Three Beauties....

Three beautiful concert venues in Munich:

Happy New Year....

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra was back for its first concert of the new year.  AMC attended the truncated version known as "First Friday" where the program only lasts an hour.  Liszt's "Les Preludes" was not performed and AMC was happy about that.  If anyone remembers the "Buck Rogers" serials from the 1930s (AMC remembers when they were played endlessly on TV in the 1950s) they often used "Les Preludes" on the soundtrack.  AMC had enough then,  and that has lasted many decades.

Asher Fisch was the conductor.  He is the Principal Conductor of the Perth-based West Australian Symphony Orchestra.  The bio of him in the program booklet was quite modest- it did not proclaim him to be "the brightest star in the conducting firmament" like many do.  But maybe it should have been a bit more laudatory.  He did a great job.  Maestro Fisch took the opportunity to address the audience- not once, but twice- concerning the music.  He was brief, to the point, humble and well-spoken.  AMC has always been enthusiastic about conductors briefing the audience about the music as long as they are to the point, humble, and well-spoken.

The first piece, the Rachmaninov "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."  AMC has noted that while Rachmaninov was a master of melody and schmaltz, he seemed to get lost in his bigger orchestral pieces.  Frequently he would insert interludes or transitions in his music that seems to lack focus; they meander.  Such passages may have been great on the piano, but they worked much less effectively in the woodwinds, for example. The Rhapsody is more focused and succinct, which is one of its strengths.  It also contains one of the most beautiful melodies ever written in variation 18:




The piano soloist was Danil Trifonov, a Russian Wunderkind who won the First Prize at the Tchaikovsky and Rubinstein competitions in 2011 at the age of 20.  When he walked on stage he seemed shy, which was made all the more apparent by his lankiness.  But then, he played and it was as if his medication kicked in!  He was powerful when needed, and sensitive when called for, but never less than technically brilliant.  He and Maestro Fisch seemed to have a sympatico that  worked to the benefit of the music.  The ASO played up to its usual standard, even with most of the principals not playing.

During a short break, the orchestral chairs were rearranged, the piano was removed, Fisch spoke and it was on to Strauss' "Ein Heldenleben" (A Heroic Life). AMC sometimes finds Strauss' tone poems as self-indulgent, overblown, and lacking in structure.  The same might be said of Mahler, but somehow Gustav pulls it off better in his symphonies, at least for AMC.  That said, the Strauss works require a conductor who can take a long view of the piece, who can maintain a certain drive to the music so it doesn't begin to tremble under its own weight.  Fisch almost did that, but not quite.   The ASO played wonderfully. The horns were focused and played with good intonation.  The flutes and clarinets were golden.  The basses and cellos really dug in, particularly in the introduction, which provided heft where heft is really called for.  AMC wishes, though, that Symphony Hall had a bit better low-frequency support.  The percussion was in top form.  Finally, audience-favorite, concertmaster David Coucheron played the extended solos like the virtuoso that he is.

Its good to start the new year with the ASO!

Alaska- 1979....

AMC found these among many photos from 1979. They are surprising in their beauty and how well they translated from 35 mm to digital.  For an HD version, click here:   http://youtu.be/xRx3MHP56tU

The music is Strauss' Alpine Symphony, final movement.  

Impeccable....

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra presented a concert featuring works loosely tied to Italy, in part, reflecting the participation  of Gianandrea Noseda, the Victor de Sabata Guest Conductor of the PSA.

The De Sabata "La Notte di Platon" (Plato's night) is a rarely played work that is lush, romantic, and, at times, exciting.  The Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand featured soloist Benjamin Hochman.  This work is fairly short but full of fresh ideas for the time it was composed, and it is a showpiece for the soloist.  The final work is a symphonic poem by Richard Strauss titled "Aus Italien."  It too is rarely heard and is best described as a travelogue about Italy.  It is one of Strauss' weaker works, which may explain why it is rarely heard. 

Every time I hear the PSO I am startled by its precision.  Each section plays as if it were one instrument.  Such technical ability is certainly to be admired. At the conclusion of the Strauss work, there is a single loud chord.  To hear it be played so precisely was a treat.  I like not having to cringe at intonation issues in the French horns.  In fact, their ability to play very pianissimo is incredible.  I like the European seating of the orchestra- it provides an opportunity for the cellos to be clearly heard and the lower strings to be highlighted.   It also provides an opportunity to hear some of the interplay between the first and second violins. 

Maestro Noseda addressed the audience before the concert, especially reminding patrons that Victor de Sabata was very important in PSO history because he was a guest conductor in the late 1940's who helped bridge the time between Fritz Reiner and William Steinberg.  Noseda also described the PSO as one of the great orchestras of the world.  He is a very tall man who is charming and confident.  When he conducts, he does so with vigor.  He becomes so involved in the music he can be heard humming, probably in spite of himself.  His arms are long and he sometimes appears to have them hovering over the orchestra.  When I last saw him with the PSO I wrote about how good he was.  He has only gotten better and the PSO is wise to have him be a special guest conductor. 

I like having the conductor address the audience briefly.  It seems odd that so many conductors just amble on the stage, turn their backs to the audience, conduct, bow, and walk off.  A bit of conversation with the audience humanizes and de-formalizes the sometimes stuffy concert experience.

Mr. Hochman played well, with a large tone, even with using only his left hand.  The Ravel came off as cool and sophisticated music, which is appropriate since it is cool and sophisticated music. 

   

Attending a concert at Heinz Hall is a special event.  The auditorium has great acoustics, and the hall is beautiful.  The ushers are dressed in tuxedos and the audience is generally well-dressed.  The audience seems to encompass a broader age range than I have seen elsewhere, except maybe in Vienna. 

I do have a few quibbles.  The first is that since there is such grand sound coupling between the orchestra shell and the auditorium, the musicians'  pre-performance tuning and rehearsal is rather loud and cacophonous.  European orchestras have it right- walk on stage after the audience is seated, tune a bit, and then get ready to play.  It's much easier on the ears.  The second is that Concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley has a big, big sound.  At times, I could hear his instrument over those of his colleagues.   It may have been where I was sitting but I found it introduced a bit of incohesion in the first violins. 

This was a great concert with a great orchestra.  Even if the program was what some might consider very traditional, it showcased the talents of the wonderful Pittsburgh Symphony.

 By the way, its 2013 European tour was recently announced. It is one of the few American orchestras that is able to do such touring and one of the few that the Europeans seem to want to hear! 

Thanks to all of the benefactors, patrons, musicians, and volunteers that made this concert possible. 

A talented Moser....

On February 16, 2012, the Atlanta Symphony orchestra, under the direction of Roberto Minczuk, presented a concert consisting of:

Wagner- Prelude to Act I of Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg

Elgar- Cello Concerto in E minor

Mozart- Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 (“Haffner)

Strauss- Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59

The solo cellist in the Elgar was Johannes Moser.

Maestro Minczuk’s biography says that he is a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning conductor who is music director of the Calgary Philharmonic and principal conductor of the Brazilian Symphony in Rio de Janeiro.   Like the bios of most of his contemporaries, Minczuk’s says he is “…firmly established as one of his generation’s brightest talents.”  Who writes this stuff? 

The Wagner piece was a rousing way to begin the concert.  It is not too long and it provides a good taste of the master’s great orchestrations.  This can be treacherous music because of its thick orchestration.  Minczuk conducted without a score and it seemed that from time to time he let the brass overshadow the strings to a degree that the music became a blur.  The ASO strings could not be heard even where they are a very important part of the music. 

After the Wagner, there was a brief video that featured cellist Johannes Moser.  This was a very touching and emotional presentation.  It began with Moser narrating how a casket bearing the body of a soldier was removed from his airplane as it arrived in Atlanta.  It appeared as though Moser captured it on camera from inside the aircraft.  He noted the solemn ceremony that accompanied this most sorrowful of events.  Moser drew a parallel to the sadness that Elgar felt after the “War to end all wars” during the time he wrote the cello concerto.  Moser’s was a powerful presentation and a great lead in to the profound emotion and sadness in Elgar’s music. 

Elgar’s piece is beautiful, allowing the cello to express his dismay about conditions after World War I.  It is in four movements, with the first two played and last two played without interruption. This is very sad and introspective music that does not suffer from the lack of editing that I feel was apparent after hearing the ASO’srecent performance of Elgar’s First symphony.   Minczuk conducted from the score and   Moser’s playing was nothing short of incredible.  He has a large tone that never deteriorates into edginess.  He can be aggressive when needed, and subtle where required.  His strong playing is a reminder why he is a highly regarded soloist and others should best remain in the cello section of a great orchestra.  Moser and Minczuk seemed to be in agreement about the music and there seemed only to be seamlessness between the cello solos and the orchestral passages.  Per Atlanta tradition, there was a standing ovation with many curtain calls for Moser and Minczuk.  In this instance, the SO was appropriate and well deserved.  Moser returned the love by playing one portion of Bach’s Suites for Unaccompanied Cello.  The music was elegant and requires absolute control over the bow.  Moser played grand fortes and hushed pianissimos and his use of the bow was stunning.  Particularly notable were the very piano staccatos written by Bach.  Moser’s performance was faultless.  By the way, here is Moser’s Wikipedia entry: “Johannes Moser (born 1979) is a German-Canadian cellist who has performed with many of the world's leading orchestras.”  Now that’s modesty.

After the intermission, the Mozart symphony was performed.  This of-heard performed piece was ably led by Minzcuk, without benefit of a score, and played impeccably by the ASO.  The strings were particularly golden in the elegant second movement Andante and in the fourth movement Presto. 

The Richard Strauss Suite is a blockbuster, featuring a large orchestra with enhanced percussion.   Its waltz sections are very familiar and seemed to resonate greatly for the ASO audience.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with schmaltz from time to time.  Minzcuk again conducted without a score and the ASO’s playing was first rate.  The twenty-five minute long piece lasted for what seemed just a few minutes.  It was a great performance. 

There were several things of note in this program and performance.  I have already noted the grand playing of the ASO.  I have also noted Minczuk’s conducting three quarters of the pieces without benefit of the score.  As a result, page turning and attending to the written page did not have to come between him and the music making.  Minzcuk does not provide a strong beat with this right hand and he does not seem to use his left to control the orchestra’s playing, yet all of these pieces were interpreted and played wonderfully.  In fact, Minzcuk’s style of conducting looks like he is mimicking the music rather than leading it.  Nevertheless he was impressive.  It is also interesting that the ASO can respond very well to guest conductors.  Their tremendous playing under the leadership of Van Zweden and Remmereit were examples of this.  Certainly chemistry has something to do with it, as well as the talent of both the lead and the leader. 

Finally, I note that the principal players of the symphony are frequently absent in the chamber-sized orchestra setting, and sometimes in concerti. It seems to happen more often at the ASO’s performances that with other orchestras.  I have no idea what that means!