumulate moments earlier, Nagano forthrightly brought shards of opening theme back in, then urgently started coda with fresh unblemished reprise of the same. Arched crescendo organically branched out, while veering near precipice well calibrated to overall line. With more thrust, after over-emphasis on half cadence right before, Nagano set most all ablaze for exalted conclusion to effort here.

Many have reckoned the Sixth Symphony preview of the Seventh - both very different from each other in numerous ways. The Seventh, in contrast with the Sixth, just on its surface - where Nagano seemed most comfortable hanging out – has the bolder profile and outline than the already daring Sixth, mixed with, especially in the Adagio, a more rarefied quality perhaps effacing Nagano’s temperament and outlook on how Bruckner should go. The Seventh, at its winsome surface, is still special - with qualities for its guilelessness that can get overlooked, and has by many before. Within its persuasion to engage more with present world lying before us, Nagano expressed greater ease with the Sixth, its unique demands, as evident at the 2005 BBC Proms and on disc. The Seventh, on this outing has proven an only slightly more elusive challenge for him.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

DKR de: Berlin PO/Alan Gilbert. Emmanuel Ax, Christianne Stotijn. Berg lieder, I.S. Katschei musik the highlights. Philharmonie Berlin. 01.04.11

Contrasting sonorities, between concertato of winds and strings, more plentifully intermixed, intermeshed in Stravinsky’s Firebird – especially as played complete, seemed unifying theme to well varied program New York Philharmonic music director Alan Gilbert conducted - also of Alban Berg lieder and Mozart concerto.

Christianne Stotijn made most distinctive, opulent soloist for the Seven Early Songs by Berg. Evenness of tone all across the range, fine bloom on often floating top, at once vivid and intimate painting of Romantic text by varied poets made all here clearly evoke shifting moods, lights, perspectives issuing forth. Mystery evoking barely lit night sky for reprise of beginning of the first song, ‘Nacht’ was haunting, Stotijn’s voice opening out more fully, beseechingly for the ‘Gib acht’s’ that frame crest to first stanza of this song and envelope its conclusion.

Gilbert and the Berliners became more openly engaging in accompanying the chamber ensemble accompanied ‘’Schilflied’ (Reed Song) with its more apparent clarity of texture, all to limn Stotijn’s intimated and yet full grasp of romantic yearning, longing this song more directly conveys. Febrile line from Stotijn opulently filled out ‘Die Nachtigall;’ ‘with for its quasi-operatic conception, Gilbert and string section of the Berlin Philharmonic sounded slightly retiring. Stotijn floated crests to the song’s broad line with fullness and ease. Lightly apprehensive conversational tone very knowingly filled out ‘Traumgekroent . It all worked toward Stotijn’s alternation of darkening and lightening of her tone, latter working toward ability to float very freely the soul-liberating high G - in engagement with image of night closing this song. Light interlude of ‘Im Zimmer’ (‘Indoors’) got intimately pointed, contrasting it with rich appoggiatura laden, rapturous ‘Liebesode’, betraying sense of deep longing underneath, fullness thereof grasped entirely on ‘so reich an Sehnsucht,’ its closing line.

For closing song, ‘Sommertage’, fully orchestrated, Gilbert became more openly engaging in his collaboration with Stotijn than with either one of two other fully orchestrated songs here. Stotijn picked up well on sense of passionate determination, desire, intimation of such, in view of the fleeting quality of youth, of life in general. Alan Gilbert throughout, though passively for some of the Berg,, made a fully supportive accompanist to Stotijn, having the Berlin Philharmonic read their elaborately harmonized lines, spellings with good clarity, likewise of purpose, with keeping in mind the gentle naivete of vision conveyed here, but perhaps as all at slight distance from the very emotional fiber near core of this brief cycle. Stotijn, who gave a fascinating recital at Edinburgh last fall of Schoenberg’s Opus 15, ‘Book of Hanging Gardens’ and selection of a dozen Strauss lieder, made ideal choice for soloist here.

Alan Gilbert then brought out Emmanuel Ax for the E-Flat Piano Concerto, K. 482 by Mozart, composed for Lenten season concerts of 1786 – alongside most celebrated concerti Mozart wrote in A Major and C Minor. Identifiably, a generically Romantic approach to Mozart prevailed here, Gilbert stepping back from being slightly pedantic on opening ritornello (and other ritornelli) to allow Berlin wind principals to expand out deferential lines with fine grace. Gilbert then boldly framed approaching first solo entrance, Ax providing his lines good, gently playful fluency. Some stodginess interfered with grandiose B-Flat Minor opening mostly solo transition, Ax then deftly descending into turning winsome first movement’s second theme. Slightly pulled back phrasing of runs coming off, also during transition leading up to the second theme became tricky for Ax to shake off - also after phlegmatic start to ritornello right before the Development.

Ax slightly dragged pace through harmonic sequencing to follow, his runs blandly decorating line beneath in mostly the winds; he then could hardly make re-transition more yielding than how his playing sounded already. Fortunately, some reassuring sobriety then took over, managing to restore sense of scale to how this passage concludes. Ax, in decoratively imitating flute consequents from the Exposition, was imaginative, but expanded out second theme in the recapitulation, curiously came across slightly glib, phlegmatic. Enveloping for starting the cadenza became self-conscious, as toward also making following utter flourish of it all discreetly introspective.

Gilbert, in having provided Ax limited poise, grandeur to frame his solo flights during expansive first movement made statement of theme in strings alone glibly shaped to open the second. Ax then opened out beseechingly on first variation with singing tone, though phrasing some of it slightly as from behind. Including duet flute and bassoon duet over strings, the most Mozartean playing Berlin provided here emerged during variations led by woodwinds. Ax somewhat heavily underlined running left hand sixteenths for minor key variation in-between (two in major keys). Gilbert then made phlegmatic firm tutti statements in dialogue with more yielding soloist – replies thereof deftly, elaborately expressive, continuing simply, varyingly so to the end, with Berlin Philharmonic less well defined behind Ax - while not forgetting how first-rate their woodwinds.

Woodwinds very well abetted animated skip from Ax through rondo theme, return thereof during the finale, Ax providing second theme equally good spring and animation – with Gilbert slightly retiring right behind. All slightly more in earnest, leaned on than how the music, fleeting impression for it to make, might better simply speak for itself, the central Minuetto section had winds and Ax especially trading off how to make ardent vocalized line out of much of it. Less genuine was Ax making fleeting cadenza reprise of this section precious, Ax and winds for reprise of main section of this needing allotment of more space with all a bit stiffly, but robustly pressed forward from Gilbert. All in all, for the concert hall, this was a fairly good, passable K. 482, if lacking something in grand gesture and fully realized expressive weight framed thereof for it.


Having Mozart programmed likely abetted how very well much of ‘Firebird’ went. The Berlin Philharmonic has neither played or recorded the complete score for this much; when they had, under Bernard Haitink, results, due in part to some weighing down of Teutonic accents in both strings and brass, emerged only intermittently inspired – taking also into account Haitink’s London Philharmonic disc of this (still among very best listed). Gilbert kept restrained infusing ‘Firebird’ with any excessively projected or American accent. Such could have from Berlin easily turned out wonky, awkward.

Pulsation through brooding Introduction was good, but color dry from lower strings, but lower winds and brass then better defining repeat of the same lines. Gilding of animation to percolate up from depths below and rushing through Jardin enchantee made for a surface-y feel to further opening paragraphs. Breeze through Firebird’s first appearance on the scene, with fine shimmer achieved in the strings, emerged very well in character; as abetted by bright woodwind and muted trumpet solos, her dance conveyed much supple life and animation, with capture by Ivan continuing matters well on cue. Woodwinds for ‘’Supplications’ found themselves slightly more, though characterful, to the fore than the norm for strings having entered somewhat subdued and dry, denying some shape to all their beseeching. Strings returned for reprise of main section with better profile after well achieved lighter arabesque for middle section to this.

Following brief taking in of Ravel-esque dreamy atmosphere all about, rhythmic pointing of ‘Jeu avec pommes d’Or’ was good – very fine clarinet solo to solo viola obbligato notable. Mild preciosity from Gilbert only intermittently began to turn things bland, as also did a little tentativeness toward making good profile to line for lyrical Round Dance to follow. Past a slightly rushed daybreak and other than gilding several flowers springing up along the way, Gilbert became the most engaged he had been entire evening long with much sorcery, trickery, carillon from Katschei and his minions to kick in. Even places where Gilbert, especially for Katschei, tended to almost over-emphasize, underline - as during dialogue between Ivan and sorcerer, came alive for all the very droll wit Gilbert could pack within – including for passing explosions of rage.

Picking up pace for all of Katschei’s malevolent retinue as segue into Danse infernale was joyously spot-on. The bizarreness and queer Mozartean lightness to Danse infernale itself all became very telling. Gilbert’s balancing, interweaving of Berlin woodwinds through string section refrain was at once very well defined and supple. Flute flutter-tonguing and Eastern quality to strings on their melisma chanted refrains built up to very defiant conclusion. Equally focused was the following Berceuse, excellently so, deeply achieved principal bassoon solo, strings gilded on descant harmonizing above just right.

Achievement of light, following droll sorcerer’s demise, however got lingered over more heavily than Gilbert could manage well, but emergence of solo horn from afar spinning out his lines was haunting, preparing solidly accented general rejoicing, if mildly less engaged with primary colors to the fore here than with mercurial, prickly interplay, engagement with sinister forces omnipresent before. Gilbert brought much of his own knowledge, character to this score, even if not having yet found a completely defined interpretation for it entirely; too much though can be made of that. Many of the right elements are already present; the Berlin Philharmonic emerged deferential to solid effort thus evident from Alan Gilbert at the Philharmonie.
daskulturradio.de

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