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.

Monday, August 30, 2010

BBC Proms 2010: Proms 48 and 57. Rotterdam Philharmonic, Yannick Nezet-Seguin. Simon Keenlyside. Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vanska. Gil Shaham.

Prom 48. Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Yannick Nezet-Seguin. Simon Keenlyside. Royal Albert Hall, London. August 21, 2010.

Second only to flagship among Holland's orchestras has been for some time the Rotterdam Philharmonic. They could have not sounded more tentative as such than they did here under their still relatively new, quickly social ladder ascending music director Yannick Nezet-Seguin - in BBC Proms debut together. Opening this prom was a decently but blandly played Overture to Wagner’s Tannhauser – enough for anyone sensible to question Nezet-Seguin being put at helm in any major house for the complete opera. All tended to linger over opening statement of Pilgrims' in first the brass, cellos continuing it - to point that infusion of back-phrase and ritard's within the line eventually became blatantly obvious. So little of such Wagner marked into what he wrote; Nezet-Seguin left purpose for it beyond that unclear. Muddying of contrasting textural layers hampered profile for first full orchestral tutti.

Nezet-Seguin then nuanced well strands of Venusburg through most of it to still casually emerge flat-line. Violins forcing higher reaches within their lines - with so little vitality being spent here - made meager their reason for doing so. Pointing of violins stringent offbeat repeat-note segue into bright refrain of 'hymn to Venus' got put into drive suitable for game pep rally – lopsided within flaccid context all about. Running figuration in strings through this and through transition into reprise of 'Pilgrims' Chorus was supple, proving some depth still remaining among Rotterdam ranks – indicative of orchestra well worth preserving, saving from further decline. Cheap underlining of timpani rolls failed to calibrate well with anything else. Weak intonation of violins in getting heard over loud brass further into conclusion of this plus layered on accelerandi in reaching the very end all spoke clearly of what was lacking here.

Abetted by Nezet-Seguin, Simon Keenlyside attempted making too much of "Ich atmet einen Linden duft’ and then more heavily several songs later of 'Liebst du um Schonheit’ Such compromised the elusive beauty of what both men chose to open Mahler's Ruckert Lieder. Nezet-Seguin deftly kept pace all flowing through the accompaniment - with good contributions from principal oboe, flute and horn; a certain working of the text and nuance to fill it found these two birds under the impression that this music needs more help of its interpreters - than it does. Keenlyside then ardently, warmly limned harmonic change within line starting with 'Der Lindenreis'. To fine scurrying accompaniment for 'Blickt mir nicht', he made fine expressive contrast between mild scolding to self-reproach and sweet affection, similar to what Mahler felt in writing it.

At such moderate pacing encountered here, 'Um Mitternacht' offered too well colloquial option of the path of least resistance. Contrasting verses to it, with fine Rotterdam solo winds left practically on their own to characterize their lines, glibly each lacked individual profile. Spacing of chamber music concertato from among them became indecisive soon before affirmative conclusion to this song. Casual fusion worked in of bending brass during climactic lines to this strongly hinted at encroaching ironically postmodern take on it all - for which Mahler himself hardly could have been inspiration. Other than to be easily shirked off, so weightless, inconsequential an impression got left in place of awe. Pardoning several weak low notes, Keenlyside evinced some grasp of what mysteries this song can reveal, but hardly intruded upon anything to make much of what opportunity here he might have availed himself.

"Ich bin der Welt' with flat-line assumption of opening lines from English horn, took several lines for it to get off ground. Slightly throaty first entrance by Keenlyside made one wait momentarily for him to achieve good measure of what he was singing. A line such as 'in meiner Himmel', while sincerely felt, still got worked - as to compensate for much homogenizing, streamlined profile of all about from Nezet-Seguin. It became all too predictable, my favorite among the Ruckert Lieder coming to so dour and gray a conclusion, devoid of magic, as it did here.

Nezet-Seguin's interpretation of the Beethoven Third Symphony came packaged with apparently intent to shock, but little achieved other than cheap effect - ever lurking about a self-satisfying ability to pull off handful of stunts without the thing altogether falling apart. Here is what might please the avid connoisseur, conducting student, or hybrid thereof to be up on the latest tricks, but little of which to work toward clarifying structure, dramatic argument, or even to be able to establish any frisson with such.

One thinks back to Sinopoli with at times his maddening attempts - maddening with him because with him at least there was still contact made with score in front of him. Here was an attempt to go well beyond – perhaps toward attempting to prove one's self somehow above, beyond the fray. Bernstein's old CBS first recording of 'Eroica', deemed so highly episodic, now seems close to all of one piece, after hearing this. One, in even a post-existentialist sense, got left asking so many questions not of overall argument here so much as of what wide variety of individual sub-phrases therein could as detached 'events' each on their own have to say.

First movement opening chords were raucous instead of both confidently in tune and including healthy thrust expected of them. Stabbing 'period' accents got layered onto natural laendler accenting written in, as responding to indecisively shaped first theme in cellos; harmonic spelling through internally contrasting laendler chords got ignored. Randy toned brass then sounded at ready to frame jazz riffs from the rest in leading what tutti that then emerged. Combination of shaky intonation and weak rubato from winds on second theme should have compelled one to reach for bottle of dramamine. Most vulgar, utterly verging on parody was the hatchet clipping of second beat on vigorous closing theme, especially considering Nezet-Seguin's crudely Romantic weighting of vigorous tutti offbeat chords to crest next surging line through this.

Nezet-Seguin then carelessly shaped the opening to the Development section; most disorganized was buildup through slapped at dissonances toward climax. Half-tone disonnances at most critical point got undercut by safe emphasis instead on less dissonant pitches in the chord. Subito piu mosso shift, unmarked, in retreat off the chords made way for most casual salsa-inflected introduction of 'new' inversion theme in the winds. Heavier emphases than for which Nezet-Seguin is adept characterized the usually vigorous retransition preceding first reprise of the 'new' theme. Ear-sore of a shouting contest ensued to form apex to heavily regrouped opening to the Recapitulation, but good strands thereof Nezet-Seguin let capably coast through before making wildly incoherent contrasting accenting out of ending the first movement.

The Marcia funebre opened with tentative negotiation of how to calibrate distended shaping of its theme with accompaniment beneath. Bowing and accentuation for full strings’ consequent to the theme got shifted twice within one phrase - with Nezet-Seguin changing all of it out for revisiting same place during the Recapitulation. Up to crudely 'period' accenting closing chords to each half thereof, phrasing of the Maggiore episode was also indecisive. The fugue here then proceeded coherently – but with further silly contrast of Romantic shaping with 'period’ accentuation. Very irregularly accented also was long submediant chord (A-Flat Major) on sagging trumpets into sound-decay infused diminished chord right afterwards. Hard slam to open the coda section hardly bespoke anything eloquent or noble about Nezet-Seguin's approach to everything here; it then hardly sufficed that he opted for making subdued the dying away, as-composed broken lines concluding it.

The Scherzo then lumbered, lunged forth in an alternatively tubby or flat-line, hectoring manner, making unbecoming the appeal of what invitation overtly rides its surface for going out on excursion into the woods about. Affectation of valveless achievement of cadences freely followed the Romantic modern approach from good horn players for the Trio - in keeping with the rest of the non-argument in play throughout. At least, pace remained vigorous, mostly unencumbered through an equally arbitrarily accented Scherzo as all the rest.

Unbecoming in making either good accenting or intonation was how strings made their descending run to open the finale. Lighter, overtly dance-like motion through the finale accommodated Nezet-Seguin’s approach better than did the first two movements. Insistence during episode of chatter in the flutes got so pushed as to practically make Messiaen out of it. Still, something a little farther reaching than episodic here still remained beyond grasp at finale’s conclusion - after futile attempt to grandiosely make something cumulative – verging on self-parody instead - out of fullest moments during Andante epilogue right before clattering rush to the very end.


Prom 57. Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vanska. Gil Shaham. Helena Juntunen, Charlotte Hellekant, Eric Cuter, Neal Davies. BBC Symphony Chorus. Royal Albert Hall, London. August, 28, 2010.

Night after performing a questionable edition of the Bruckner Fourth Symphony - with annotation leaving it unclear as to what it possibly could have been, the Minnesota Orchestra under Osmo Vanska surprisingly found better footing with their second concert at the 2010 Proms. Their very well played Barber and also acerbic Shostakovich (with decent soloist in cellist Alisa Weilerstein) their first night was still worthy of note.

Gil Shaham (replacing Lisa Batiashvili on short notice) and Osmo Vanska sounded to have come from almost opposing perspectives for the Berg Violin Concerto. It quirkily represented interesting meeting of two minds here - if not always compellingly so. Vanska brings to the table a 'period' driven adherence to text in front of him, deemed ‘fundamentalist’ - that quite frankly disallows some flexibility in his interpretations at times. As overtones are not written in, gut strings often do a mediocre job of reproducing them - Minnesota strings here modern but affecting 'period' by limiting vibrato.

Berg, especially but not exclusively with the Violin Concerto, implicitly inculcated back somewhat thoroughly the overtone series into the emergent Schoenberg devised twelve-tone system that only had thrown out the suggestion part of the way of there remaining any tonal hierarchy. In doing so, Berg had introduced a new dialectic most likely inevitable from amongst the triumvirate anyway. In taking a stance with the Berg of stressing the modernism, dissonance of his writing at a little expense to the rest, one ideally can look back to an especially younger Pierre Boulez. Osmo Vanska’s results may approach something similar, but (source of) information, impetus behind Vanska taking on Alban Berg is much different.

With acutely probing microscope on notation to open the Berg, things moved clearly note-by-note on divided spelling of the row getting passed around. On first impression, jarringly, Shaham then developed openly violinistic in place of more purely fantasia like assumption of line to follow. Ultimately it was no more grand-standing from Shaham than some lack of assumed needed orchestral weight to support him and ideal interpretive freedom thereby. Being written so close in spirit, even style of figuration to Lulu, the violin part here affects so well paraphrasing there being some still yet undiscovered vocal line as factor here.

Shaham came up slightly short in balancing full cantabile of his lines with the internal architectonics of the unique tone row here. In working with someone also approaching this music externally, Shaham’s thoughtful assumption of his part was still often fine. Moment of losing intonation on double-stops upon starting laendler half of the first movement and making too openly improvisatory some of the cathartic opening half of the second movement weighed in slightly. The orchestral sequence of inverted diatonic triads from especially cellos also lost intonation. Compensation arrived with the care with which Shaham made chamber music with good handful of first stands onstage.

Shaham delicately traced segue into coda to the opening Andante, off lightly, freely managed long sequencing of rapid sextuplets - then into riskily broad handling momentarily of arrival at the coda. He then quickly recovered full interpretive focus with passionate inflection of his lines. Swooping upbeats in following laendler more overtly than how to keep at forefront the bigger picture stressed the grotesquerie of Alban Berg's seemingly besotted ways. This then hurt Shaham by luring him into broad-brush handling of further sextuplet action as obbligato over boorish tuba continuing the laendler rhythms. Even with generally good feel for this music’s character – Shaham especially infusing Manon Gropuis as portrayed here with strong element of caprice - slight rushing from pair of flutes over sax obbligato, then clipping of the Carinthian tune breaking in evinced an element of timidity, glibness in being able to fully engage with this music. Interaction between broad taking on of strands of laendler refrain and sensitively limned solo flute and clarinet obbligato was thought-provoking, further establishing amicable interaction in play between two different approaches to this music - all to have, even precariously, happened with only minimal loss of focus throughout.

Complexity of tackling the accompanied improvisatory writing to open the second movement evinced at once a broad approach - as though to defy weightless perspective Vanska and his Minnesotans provided Shaham. Brass mildly clipping their detached figuration, sounded choppy. Shaham wisely remained deliberate at imitating the brass – to eventually find good, harmonic ear influenced support from flute and oboe obbligato.

Shaham’s well played, lightly accompanied cadenza came across somewhat high and dry, as though to anticipate degree of weightlessness in how all would combine for running Bach chorale-based canon through the Adagio - for which Shaham sensitively adopted role of one further first stand among Minnesotans. He achieved very convincing unity with them at last - for sublime, if on terms of harmonic weight, spacing alone, a two-dimensional perspective on the Berg. Eventually toward draining this music of all emotionality, playing early on during the Adagio was hauntingly beautiful - after honing in with unusually probing accuracy on retreating brass lines through lowest voices coming off satisfactory climax to the Allegro - readying one well for preparation of the Bach chorale. This performance, though mildly eccentric, made no exception in offering chance to absorb a fresh perspective on this music.

Compared with previous Beethoven from this team, a more enlightened, flexible manner of shaping Beethoven seems to have established itself. Though a drier realization of the Beethoven, especially with it being the Ninth, I can not resist suggesting some possible comparison with what was deemed not long after its release as proto-'period' Beethoven – Concertgebouw cycle on Philips under Eugen Jochum. There is hardly any denying how Concertgebouw wind playing seldom gets rivaled anywhere else.

A moderately brisk pace allowed refreshing space for clean-cut, slightly dry playing to open the first movement - to some ears perhaps short-circuiting the air of mystery to this opening - but in context of all transpiring here worked just fine. Spelling of the loud diminished chord right before first major cadence therein was more distinctive here than norm for 'period.' Pardoning a little flaccidity with thirty-seconds spinning off the second theme, shaping for the idea itself was lyrical, unforced, and supple. Unencumbered by stylized conceits, Vanska made speak voicing through marking of harmonic changes during the Development; preparation for fugato to follow was clear well ahead of time, all maintaining tone of an intimately brooding, yearning character. Palpable sense of tension remained through Beethoven's harmonically deferring retransition, winding eventually up in slightly undercut statement to open the Recapitulation. Shaping thereof was slightly less assured than of parallel Exposition - without but seldom any loss to focus to playing overall. Vanska closed a fine first movement with nobly shaped cortege, sung well by his woodwinds, marked well by brass - just past unyielding segue into it.

One frequently expects, not only in 'period' Beethoven Ninths long by now a heavy clipping of the opening of the Scherzo that then throws off all accenting and shaping of its lines. Fortunately such clipping here reduced itself to nearly imperceptible, helpful toward line coursing through it to maintain pulsation, lightly animated lift and shape. Separation of winds from the rest was most distinctive. Bucolically, joyously, so obviously at first was accented on downbeat upbeat dancing cadential figuration from woodwinds. It took into the Development for one to encounter any loss of concentration - such detachment to have occurred possibly having been on purpose - with such strong marking of timpani to follow. With excellent solos from Minnesota winds, folk quality of tune for the Trio section clearly spoke forth - all to have distracted from some lack of differentiation to repeats on french horn of main idea for it.

Pacing for the Adagio-Andante, brisk, minimized contrast between sections, but once near end of first paragraph yielded deftly for fine legato played cantabile to freely emerge. Singing tone in principal clarinet completing line up to B-Flat bolstered profile in closing the opening paragraph to this. Minnesota strings made fine cantilena of alternating B section - then gently insinuating in suppler shaping of ornamented reprise of the Adagio. Winds made sunny reprise and hushed simplicity of B and A (as chorale) respectively. Vanska then played it safe with flowing line of sixteenths - in placing violins just somewhat behind winds so lyrically beneath making song out of first theme. Rhetorically loud cadential statements emerged matter-of-fact. Strings were still supple in spinning off - winds then lightly securing close to a gently sublime Adagio here.

Give then Vanska a colloquial slap on the wrists for very unyielding pace on lower strings for recitative to announce Ode to Joy - helping to make transition into starting Ode to Joy too brusque. Finally at last the main idea in play here Vanska had his forces vocalize, simply so - even through loud tutti final repeat of the theme before real voices enter. Neal Davies made spirited his opening lines, if with slightly intrusive tremolo, but balancing out with such some mild choppiness with the big tune itself. Solo quartet to follow caroled what Beethoven has spin out for them, with hardly sign of strain - quite unusually so. Slightly, unusually top heavy final dominant chord framing 'tavern band' variation on the Schiller ode was purposeful.

Nobody enjoyed what then transpired more than did tenor Eric Cutler - heard to unusually fine advantage - everything as bon vivant as to introduce his solo, and without the inevitable crescendo turning into Teutonic fart shouting contest it has so many times previously. Vanska had his winds fully determine the character of this passage, with Cutler and mens' chorus all ebulliently following suit. Close to equally refreshing was to hear then emerging fugato also to come off unforced.

Hands extended out simply, beseechingly so with 'Seid umscblungen' - Vanska most prudently waited for high entering sopranos above men to halo this. Vanska told what Brahmsian, even Brucknerian ponderousness to ensue here to just take a hike, time off, - no stronger reminder of late 1960's Jochum than here. Ample room for all voice leading through more thorough reprise, top-balanced chorally, of the ode got provided easy sway, jaunt above - strongly pointed beneath. Apart from tense high B, Helena Juntinen emerged best during what is often extended mouthwash gargle of extended solo melisma passed between all four voices. Choral forces framed all with glowing translucence - helping make controlled romp of the very conclusion to still a very fine potpourri of much merriment - all eager to burst forth at final cadence. Willing to put aside several lapses, one must’ve left this visit by Minnesota and Vanska, their second evening at this year’s Proms both thinking and refreshed by what had transpired.

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Saturday, August 21, 2010

DR Kultur: Brandenburg Konzert - DSO Berlin. Ingo Metzmacher, Alban Gerhardt. Inspiring nature evocative program. Erloeserkirche, Potsdam. 13.06.10

Ingo Metzmacher confidently and deliberately set the tone for all to follow with indeed a very special take on Debussy’s Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune. Thomas Hecker’s opening solo on flute was especially dark in color, heavily lingering in making the highly erotic ardor of his sinuous lines speak to open out very realistic profile ahead. While a slightly heavier touch with this then some, what Teutonic feel or accenting, overtly Romantic eloquence got set aside, through very precise placement of all sonorities and emphasis on how such handling of them opened the floodgates for new century ahead. This was no Afternoon of a Faun as passing phase, but instead the gateway as it was when first played and in all truth still for which is milestone. Should one have sought an Impressionistic picture of Afternoon of a Faun, something along lines of musical equivalent to Monet, for instance, one and in an equally Gallic sense for this piece got something with feel of a late Cezanne or approaching Gauguin instead.

Violins taking up slow languorous refrain introduced by woodwinds got placed just a little back to a bit controversially put throbbing two-note ostinato in the winds more forefront than perhaps is expected. Wei Lu’s deftly played solos to follow – to segue in deeper reverie - then made both greater formal and expressive sense than is the norm. Metzmacher was most idiomatic at imparting a very precise internal rhythmic (and formal) sense to all this music. Ever so free was all caprice across sylvan landscape within all coming alive – thanks in part to the excellence of DSO woodwinds. Nothing ever sounded harsh or even especially detached for the progressive character of this music – for time it was written - to simply speak forth. Conclusion to this was ideally pointed, warmly diaphanous (in muted horns), forward looking nearly all at once.


The Debussy, this approach to it, had merely prepared the listener for the Dutilleux to come. Here is music that might have found its Baudelarian text for inspiration after some of it had been written (just as with Debussy's piano preludes, many of them named after being composed as well) but that enfolds it through a variety of layers, from which it extends into being inspiration of a purely musical, equally allusive sense. What then can be pictorially suggested through the Baudelaire by Tout un Monde Lointain, Dutilleux's sole cello concerto (commissioned by Rostropovich) can then become free to suggest any particular imagery or dream landscape of the listener's choosing. Basis for much of the writing is dodecacophonic writing - writing to draw upon what distinctive intervals from the row are present for sake of what sonorities, coloristic possibilities Dutilleux can freely draw from them. As all precisely resonated, measured out (as one might find for instance in etudes of Messiaen) there is all this, plus hint of neo-primitivism we associate with pre-1920’s Stravinsky, with irregularly paced chant or cry from high winds of exotic intervals in Houles (third movement), offset by hammering ostinati from percussion and other instruments as such. Including hint of jazz riff or two, all is enclosed within solid classical frame, toward bringing this music within reach of mid-cult listening accessibility.

The flaw of many performances of this piece is that can so easily relegate Dutilleux to second-tier, which ever so incidentally in this concerto he still is. The worst approach is to treat this concerto as merely a solo vehicle. With its casual approach to rhythm, intonation, and calibration of other elements, the Rostrpovich/Baudo (EMI) falls short, even while carrying what imprimatur it may. From Ingo Metzmacher and Alban Gerhardt, we had here a veritable concerto for orchestra with very brilliant and highly insinuating cello obbligato - orchestral forces, soloists within DSO Berlin and soloist all spinning, sparring, feeding off each other at just about every turn. Alban Gerhardt's ballade shaping of numerous longer arched lines ensured this music a still very human dimension and individually noble profile - no less his sinuous descending lines in Regard (second movement). Metzmacher made often incisive sonorities in highly varied underpinning device very supportive and precise at once – in absolutely no self-regarding way whatsoever. One still could only be amazed.

Gerhardt found some earthiness to much of this piece, with for instance his playing very close to the frog toward the end of Houles (third movement) and the hard but solid tone for strummed pizzicati cutting through often thin laced textures of so much else about in the first. There was always foremost the view of the musical, even dramatic argument therein – of where all must go. All the often Bartokian shimmer of trills, termoli, repeat chord tremoli, for instance through Miroirs (fourth movement) was both overt and given precise placement within the music’s overall design – inculcating very precise hearing, engagement of the dynamics marked in the score. Precise back placement of bongo drums on their simply elaborate upbeats was acute, enhancing a ritualistic feel deep beneath atmosphere built upon much mystery and illusion.

There was even a considerable spirit of agon to playing this, seldom so well encountered elsewhere. Prime example was the double-stop stretto (as if to start a French overture) to open ‘Houles’ as almost retaliatory to the very arched and slightly overwritten climax to close ‘Regard’ - whereas Truls Mork and Myung-Whun Chung make the opening statement of Houles sound effectively as though to have organically emerged from what has just transpired. The seemingly mad gigue ensuing halfway through Houles, with its interlacing of rapid sextuplet arabesque between winds and soloist was as lightly fierce here as to have in mind just the most vivid musical imagery to derive out of it - all as offset by much engaged antiphony between syncopated clatter from light percussion and irregular repeat chord pizzicato stretto in the violins. It all moved inexorably forward with playful ease, as had just similar enough arabesque variation in the first movement. All that got missed here was anything redolent of tired cliche, just as had been the case with the Debussy – for instance of hazy, gauzy all wafting, dovetailed sonorities to all vaguely blend into one another. The tone adopted here instead was realistic – anything specific to be depicted here left allusive, even illusory - as to turn archaic any effort to make this music stuffy or sublime. Plaintive cries from high register flute plus exposed lines in the high violins in' 'Miroirs' openly bespoke something of the primitive to be engaged – offset by irregularly paced unison chorale in the winds.

The matching, interplay of much rapid fire flautando, half harmonics between Gerhardt and the strings sounded purely spectral. Single note spiccato tremoli from Gerhardt in the first movement carried such impact. The broad glissandi one also hears in the first movement emerged as a force of nature more than as anything being played. Much very subtle terracing infused the inner workings of the framing, quasi-French overture finale to the concerto, with even within the rapid-fire confrontation that occurs within, a very precise assessment of its sonorities in balance with very forthright rhythmic activity throughout. One possible litmus test of how effective a performance of Tout un monde lointain one has encountered is to what extent does the trill-tremolo from the soloist at its very end resemble a last dollop of virtuosic display, or as happened here, electrical current sizzling forth – as to freely aspire for reach beyond a truly limitless horizon.

Equal to the Debussy above in being an ideal in orchestral chamber music, of at once fecund warmth, sylvan caprice, and realistic clarity was the Beethoven ‘Pastorale.’ This was a ‘Pastorale’, the Beethoven Sixth Symphony, property neither of the aesthete nor the post-modern higher critic, with all irony, higher text criticism, condescending parody we freely associate with the latter, but instead, of the peasant, farmer, forester, shepherd, huntsman, whose voices with which this music simply, mirthfully, joyously speaks. It is hard to imagine anybody to improve upon taking it this way, outside Erich Kleiber on his classic 1950’s Decca recording with Concertgebouw, many virtues of which this Pastorale partook. Remembered most of all thereby are the roots of Beethoven’s inspiration being the two oratorios of Haydn to have not preceded this music by far. Backing off from enveloping sonorities here was not so self-conscious to have to crudely shave such off. Opportunity to envelope them just got allowed in so far, not to return this ‘Pastorale’ to other extreme of sitting urbane or at safe distance. There was nothing to prove here, other than great joy of making music together – in making the utter simplicity of Beethoven’s inspiration speak. – inspiration as learned from rural folk – of generally lower class than to whom Beethoven had to frequently defer.

A pervasive sense of narrative informed even the slow movement, at a convincing walking gait, with gentle rustle of cellos and violas with their leaning into it - giving treble voices and also high trills in violins from behind a very pleasant, relaxed lift toward all moving forward. Individual character of these voices, many of them among woodwinds emerged in very fine relief; the bird calls very close to the end of the second movement really did sound like birds – Metzmacher with all his experience in Messiaen just encouraging them to very openly call out precisely as such.

A fully open-air feel pervaded also the very opening of the symphony, at a moderately breezy pace. Violins played with limited vibrato; shimmer to fill in textures surrounding their lines and those of woodwinds Metzmacher limned only so far to animate his very supple handling of rhythm and make specific his characterization of melodic shape, and variety of harmonic color. Much repeat figuration in the Development section, given in Romantic sense for further sense of relaxation - ease with being outdoors - went far better here than expectation of simply streamlining it all. A bucolic and varied slight roughness with accenting it, through numerous modulations, made it all spring to life here. By then, very fine reminder of the classic Erich Kleiber recording became obvious, but as something thoroughly worked out, conceived on its own. Even quite incisively bucolic were the cellos in their leaning phrase under good spiccato in the violins to make retransition. The violins of DSO then soon thereafter reveled in reprise of the second theme with a most openly singing legato. Even slightly rough quality to opening the coda contributed too to so highly mirt imaginative an interpretation of the first movement.

Moderately rough, incisive vigor was made of strong dance that is the third movement, without having to stop to frame or envelope any of it. The Storm got played very incisively, with room made to imagine terrified reaction from peasants on ground below. A febrile sense of panic and dismay replaced this sounding as oppressively loud as possible, as though to depict metaphysical conflagration of sorts instead. Receding motion of the storm, with rumble of thunder underneath then was highly visceral, to prepare such evocative opening of thanksgiving song serving as finale to the ‘Pastorale.’

It was with much singing quality at literally all times that Metzmacher phrased the finale. It was so much so, that vigorous alternation between variety of bow stroke in violins making way into the recapitulation and then their even lighter pizzicato to accompany reprise of its opening theme, at slightly broad pace, always sounded full of life, never phlegmatic. Voicing of woodwinds on reprise of shepherds’ call emerged in full relief. Full tutti statements of opening theme and broad span through expansive lines to emanate thereof all emerged with plentiful light, shimmer through them all across full range of sonorities. With no hint of editorializing anything, last slower reprise of opening statement in the violins gently extended with great calm pause for benediction over the entire rest of what had transpired, with singing line maintained through brief reach through a refulgent, full final cadence.

The orchestra may not quite have been 1950’s Concertgebouw, but this performance alone, everything on this program actually made ringing endorsement for how next opening at the Concertgebouw for new man on podium there should be filled - for how Messiaen would then sound from there as well. Of course, it is unfortunate what turn of events in Berlin - from bad decision making from upon high there making this turn out to have been Metzmacher’s final subscription concert with DSO Berlin; there should not have been any provocation toward severing this invaluable relationship at all. Let us hope that - not in Berlin alone - the right people responsible for this to have happened will get held accountable. Alone on the minds of orchestra, soloist and Metzmacher on this occasion was just this one further opportunity to make great music – as though thoroughly untroubled by how recent chips have fallen.

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

BBC Proms 2010: Prom 34. Triumphant adieu to DSO Berlin for Ingo Metzmacher at Proms. Leonidas Kavakos. 10.08.10.

Certainly hallmark from Ingo Metzmacher lately has been his interpretation of the Mahler Seventh Symphony. Here we could hear it again from very different sonic perspective than from the very warmly reverberant Muiskverein Wien last spring. Differences between the two, suitably accommodating both halls, were subtle. Metzmacher too it seems, can sometimes be the least of anybody satisfied with his own results. With music so well-nigh perfect as the Seventh, perfection in how to approach it is and will always remain slightly elusive; there is the finale deemed so problematic – often inexcusably taken for granted. Metzmacher achieved still greater refinement with the Seventh in London – some of it taken slightly quicker than before.

It was a natural last March to capitalize upon the Musikverein’s warm acoustics as did DSO Berlin. Here one picked up Mahler from a more linear perspective. With how the Mahler played in Vienna, there was same goal in mind. In making overt the darker undercurrents in the Seventh, as more overtly, less subtly happened in Vienna, Metzmacher’s interpretation still distinguished itself from that of Michael Gielen. Whether heard in Freiburg, Berlin or L.A. Gielen’s interpretation ranks prominent to many Mahlerians. Placing music on the first half of this program of sunnier quality, greater kaleidoscopic variety than the Hartmann Kavakos played in Vienna also may have contributed to what subtle transformations occurred here for the Mahler.

Heard from London was drier, more stringent string section engagement of their grizzly sonorities, edge to figuration to start the first movement - together with still distraught tenor horn solo. Perception of being out over deep waters still registered, even if provided warmer resonance in which to wallow last March. Rhythmic markings in Vienna to begin the Exposition were more forthright, but very well marked here too. Noticeable improvement in London over Vienna was also most supple handling of the second theme, still with slight slow-down, yield into it, but played here on purpose as though to float a little more above harmonic underpinnings beneath - and with improved rubato now, to run Gielen very close. Arched leaps for high dissonances in the violins became more acerbic, making slight jerk back into main tempo more sharply characterized.

Metzmacher handled awkward transitions working their way into pastoral episode less emphatically - with inner lines better helping carry all forward. Spacing was slightly more distinct for the pastoral episode, approached again reticently, but with Wei Lu making starker contrast of his solo midway through it here. The ‘Sehr breit’ reprise of the second theme, so undercut by others by making too much retard on the second theme earlier, here in the cavernous space of Albert Hall floated more aloft in the violins, above ultimately better marked sonorities (seemingly) farther beneath. Metzmacher then handled remaining transition into the Recapitulation, avoiding better the trap with violins entering high to respond to extended brass cadence - that never achieves recovery of main tempo quickly enough – more distinctively now, with terracing of jagged fanfare stretto into the Recapitulation now more acutely realized – where ‘Leidenschaftlich’ indeed is marked. Neurotic current carried through inner voices toward making sharply coherent all upcoming awkward transitions, through finally very supple handling of recapitulation of the second theme, and searing, well marked sinister, (mock-) heroic ending to now a most fully realized first movement.

Sinister accents opening first Nachtmusik got less underlined toward subtler building of more suggestive feel for what may lurk beneath – and with less arched buildup toward long, freely rapid descending scale into horns here most warmly intoning principal march theme for this movement. First episode, characterization of what underpins it quite pungent before, was more subtly flowing over all that goes ’bump’ underneath. Feel for empty space all about with horn calls heard as from afar achieved better simplicity this time. Very stark pointing of trills in lower woodwinds was indicative, flagship for more lightly achieved, more flowing elfin feeling for the entire serenade – at surface.

Less of early unmarked slowdown was made of firm bass clarinet underlined segue into spectral, plaintive Wunderhorn second trio section. Klezmer feel for continuing march and forthrightly affirmative, very stridently woodwinds’ decorated reprise of the main march idea here helped confidently traverse all of the rest. More spectral and widely spaced was the brief episode answering klezmer cortege announced on light violin and harp tremolo on high B natural and then later on final concertato of winds spinning all off. All contrasts here got as incisively marked as before, where what fuss did occur was great fun; all became subtler, thus still more sinister in London.

At surface, with drier resonance, ‘Schattenhaft’ may have overtly spooked less here than in Vienna, but through this and the second and warmer Nachtmusik was at last what just got mostly achieved before. What must have impressed Schoenberg, even including the finale - carrying same trait forward - was the great achievement of linear counterpoint on Mahler’s part, where you have so many lines course through both clear texture, implicit overtones as though all free of harmonic moorings underneath. The art of making art out of the finale to the Seventh lies precisely therein. Icy shiver through the Scherzo contrasted then so well with wafting breezes through Nachtmusik II, the latter in reply to drowsy malaise on snatch of Traumerei as captured by Wei Lu, with no effort to underline anything. If anything, the Scherzo here brought with it a greater lingering effect on the psyche – as not quite fully been able to come to grips with which one has been struck until little stretch afterwards; stronger underpinning before of erratic rhythms produced oddball the more visceral effect.

Guitar and mandolin, with piquant irony, answered equally so by winds, tuned and strummed away disingenuously unaware of better places to land harmonically than Mahler has them. Singing ardor for Schumann-esque trio was still most supple, within pace slightly breezier for Nachtmusik II than before. Caught most ideally was the slight shudder, inhalations right at its conclusion – answered by long ardent exhaling line in low register clarinet – all as out of ‘Ich atmet einen Linden duft.’ There was even perhaps hint of Gallic feel – i.e. the extra airiness of texture for the cello/horn led middle section and contrast of pointed acrid winds therein - for Nachtmusik II’s neo-classicism that made so elaborate such fully infiltrated detachment and linear freedom here.

Rondo-finale merrily jostled forth, this Seventh again at slightly quicker clip than when played in Vienna. Now both Gielen and Metzmacher have made the argument that this rondo is no way inferior to other Mahler. It is just in being able to hear all of it that this is so. Hubbub, some blur thereof emerged in full relief, but with practically all voices, harmonic spellings, however awkward or eccentric, speaking through it all. Half ironic framing of chorale entrances by brass, calliope effects, operetta references and other parody resounded forth in full relief, with many lines running through it all - to be as sophisticated at play as informs the rondo-burleske in the Ninth Symphony.

First-movement caravan episode - less overt a shudder to it in London than in Vienna – became eerier for sensation of all interweaving lines through all preceding it arriving at such an encounter. For as notably revelatory a Seventh this was, the interconnected feel overall without any smoothing out was most unique. Remarkable was the greater sense
of play, frivolity with it here, with pointing of humor therein at one point – high and dry solo flute making widely spaced cadence to match Gielen – but truly risible now added a most besotted slurp of portamento up from violins during final ‘operetta’ episode. Lightly inebriated pointing within the brass right before ‘the caravan’ episode also caught one unawares. Most grotesque of all was this being Metzmacher’s final concert as in charge of DSO Berlin. There’s now one more story to tell from this rowdy finale bringing all to a close more than Mahler might yet have reckoned.


Drier acoustic of the more reticent Royal Albert Hall made delicate to more fleshed out Mahlerian and Schrekerian textures sound forth from DSO Berlin - as more illuminated from within - than at Musikverein or Kurhaus (Wiesbaden). Metzmacher made his debut conducting opera with Der Ferne Klang in 1988 (Brussels); it may have helped as well to conduct the Nachtstuck here, in wake of recent Zurich run with the complete opera – employing lyric voices for Fritz and Grete. It is hard to grasp how this music can achieve at once the most aesthetically true and pleasing results - as such avoiding trap of acoustical hedonism to which Michael Gielen has made reference.

Some greater repose at this music’s surface got achieved here, prevailed better than at Wiesbaden. Wafting sense of reverie through much arabesque, development thereof and interplay with repeat and development of the piece’s opening cortege motif for got provided better relief here. Such made jagged, sudden shifts and turns, for remote tonal centers, in such a way to intrude upon the psyche, more unsettling, disturbing this time internally or subconsciously – as most likely intended. Logic of what decisive turns occur then would lodge in memory as immersed in illogic – as even opportunity to reflect upon the character of the turns that take place in the opera’s narrative. Such notion reflects discourse less along lines of traditional morality and logic than along such to reflect varied mental states. Rationale for my calling Schreker impressionist may be loosely corroborated with Alan Lessem’s comments in his book on Schoenberg music and text (UMI Rsch Press 1973, pp. 71-72) on recurrent timbres reflecting new sensations, even perhaps a new spirituality - moreover suspending tonality - being that out of which is built formal cohesion, independent of motivic or thematic content.

The trick in interpreting the music of Schreker (and of Korngold) is being able to separate out emphasis on such sonorities, truly novel relationships between them from cliché, to which Schreker’s music can still easily succumb. The oxymoron is that in making too harsh or jagged or a clash where sonorities intersect or interlock will inadvertently lead one’s ear to naturally, devoid of any concept of spirituality, rely on its more suave harmonies, cadences, where Schreker allows a certain element of cliché – situation made worse by so much music since cheaply derivative of what have become very time-worn devices or crutches one finds therein. This latest take on Nachtstuck, following strong guidelines instead, made one at last yearn to hear more.

Oasis between tumult of the Schreker and Mahler here was the Violin Concerto of Eric Korngold, written post-war well after the traumatic (initial) phase of expressionism, even as persisted between world wars, was over. Most characteristic here was, within precisely tuned shaping thereof, strong emphasis on both the modernism and angularity of solo lines on part of Leonidas Kavakos. Such playing, without layering on any extra sentimentality, let in more probing air of nostalgia than is clichéd norm. Kavakos handled very masterfully the negotiation of runs in melodically awkward figuration, even through the double-stopping and then free swagger with which the ‘concerto’ finale come across. Kavakos and Metzmacher made well varied between them the numerous repeats of swaggering first theme of the finale animatedly with vigor. Kavakos’s spinning off arpeggios, decorated by so many dissonant or off-chord chord exotic intervals from main idea, was spectacular.

Most distinctive was the echt-Vienniese ardor with which so many elaborately rhapsodic lines were filled, from initial reach through wide span for eventual major seventh to help open the first movement. All got achieved by other means than infusion of artificial sweetener to bring out the ache in the sound, even an intermittent harshness of tone. One can achieve even a bitter taste with such nostalgia – here the sense of world lost far beyond what can ever be recovered, personal loss felt as well for home as it was before exile, without tastelessly going about it. Kavakos and Ingo Metzmacher both proved this as impetus for the lavish care they bestowed upon Korngold’s music here.

This concerto has so frequently become star vehicle for generous technical display – with orchestral accompaniment, so often reckoned pointlessly ornate, elaborate. Metzmacher proved ‘gold standard’ in picking up the Hollywood cliché, especially in the finale, with its ‘cowboy’ swagger - especially when reaching the horns - glittering strings above - in grand style on big sky, ‘big country’ theme that sends all the music wide-screen for good moment or two. Such was followed by fine drop-off highlighted by half-harmonics limned consequent by Kavakos, to riveting effect. Interplay between low trilling clarinet generated light obbligato in high winds to wide dissonant interval figuration in Kavakos’s part scintillated halfway through first section of the opening Moderato. Change from austerely realized long held trilled C-sharp following elaborate cadenza, to very bright clearing of the air for D Major opening to Recapitulation was acute – in part for backing off from softening up change occurring there.

The Andante opened atmospheric, toward preparing sweetly sung entrance by Kavakos. Quite pointillist, widely varied figuration limned exotically colored E Major ‘nocturne’ - coming off somber pause midway through, having all take on a neurotic tinge or edge underneath. Follow-through thereof of flighty alternation of caprice and deep yearning from Kavakos remained forefront. He then achieved over shimmer in vibraphone elegaically restful reprise of the main theme – to develop into making exotic, drug-induced his closing lines. All at high level of simplicity got cosseted by evocative spelling of so much from DSO Berlin forces right behind, making things seem all ready for the Mahler – yet with ‘cowboy’ rondo ahead instead.

http://thedavidsoperaworldblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/orf-dso-berlin-musikverein-mahler-7.html

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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

ORF: Bayreuth Festspiele - Musically disastrous Lohengrin opens festival. Andris Nelsons (debut). Hans Neuenfels (new production). 25.07.10

Lohengrin is said to be the darkest story among Wagner’s operas, music dramas; it is most of all in rejection of the light to descend upon Brabant from Montsalvat or ambassador thereof. In light of so much that is politically, socially correct and must even at times strenuously so to avoid anything Teutonic in quality, certainly that might purport superiority along those lines, Lohengrin may only barely be possible anymore. Oh, certainly a higher criticism stance is welcome, but what purpose is there in hearing Lohengrin, experiencing it in the hall, if one can really no longer hear it? Andris Nelsons’ tempos were somewhat breezy; standard cuts taken toward end of Act Three, all came in at slightly over three hours and twenty minutes. Such pacing usually indicates an approach to Wagner steeped in earlier Romanticism or Weber – Nelsons’ tempo choices that just about alone made this impression.

First impression arriving out of Bayreuth however was the highly eccentric staging of Hans Neuenfels – much of it looking as though cut out of comic strips. You had the cornucopia of swan appearances (flying overhead all skin and bones above the rafters, on platter as major entrée for wedding feast, etc.) and men of Brabant costumed as rats - all as taking place in an animal research laboratory. From sound of it alone, it could have just as easily taken place alongside a steel mill in the Ruhr,inside aircraft hangar or along the autobahn in-between. Hearing this could make one speculate whether or not Neuenfels could have heard how this Lohengrin would sound before making any decision on how to stage it.

Best news about this Lohengrin was – from lower end of the vocal spectrum – casting of the Herald (Samuel Youn) and King (Georg Zeppenfeld). Youn, decked out in pouffed up wig and tux, sang with solid, fervor, delivering his lines with fine certainty, focus, to extent of making one wonder why he could not have been here the Telramund instead. One could note the Herald’s address to men of Brabant in immediate advent of Elsa’s first entrance, how Youn started it incisively and naturally developed superb fullness for its closing lines. Together with very driven tempo for middle of Act 2, Youn had Andris Nelsons most of all to contend with, but he very capably stood his ground nevertheless. Exaggerated timpani crescendos to segue in his first address and shouting contest Nelsons made orchestrally to segue in his second address to the knights characterized all occurring here.

Georg Zeppenfeld only slightly eclipsed Youn as best member of this cast. His was clearly the most vocally secure and three-dimensional portrayal in this the entire way through. His response of sounding somber, reticent at first to Telramund’s first round of accusations early on, how it melted into legato spun out tone of warmth and compassion, as if to insinuate at Telramund possibly being wrong or in error, was most affecting. Same variety in demeanor marked his first address to Elsa, and sadness equally felt in his becoming aware of something having gone horribly wrong during Act Three. Zeppenfeld’s briefly reassuring address to Lohengrin opened one of several shafts of light to pervade so much amorphousness during the finale to Act Two. Nothing to faze Zeppenfeld, Nelsons even half unwittingly attempted to undercut him for his public address to emcee face-off between Lohengrin and Telramund, Mediocre preparation, soggy attack and glib coasting through specific harmonic progressions in the brass indicated as much.

Hans Joachim Ketelsen made a highly uneven Telramund. Ketelsen sang much of this as though both out of vocal stamina or energy - as though marking the part. First entrance, with Ketelsen, while tonally lean, presenting Telramund as attempting well to put best face forward, was good. With things vocally tensing up more for Ketelsen, this became a Telramund of almost as much an Alberich (or even Mime?) as anything else. Nelsons’s hefty accompaniment just further emphasized how threadbare Ketelsen sounded. Ketelsen, past very shaky scene with Ortrud, recovered poise for entering during finale to Act Two, but even then it did not take long for things to slide down again to being on verge of withering away. Nelsons occasionally, obviously had to pick up pace underneath Ketelsen to pull him through.

Evelyn Herlitzus, unsteady as Ortrud, provided some clue that this performance indeed came from Bayreuth, with her very keen attention to text. Her inability to provide any consistent vocal evenness to anything gave the sorceress hardly more significance than that of a character part. Anything more than an octave above middle C tended to wobble, even squall. On good measure of adrenaline, she managed her brief invocation to the pagan gods in Act Two quite well – none of it at all pretty to hear. Nelsons unusually made room for her to deliver Ortrud’s gloating chutzpah, triumphalism with ringing high A-sharp at opera's conclusion.

Annette Dasch was the shaky, always too vulnerable sounding Elsa. Musical sensitivity apart, it is hard to construe a more faceless, often vacuous Elsa than this. Dasch has basically a lyric instrument that wisely she restrains herself from pushing too far – suitable for Mozart, Desdemona perhaps (i.e. in recent Otello in Dallas), but without likely providing even close to any last word as to how Elsa or similar part should go. Tone would turn white, through the break and approaching the top - and whenever pushed at all, hooty, then strident and out of tune. She somehow however managed to put such issues aside for most of the bridal chamber scene. Most confounding was sense that this Elsa may not have been more than skin deep infatuated with either dream or presence of the swan knight. The breezy tempos Nelsons gave 'Einsam in truben Tagen" and 'Euch luften" did not lessen risk of this Elsa coming across very generic. Her ‘Mein Ritter’ for instance near end of Act Two sounded more despondent than worried, worried what is most commonly expected – creating doubt as to there being any reason to carry on at all with proceedings.


There was then Jonas Kaufmann’s overrated interpretation of the title role (costumed as your working class man off the street). It is seldom I have heard maestro and leading soloist in opera sound so much on path of mutually assured destruction of work right before them as have Kaufmann and Nelsons now. No doubt, Kaufmann has ample voice for assignment here and on a good half a dozen occasions proved the well forged metal to deliver the goods on most often high A’s, coming off the fight with Telramund and to close ‘In fernem Land.’

Where went however the lyricism? Where was anything as such to last longer than for half a phrase? Early on during Act Three, he sufficiently relaxed his voice to provide some light; most of the rest of the way, this should have had most anybody pleading to have somebody caliber of Petr Hofmann (once of almost comparable sex symbol rock star status in the operatic world) back as Lohengrin. On occasion Hofmann would provide good shape, lyricism if not always an ingratiating sound.

The coagulated tone - a most peculiar placed back mezzo voce - from Kaufmann for first entrance and, much later, ‘Mein lieber Schwan’ was nothing to be coveted. Nelsons and Kaufmann were practically equals in the department of forced, projected, and pushed up sound, devoid of sufficient basis underneath. In fact, Kaufmann’s way of addressing Elsa at times, for instance during final scene of Act Two and during the bridal chamber scene took on uncharacteristic quality of a mean upper lip – ‘mean old Lohengrin’ or ‘mean old nameless dude’, as though Kaufmann could have dubbed in for Franco Citti (from early Pasolini flicks) as the swan knight.

Expression of romantic ardor for Elsa sounded more often affected than it did genuine. Legato or heroism of any depth got just about thoroughly compromised for ‘In fernem Land’; Kaufmann’s brassy hectoring of the knight’s closing lines right upon point of taking off was icing on the cake. There were intonation problems - warning of further trouble down the road, should Kaufmann not soon switch back to singing more lyrically, more legato soon. No amount of bench pressing can compensate for this lack. Nelsons, very hard, jerked descending triplets in lower strings, brass off the Act One fight with Telramund – maestro in battlestar galactica mode - toward goading Kaufmann to mightily squeeze out all he could muster to declare victory.

Of what definition is any darkness in Lohengrin if all light therein is so obscured? The projected opening of Act Two revealed how Nelsons could so casually shirk off attention to Wagner’s dynamic markings. His ear for harmonic chromaticism toward evoking things mysterious, such that shows the way into Ring to follow was weak. Hush over the chorus as dark clouds begin looming over the horizon, put there by the two baddies, near close of Act Two, was hardly at all any, starting out at forte, moving too quickly to fortissimo – not what Wagner marked. The very interesting harmonic change among diminished sevenths eventually from C Minor to E-Flat Minor, for what import or overtones this must have, went completely for naught, as did two important brighter harmonic transitions during for instance 'In fernem Land.'

Organ entrance near end of Act Two sounded devoid of resonance, with chorus entering too loud, allowing in place of any true crescendo hard jerked accents to provide artificial level of excitement in its place. By this point, a general feeling of malaise, even of slight nausea had to have crept over anybody musically sensitive in the least, even at grandiose place such as this. Things got pushed so, that in place of stirring, they culminated in something verging on clotted instead. Orchestra and chorus were occasionally little together at all; there were also several shouting matches of strings over brass – sufficient indictment several very simple harmonic progressions completely out of tune from the brass.

Several vocally incited instances of lyricism, plus that for fine principal clarinet midway through Act Three and calm opening to the bridal chamber scene were more the exception than the rule. Even the strings betrayed toughness toward achieving hopefully fine sonorities during the prelude to Act One – and overt aggression for prelude to Act Three. The stirring quality of repeat note triplets underneath Elsa’s early reassurances to Ortrud (decently sung – as affectionate toward Ortrud as she ever was toward Lohengrin) were, as somewhat hammered out, denied what stirring quality this writing naturally has. Equally unmagical was similar underpinning of ‘Athmest’ - Kaufmann very affected here - during the bridal chamber scene.

What of the cowl to partly cover the pit at Bayreuth? At least, Georg Solti in 1982 did not have the ego to ultimately assess it as somethig to be so challenged as Nelsons, should Nelsons be willing to be or get invited back. Certainly, the stage design had as much a chilly steel glint about it as could be projected. It certainly had as much a look about it to match the quality of sound provided as other way around. Rhetorical conjecture that this is, it still had me wondering.

There has been hardly anything historically informed or up-to-date either about this most of all musically wrong-headed take on Wagner's Lohengrin. Except for several rare instances, it all sounded devoid of anything to intimate at Bellinian lyricism altogether. Even Morton Feldman’s Coptic Light is capable of sounding closer to indicate light from Montsalvat than this did. In how cold this Lohengrin sounded, there may have been some expressive point to make, but there are far more subtle ways of going about it by which the music can be much fuller participant in the undertaking. There was certainly nothing here to overcome recent charge by progressives of Bayreuth turning stuffy, stilted – with the photo-ops for Angela Merckel and first man – and of two towering great-granddaughters carrying their own brand of dilettantism.

Musically should Wagner not be able to work any better than this, there is one bit of advice the wise bard offered – that in mind of preserving historical posterity nobody will ever heed. How anyone is to remember from this how Lohengrin should sound seems daunting. I recall here in Houston last fall having left a Lohengrin, of which I was so unsure at its conclusion what I had just attended for stretch of four hours. This from Bayreuth proved still less satisfying.

One can only hope Bayreuth will find somebody less green at it than Nelsons next time. There are always the historical archives to draw upon, the recordings of past festivals to which to listen, but there should also be some hope for some musical legacy to persist at Bayreuth, vague as it may sound, but that leaves Wagner sounding still slightly better than anonymous. If anything, this Nelsons Lohengrin sounded more ‘storm-trooper’ than taking Lohengrin along more traditional lines.

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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

BBC Proms 2010: Proms 24 and 27. BBC Scottish SO, Donald Runnicles. Karen Cargill. Halle Orchestra, Mark Elder. Paul Lewis.

Prom 24. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Donald Runnicles. Karen Cargill. Edinburgh Festival Chorus. Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus. Royal Albert Hall. August 4, 2010.

This resulted in second Mahler collaboration by Sir Donald Runnicles and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for the BBC Proms, the first one of which, Mahler’s Lied von der Erde, also featuring Karen Cargill, anticipated Runnicles assuming helm this past regular season as their new chief conductor.

As first one of these I heard, this interpretation of the Third, in its overall profiling of form, was reliable, but in finding the character of this music within such, tentative. The first movement, paced well, but with self-conscious thrust on occasion to keep all moving - for fear of instead dragging things - made inchoate slush out of some of its fabric. Such became only able to fully dissolve right before end of the first movement. Boorish romp of the Rabble episode and enunciation of most trombone arioso both happened very capably. Runnicles distinctively also found a rapt stillness for long rests between more dramatic utterances, mostly during wintrier episodes of the first movement.

Curious was a tendency to press forward sometimes, to get stopped by numerous sub-phrases in early funereal sounding rumblings through this - the losing sight of being able to press still a little more forward through series of these. Excessive dovetailing of many phrase endings in arioso developing in solo brass, partly to hide how expressively generic Runnicles’s handling of all this was, also became distracting. After first soggy intimation of thaw outdoors, Runnicles made confusing in terms of placement (vis-à-vis accompaniment) trombone lines through concertato of brass to what gets intended as fairly definitively nodal, sufficiently final conclusion - before real thaw settles in. Deep pulsation in the lower strings to close this section only compensated so far.

Some haze was made of figuration leading into more complete thaw to arrive, followed by adequately, surreptitiously entering march; handling of climatic music to cap further overt pressing forward was stodgy. Large segue back to renewed cold blast (in D Minor) got rushed and brass arioso solos to follow again were shapeless, with change into brighter color for brief duet between concertmaster and principal horn matter-of-fact, only minimal. The Rabble section started off well, very much in character, but then lost – eight measures in – lack of focus to line ensuing through it. Strings through the storm then got drowned out, compromising the full effect of a summer storm to wrest one through the midst of all occurring about. Runnicles then awkwardly jumped over good two beats of rest for snare drum to urgently segue in the recapitulation Calibration of rustling tremoli beneath more spacious spinning out of arioso in trombone was even a little more emphatically off than before ‘rabble’ and tempest, but BBC Scottish cellos framed eloquently their closing phrase to what followed.

Lift verging on Disney, cartoon-like opened second half of the Recapitulation. March tune, though through much of the rest gained better shape and dark episode right before the end, with its large, wide sweeping gesture, ascending runs too finally at last gaining the profile they deserve. Push to the end from here turned so light, detached from all the previous to insipid length, perhaps to help one forget the limited engagement of the shifting variety of colors and light through such a sprawl of a Mahler first movement.

Dragging accents from the oboe principal apart, the Minuet took on pleasant shape, but with Runnicles once into first Mendelssohn like trio self-conscious about downbeats, to make sure his forces all enter right. Clarinets, coming off strong gust of wind coursing through the meadow with refined attention to where downbeats are, restored requisite lightness to the touch for most of this. Drowsy feel, though on verge of becoming too gilded, informed reprise of the minuet, but nervous insistence on securing downbeats stood in the way of finding sufficient magic for varied strong breezes to waft on by through reprise of the trio section – bespeaking less than fully adequate preparation for intricacy to ensue through all this. Not all charm could get lost here, but there continued a nagging sense that there could be more to all this than to come by underlining so much – with final restoration of the opening section here. The heavy gilding of the light surge into the Neapolitan in the violins indicated perhaps higher rates of humidity out on a summer day in the highlands - or near Brenham where the bluebonnets grow and by the ice cream we eat, we surmise the cows near here think they graze in heaven.

Third movement, marked Comodo, got to the most promising start of anything thus far, with all rustic accents clear and good jaunt to the Beethoven parodying trio section. Just the concertato of winds at play through the scherzo seemed, one could surmise, as effective self-guided, as having to be extra attentive all the time to reassure the maestro that, for their section, all remained intent on staying together. A few disproportionate accents and over-emphasis on fortissimo crane downward of octave staccato brass distracted from overall good flow in advent of expansive posthorn interlude to follow.

Broadly taken post-horn interlude began magically – post-horn placed more forward than perhaps is ideal. Some element of the vernacular then crept in, even crooning of such, into the playing, limiting to ordinarily sublime this adieu to romanticism. Spirited enough, forthrightly paced, extra pointing of kletzmer accenting and sloppy attack in the strings during scherzo reprise turned vulgar. Birds, perhaps wanting to catch more Mozart, Schumann in the posthorn calls when they resumed, had to blithely settle once more for muzak instead; with perk aplenty, they did just that. Runnicles made something too lightly restrained for very close to the scherzo - after slight trouble right before with notably brief, mysterious episode – before all got sent hurtling off to a very rollicking conclusion.

Equally flat-line as mysterious episode right before - it called for to be very close to still anyway - was how opened the Nietzsche lied. The deep toned, highly expressive and solemn Karen Cargill guided horns into obbligato of very well sculpted line; violins followed suit eloquently on their cantilena between verses. Cargill, past illusion of practically too motionless re-start, gave her lines, starting off very quietly, the fuller ardor, urgency with no lapse in quality of what she poured out. Why could not have the childrens' choir been called to rise out of their seats right before the caroling fifth movement, instead of two seconds in? All was crisp from both choirs, with Cargill lightly but very expressively delivering much expected penitential fervor for her lines.

Solemn fervor marked most of the Adagio, with measured, freely expressive slow opening to its noble line and arch. Mildly extra arched leaning into climactic passages, particularly the vertical handling of a last one to reprise of Minore episode, proved distracting. Fine overall legato, filling out of transfigured light pretty much however still ruled the day. One or two transitions produced from Runnicles tentative opening to coda reprise of the hymnal main theme. Second part of double reprise at one point also got a little more chewed upon than should be ideal. Runnicles, apart from excessively projecting allargando turns in the trumpet parts, showed restraint in bringing his steadily paced Adagio to a measured, very euphonious conclusion. Apart from several lapses, still achieved here was a fairly acceptable rendition of the Adagio, to close halfway decent, but ordinary stroll through Mahler's paean to Nature - his Third Symphony.


Prom 27. Halle Orchestra, Mark Elder. Paul Lewis. Royal Albert Hall. August 6, 2010.

One among set of ‘Impressions’, nine minutes long, John Foulds’ evocative ‘April-England’ opened this altogether fulfilling single Halle prom for the summer. It opens with bright woodwind dominated carillon of alternating perfect fifth triads, perfect fifth apart - cellos responding with folk-like air of their own. A passacaglia takes up the entire middle half of this piece. Mark Elder preferred within fine enveloped profile to emphasize this music’s warmer colors, but without understating too much its brasher qualities, as in some of its extended polytonal leanings almost coming loose from their tonal moorings. It is perhaps as much as anything our knowledge of the music of William Walton, that in this music’s brasher qualities and brighter dissonances, one may pick up on the surface some Petrouchka like quality to the scoring, but deeper still the influence of Busoni. Mark Elder preferred having this music play in mildly broader, Romantic context, but within fine technique on display from the Halle. For all the free alternation of contrasting, clashing strands to jostle about the Halle exuded much confidence. If not as fully characterized as possible, Elder made overall good nature of this music, with its vernal splash, still something to be presented as at forefront.

An air of self-conscious reticence with quasi-period abbreviated note values opened the orchestral Exposition for the Beethoven Third Piano Concerto. All suggested some fine opening out of the line with winds, their entrance with the lyrical second theme, Except for distracting clunky negotiated cadence of sorts, fine calibrated tremolo through Halle strings assisted very well preparing Paul Lewis’s severely negotiated first entrance, with even octave length runs slightly more rolled than how he played similar later.

From this point on, even including the on purpose strained sturm und drang opening to the solo cadenza, everything from this point on just fell ideally into place, with hardly ever any lapse to encounter again. In all three movements, Lewis’s alternation of solo lines with principal winds and elaborate accompaniment to them was astutely, keenly sensitive - Lewis always also providing strong shape or at least preparation to everything in this way. While always highly attentive to maintaining classical proportions, Lewis still brought out a fire, a stormy quality to even ends of lines of animated figuration to extend and highlight a solo line both seamless and febrile with vitality – all without even a hint of self-consciousness. It was very evident how close Lewis and Elder had come together long by the coda by the very rapt attention to all at hand from both, in as tricky a passage to calibrate as anything in the Third Concerto. Lewis’s marking of long first descending run with forthright marking of thematic motif in strong octaves beneath into scintillating subtly varied trills was further hallmark.

Even a hint of Lisztian fire subtly infused spinning off cadenza like runs in the Largo within sublimely classical profile, noble shape to it all; bel canto ardor for beautifully singing line on the Hamburg Steinway employed for this entire venture was clear. One had to take note of how nobly profiled slow measured ascents on staccato sixteenths to accompany chords in the winds then set off much spin-off of very bright filigree in the right hand to follow. All then through subtly profiled alternation of simpler lines restored complete sense of noble frame to the Largo.

On purpose hesitant solo opening to the rondo overtly suggested openly mischievous play to come – in most varyingly enlightened openly Haydn-esque a manner. Lewis made suggestion of Lisztian quality to most brilliant flourish in the writing, but as still strongly characterized and framed by very forthright classical profile to it all. Elder and the Halle could have scarcely ever missed a beat in what continued as their best efforts in combining so well with Paul Lewis. This even rang true through raptly attentive, well articulated fugato to frame re-entry by Lewis into sublimely framed E Major reprise of opening theme. Reclamation of the opening idea in C Minor by the Halle, sternly astute, recalled overall tenor, sonority of the first movement. For further contrast, skipping descending second theme was both sprightly and minutely pointed from within by Lewis – for Halle solo winds to attempt precisely matching him at it – at which they mostly succeeded. Lewis entered slightly early on purpose, rhetorically to spin out very brilliantly the bracing cadenza and coda to follow with, though rigorously firm, a very merry, bustling conclusion to not only a definitive interpretation of the rondo, but of much of what preceded it, concerto as a whole.

Richard Strauss at the 2009 Proms shared, between several major tone poems performed, the giving off of more brilliant virtuosity than have either Bychkov's 'Alpine' or this Heldenleben entrusted to Mark Elder. Whereas good characterization in Strauss takes much virtuosic ability to achieve it, the Halle, while understating it, remained confident. There is certainly a ruminative, philosophical element to take into account. Ironically, in taking such an approach (Luisi's 'Alpine' not lacking some special insights –cross-referencing to other Strauss), some of the humor that occurs in this music can feature in stronger, even high relief - as opposed, for instance, to resembling just another dollop of virtuosic gesture. Much, not all of the Mehta Don Quixote last year, brilliantly played, demonstrated very good ear for it.

There is certainly risk, with Heldenleben, in taking excessively the meditative or ruminative approach. Try for instance still fairly recent EMI disc by Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic - in which I had placed high hopes. It stands as one of the most pure, perfectly staid, marmoreal Heldenleben's around on disc today – nevertheless so well executed. With there being so much about the 'romantic life' with Strauss's hero, self-portrait here, one seeks, strives in vain for indication of anything healthy to this going on - apart from maybe Strauss’s long-standing patience, virtue, but hardly masculinity in living long with a woman who when peeved could on a dime turn shrewish. Toscanini, had he perceived impetus behind writing this was just as Rattle picks it up, might have held Strauss in close to same regard he did Bruckner - or speculate as to when Richard and Pauline might have taken up Christian Science or anything likewise ascetic.

It was thus with mild trepidation I approached listening to this Heldenleben; but glad to report glass considerably more full than empty here. Certainly one could construe a certain Victorian mild manner, restraint, reticence in going about this, but fortunately we were clearly into world as Strauss conceived it - thus farther away from Dream of Gerontius or The Apostles than with Rattle's still well polished Heldenleben.

Mark Elder made lean fervor out of the 'hero' theme, encouraging violins to make sharp cut-offs to their interjections between statements thereof. Foray into enharmonically achieved harmonies immediately turned all airy, with even incisive coloring of reverie penciled in - no gilding allowed. Fine, muscular striving was made out of broader reaches into restatements of the 'hero' idea ultimately into strongly marked passionate sweep up major ninths in the violins toward making freely broad cadence to this section. Elder relied not at all on prop of hairpin pause to politely frame adversaries' entrances; their insolence got forthrightly, rudely emphasized instead - with all variety of cocky wit possible, just exactly as all should happen. Languor from violins was in full supply to stoically provide empathy.

Cheeky reprise of 'hero' material refrain then ushered in Lynn Fletcher, first very pensively as 'Pauline.' – as though shy to enter center stage just as of yet. Her mastery of much delicious caprice to follow showed a few cracks - hardly at all to impede upon the variety of attack, wit, color with which she displayed the flighty moods, passion of Pauline Strauss. Surge of passion from all tstands behind her developed gradually - eventually to take it on in full, with simultaneously steady tone and unbridled passion, while keeping the simplicity of Strauss's design in focus.. Fletcher then with great ease fell back into fine state of reverie as full participant in taking it all in. it would have been churlish to ask for more. Rattle's 'Pauline' episode had practically become staid to effect it could have made D.H. Lawrence blush - not forgetting how well Berlin can still play it. Fletcher’s unusually fine portamento, coming off well limned harp glissandi, provided great finishing touch – followed by very fine reflectively ardent principal clarinet.

Battle proceeded with consistent touch of irony, strong wit. One waited s in vain for the Halle to make as grand a cacophony as one might immediately draw out of a Berlin or Chicago, but no matter. Shift in emphasis here was at least in spirit as much in line with what Strauss wrote as any hollow bombast to be made out of this. Much sharp intricacy of the writing in so much interplay very skillfully, especially in light upper strings and winds highlighted the irony. Such vain conflagration shifted gears with ease into lean, direct repeat of idea of 'man of the bourgeoisie' hero Strauss was - with repeat chord accompanying winds driving all stirringly forward. Elder only lost a little focus in this music taking on greater heights than perhaps his interpretation would sustain - yet with french horn principal excessively underlining his part (through notable quotation of Don Juan) as though attempting to take it all on alone. His excellently very controlled soft playing in final episodes, however, came across most refined.

Noble cast, broad pace, also expressively guided mild liberty with Strauss's tempo markings informed closing passages to this Heldenleben. If there were one or two places the Halle strings could have sung out more passionately, they only held back once again with overall shape of the discourse here in mind. A hanging, drained tone of reverie over still, rocking obbligato in English horn was most poetic, following agitated stretto Elder avoided making too brusque. The woodsy toned reminiscence of earlier tone poems in previous episode found Elder on equally intimate terms with all of this. Passing reminiscence of adversaries became oppressive, almost as though something frozen in the psyche - all the greater for arriving conclusion to be more reassuring.

Lynn Fletcher's duet with principal horn maintained very slow steady line - all riding out beautifully poised toward horizon – with brief following moment of peroration all devoid of bombast. If not the most inspired Heldenleben, it still had plenty to say - what genuine, fervently humane qualities in full this music should still ideally communicate.

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