Met (NPR): Tedium pervades slowly Nezet-Seguin led broadcast season opener - Verdi's Don Carlo. Solid leads from Giuseppini, Yonghoon Lee. 18.12.10.

Peter Gelb certainly has an eye for what is trendy on different stages across the pond – but quest to find both unifying and meaningfully diverse approach to staging opera at the Met proves elusive. Such holds true with bringing Nicholas Hytner’s pseudo-naturalistic, half traditional, timid production of Don Carlo from Convent Garden to the Met.

Anthony Tommasini may find refreshing having this instead of “regietheater metaphorical nonsense” one can pick up from distinctive productions such as directed by Luca Ronconi (in sore need of revival), Peter Konwitschny, or Luc Bondy. Here, laid out against flat-dimensional phallic sized - take your pick - church, portrait of weeping Christ, monastery, we have portrayed a group of powerful people living during time caught up in the throes of religious fanaticism “feeling alienated from their inner selves.” Opening woodcutters’ chorus to open Fontainebleau that for only economy’s sake Verdi could have dropped is now no longer heard at the Met; in its place we have the standard 1886 beginning that inadequately replaces how Don Carlo(s) originally opened.

This is only the second opera, first Verdi for Yannick Nezet-Seguin to conduct at the Met – Nezet-Seguin now music director designate for the Philadelphia Orchestra. If impulsive, impetuous precocity is ideal hallmark for genius on the podium, Nezet-Seguin has it - in spades. The Met orchestra, obviously allocated much time to rehearse this, sounded full and substantial just about the entire way. For one half of a surname looking, sounding French, most mystifying here was a thorough lack of the command of French rhythms throughout - for practically all passages therein affecting more of a galante style or pace than the rest – plus more than just those. Negotiation of such was altogether stiff. Nezet-Seguin stated in interview that he finds a Brahmsian feel to much of Don Carlo. There was indeed some reach-from-behind to much of this, as though much of Don Carlo might consist of hemiolas extending over bar lines. The weight however with which Nezet-Seguin infused much of the scene in the King’s private chambers and also exciting close to the Fourth Act made it his most successful of the entire afternoon.

As exciting an impression Nezet-Seguin made at the end of Act Four, there was excessive tendency toward over-emphasis earlier, for purpose of our not missing out on his personal stamp on proceedings. One place early on was the plea by impoverished French women out in the forest by Fontainebleau to Elisabeth in effect to concede her personal desires to the general welfare of bringing war to an end between France and Spain by marrying Philip. Verdi marks an imperceptible slowdown and at which point Nezet-Seguin grounded things to a halt, robbing combined expression of thanks and needed relief of the full repose it should have – a most moving and important passage, though brief – especially given harmonic relationships involved – the E Major for the balm of the prospect of the war ending a clear resolution of the supertonic of the womens’ pleas right before. E Major is also practically Schubertian Neapolitan to opening chorus in E-Flat Minor some episodes earlier that we now miss. Monks entered so loudly at start of next scene to be perceived as entirely upfront and center.

Overworked accenting, underlining during first scene between Rodrigo and Carlo proved both distracting and interfering with both Yong-hoon Lee and Simon Keenlyside’s ability to sustain line well. Once into friendship oath duet Lee began closely watching Nezet-Seguin toward engaging in heavy underlining of his lines on several transitions – mistake in judgment he also repeated later on. Finicky incisiveness for opening the garden scene made almost blaring the sultry atmosphere that Verdi has preface a then here crudely accompanied Veil Song. Unyielding accompaniment to Rodrigo-Eboli dialogue accompanied by sotto voce interjections from the Queen proved most inconsiderate of all three singers on stage. Though fine ear for color became evident during swooning episode (‘O prodigo’) from duet for Queen and Carlo, structure for the rest of this and for much of the duologue between Philip and Rodrigo to follow became incoherent. Confusing to the Eboli was making her skip practically entire measure of rest to enter for second trio ending her audience with Carlo – joined by Rodrigo.

Underlined misplacing of accenting the opening of the auto-da-fe scene – with chorus of onlookers thrusting crosses into the air in this staging to mark the accenting stood on verge of Pythonesque self-parody. A reviewer for BBC already commented upon the over-emphatic extra priest Inquisitor making final brutal interrogation of the heretics on stage (further dehumanized by the staging) reminding him of scene out of Life of Brian. Excessive pressure from podium rendered fatally episodic the Flemish deputies’ led concertato later in the scene – one further instance of insensitivity by Nezet-Seguin to his singers. Loud perked up percussive harp accompanying a radiant Jennifer Check (Celestial Voice) putting Verdi’s finishing touch on the auto-da-fe scene became extremely vulgar. Certainly, enthusiasm for task at hand sounded infectious – the temperament for conducting opera is right – but way too many instances of finesse lacking indicated too much inexperience to take on as long and interwoven complex a score as Verdi’s Don Carlo(s). A better trial for relatively untried youth on the Met podium would be Verdi’s Aida, even with as many traps for the unsuspecting it has. The damage done is less.

Marina Poplavskaya repeated her Elisabeth from opening of this production at Convent Garden under Pappano preserved on dvd and of revival thereof, disastrous for her, under Semyon Bychkov. Here, without restoring much confidence in her continuing to sing Elisabeth, Poplavskaya was more circumspect in hiding better where she was still taking excess number of breaths, still often chopping up her line – with intonation already clearly being tenuous at best.

The vulnerability of Elisabeth amidst the realpolitik of Escuriel re-emerged from being better evident during first run of this production across the pond; foreign though intonation compromising color to her vocalism can still knowingly limn easier passages of this part. Some of the timidity now coming across as purely musical plus failure to (fully) sustain line for instance for ‘Non pianger’ or ‘s’ancor si piange’ during her great scena alone to open this opera’s final scene– even for her on-the-defensive ‘Ben lo sapete’ - reveals there not being enough here to sing Elisabeth. This is so, regardless how lovely Poplavskaya looks, for anywhere major, until some major issues get overcome - if that is still possible. For her welfare, one can only hope.

Simon Keenlyside, always having lacked the heft to take on some of Verdi’s most demanding parts, has always been correctly esteemed to fit well the Marquis of Posa, Rodrigo – but he has apparently hit a bad patch lately vocally, plus having walked the boards for the Hytner production with its incipient mannerisms long enough. He suffered probably the most of anybody from lack of support from an almost incurably self-attentive Nezet-Seguin – until a sensitively accompanied and sensitively well sung ‘Per me giunto during Act Four. He also contributed well to the quartet during previous scene and provided a moving “O Carlo, ascolta” with which to bring to a close his contribution here. Sadly, the lower middle of his range seems to suffer some disrepair, with low notes very dry and strained effort for the very upper end of his range now – all of which had Keenlyside resorting to chopping up musical lines excessively. Even so, the upper middle, near upper portion of his range still carried some sheen – including through passages of his lengthy audience with the King.

Keenlyside is not the artist to entirely fail to win sympathy from his hearers for part such as Rodrigo. Eric Halfvarson, as Rodrigo’s nemesis, made it sufficiently known his knowledge and deep reckoning of his never placating text to sing – but compromised by wobble overtaking the entire upper end of his range.

Korean tenor Yong-Hoon Lee made his Met broadcast debut as Don Carlo – certainly tricky for the occasion, but for which Lee showed genuine mastery a good ways. For such a lyric voice, there was some strain, bench pressing of key moments; other places he managed to coast free of excessive pointing from insensitive accompaniment – conspicuously well for ‘Tristo a me’ preceding friendship duet with Keenlyside. His deft shading of line with lovely achievement of mezza voce at top of the staff (including for opening scena through ‘Io lo vidi’) even here and there brought Carlo Bergonzi to mind – even including (though Bergonzi’s diction can not be faulted) some excessively dry Italian vowels – albeit keeping in mind that this opera was originally composed in French; it still too infrequently gets sung in French.

Though capturing well Nezet-Seguin’s imagination at ‘O prodigo’ in Act Two, Lee got muscled into bench pressing closing line to ‘Ma lassu’ with a thick toned Poplavaskaya at end thereof – with Nezet-Seguin crudely bulging its barcarolle like accompaniment underneath. His resorting to shouting to end confrontation with Philip at the auto-da-fe was impulsive, but within this context so open, so unyielding to anything to have come off precisely right; moment of sobbing right after Rodrigo is shot also was heart-rending. Introspection, poetic sense, even neuroticism for key passages helped Lee pull off good qualified success at singing this enigmatic part, including fine sustenance of line on behalf of his colleagues for trios during Act Three.

Giorgio Giuseppini stepped in on short notice for Ferruccio Furlanetto - heavy pouting and dry vocalism of the latter that undercut his appearances thereof at Convent Garden. It was highly welcome to have somebody less familiar with the Hytner production replacing him. Although perhaps second tier among La Scala ranks and slightly dry vocally, Giuseppini brought a stoic grandeur to Philip, knowingly making better sense of the King’s frustration, and despondency in assessing tight spot Philip finds himself in throughout this. Giuseppini provided noble profile and shape to his opening scena to Act Four; also moving was his subtly acted pleading before the Inquisitor with hope for good outcome all lost, despondently so. His stern obbligato to the Flemish deputies – not helped by fussiness from Nezet-Seguin, for momentarily losing good placement sounded dry, even rough, but after a long break Giuseppini found his stride the entire rest of the way. Even if dry, slightly pouted on several lines, Giuseppini established himself a Philip to be reckoned with during duologue with Keenlyside. As far as having developed fine knowledge with and of idiom in which to sing Philip, Giuseppini led this cast.

Leyla Claire provided the eager, perky Tebaldo, Jennifer Check a radiantly sung Celestial Voice, Alex Tanovitsky a resonant, dignified but tremulous Frair.

I save the best for last – Anna Smirnova as Princess Eboli. Except for marking during quartet in Act Four, passively helping make more of a trio out of it, here was something full-out in context of so much insipidly pointed, fussed over, underlined. No matter that unsteady support for upward extending sextuplets in the veil song verged close to completely derailing things, the ‘let’s hear it’ attitude became compelling, including fearlessly lunged for acuti during ‘O don fatale.’ This was stand-and-deliver for all the great bluster it was worth. Task of freeing Carlo from prison even for once sounded effective – except for fear of being overheard.

For tedium of this production the Met has now foisted upon us - when available from abroad presumably was Luc Bondy’s much better production, Smirnova could ultimately only be found guilty of being very shot in the arm the doctor could have ordered. She even had Nezet-Seguin in palm of her hand for underlining of passionately (almost bawled) fervent pleas to Carlo to reconsider on repeated pitch E-Flat’s during Third Act rendezvous to trap him. With so much fuss to bore most anybody with Don Carlo, a favorite of mine, Smirnova vouchsafed a place in my heart – for what must now suffice as an underwhelming start to the Met broadcast season.

DR Kultur - DSO Berlin. Christoph Eschenbach returns for generous, but heavy, effete Tchaikovsky fare. 12.12.10. Philharmonie, Berlin.

Christoph Eschenbach his one occasion to conduct DSO Berlin this season accumulated luxurious amount of Tchaikovsky – 105 minutes worth comprising two most celebrated among handful of fantasy-overtures, plus two of three more famous from among six concerto works. Those familiar with Eschenbach’s Tchaikovsky can find it an interesting hybrid of conflicting tendencies.

There is striving for the big arch to the line along lines of Furtwaengler. This often gets mixed with control of sonority - zeroed in on to extent of turning rigid. Mixed in can be numerous finicky touches, underlining – such he might have learned from watching Leonard Bernstein. John Ardoin of the Dallas Morning News close to time Eschenbach accepted the Houston job described his approach to Romantic Slavic program with the Dallas SO that also included Francesca as calcifying.

Romeo and Juliet Overture opened – to altogether indeed best represent Eschenbach still being able to understate some of the above. Much of the playing here maintained a natural expressivity and flow that if not stirring was pleasant. Friar Laurence music opened with stately solemnity – with distension of reaching harp gilded cadences a little more than usual. Measured but throbbing phrasing in the cellos provoked extended pause before fight episode got underway - slightly too careful by half Fight here was tame., with brass dry, strings hardly more flaccid than usual. Much ado resumed over transition through bassoon, other obbligato into the balcony music.

Violins emerged sweetly luminous; winds sang main romantic theme with ease – all only encumbered by percussive touch mediocre harp playing – whoever insisted such accompanying communicate this way. Impressive for Eschenbach was starting reprise of fight music without enveloping it, but much rhetoric was made in making transition in and out of the love music for further skirmish. Only the coda then deflated matters, with excessive extension made out of so much, placement of chords right before its outset indecisive and winds’ refulgent chorale heaved over, massaged – just again a little more so than usual. Much got reached from behind for closing phrases – tone, expression of regret to it all garden variety expressing wish to last forever, but through following deflated chords of course could not.

The model for conductor’s interpretation here of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto - less that of soloist - is undoubtedly the Karajan legacy of conducting this piece. Karajan might not have anticipated lily gilded arpeggios accompanying the first theme (that really is not but what only survives introduction to first movement intact) consistent oddly with how the passage first got first written. What came across from Karajan individual continues to from Eschenbach willful, eccentric. Karajan was likely most smoothly effective with this on disc when Lazar Berman recorded it for DGG in Berlin circa 1975.

Karajan most likely had most distinctive on disc as soloist Sviatoslav Richter with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra fifteen years earlier. Richter accomplishes as much his own interpretation best heard with Czech Philharmonic conducted by Karel Ancerl (Supraphon). What sank this endeavor here was - brutally evident starting scherzo-like opening of the Exposition - the very brittle touch of Tzimon Barto – dotted rhythms awkwardly clipped in context of much slow pacing here. Restatement in rapidly alternating octaves was messy – to resume similarly much later.

DSO Berlin strings phrased ardent second theme naturally, but Barto by back-phrasing made it sound suitable to hear in a comfy smoking lounge. More editorializing to point of being silly recapitulated it later. Normal tempo then resumed for cellos on the simple flute theme expected. Barto pointed developing arpeggios through resumption of main second theme with considerable ping – with loud crunching thud on lowest chord while playing development thereof. Coming off athletically prefigured chains of descending octaves, answering willful detached speed-up to highlight the display, massage treatment got predictably underway to continue the Development. Barto’s final extensions out of second theme almost grounded it to a standstill – followed soon thereafter by heavily regrouped cadenza – with flute trios, Barto accompanying strings on ‘flute theme’ regrouped and messy, followed by Barto making heavily phlegmatic reach, picked up too this way by DSO brass - for final tutti.

Prinicpal flute Thomas Hecker put forth valiant effort to avoid line sagging – following one of the (erratically) slowest first movements on record – over string pizzicato (helping prepare Barto) lacking pulsation to extent of registering aleatoric. Ah, deconstructionism. Barto and Eschenbach half deceptively made interpretation of the first movement seem more soloist’s than maestro’s, but Barto achieved his first musical phrasing of the evening, starting the second movement – still all moving slowly. Andreas Grunkorn (cello) sustained eloquently singing the main theme – within such obtrusive environment. Scherzo episode, taken moderately instead of fast got heavily fussed over to full extent– brittleness from Barto again paramount – until freely descending arpeggi back into oboe resuming main theme more fussed over than as previously heard.

Barto perceptively caught the peasant character to dance opening the finale – Eschenbach scrupulizing right beneath. Barto emerged more naturally engaged for music to speak for itself than earlier - than having to endure continual fussiness from the podium – mediocre tentative ensemble through winds accompanying his runs. Barto, intermittently also getting waylaid into fussy playing - clipping main theme to breathe new urgency into proceedings at one point – later shed all reserve for show of naked athleticism with ugly tone over stream of octaves - into final full-throated reprise of romantic second theme.

Thirty year old cellist Dmitri Maslennikov, who Eschenbach has clearly enjoyed promoting for some time now, appeared next. Among three thus far playing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations reviewed on these pages, Maslennikov elicited the most fully rounded tone– especially as compared with Steven Isserlis. He made noble profile of the theme, then light, sprightly his bounce of bow over triplets for first variation. Eschenbach, self-consciously hesitant for segue in(to) the rhapsodic third variation and abetting Maslennikov to make gratuitous spotlighting of rapid spiccato scales up and down the fingerboard in variation right after, maintained decent poise and support for his soloist through most of the remainder of this piece. Maslennikov, unencumbered, provided flowing line, near ideal simplicity through the slower third variation, but got abetted into excessively arching ascending trills into flute led theme reprise making up the fifth variation. A valiantly engaged unusually extended cadenza followed - entirely new or slightly more likely one just seldom these days taken on by anybody else.

Opportunities to arpeggio in half-harmonics, other device enticed Maslennikov again into becoming while freely capable, gratuitous with such. He then settled into making noble shape, restrained pathos of the slower D Minor variation – with much lingering over the accompaniment at a few spots from Eschenbach. Once into finale to the variations, Maslennikov then efficiently but also expressively coasted, played through it, hardly missing anything. Most memorable here was the well rounded tone and profile Maslennikov provided this piece, especially when no artifice in the way to distract him.

Francesca da Rimini succumbed to sounding careful – often compartmentalized in ways one might not have suspected before, except to have listened to either one of Eschenbach’s two recordings – actually on first disc he ever recorded in Houston (paired with Dvorak Ninth). DSO Berlin became most prudent to avoid covering up too much the strings on main agitated theme (hopefully) driving this music forward for its outer sections. Trumpets especially applied good separations to repeated notes – of which John DeWitt & Co in Houston were not fluent at doing when they recorded this. Eschenbach was found - tendency one wishes he could have abandoned long by now.- conducting DSO’s fine principal clarinet introducing romantic middle section theme

Opening Andante lugubre to this came across dry, mildly clipped, antiseptic. Things were slow, became deliberate at gathering steam, with odd siphoning off different sections of DSO Berlin from each other playing and attempting to reply to one another. First Piu mosso during the Introduction – put there to abet hellish winds accumulating amongst the strings – became barely noticeable. Eschenbach put his own subito piu mosso during sighing dyads making way into flute trios during the middle section – making such transition come across silly, mildly petulant this way. Fussiness over light gusts of wind between strings and woodwinds during first buildup to main theme turned the figuration into practically aural equivalent to watching protozoa swim about on slides under microscope – with DSO Berlin strings sounding nearly as thin as Houston’s, … i.e. how about Hans Neuenfels choreography for Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Rimini?

Eschenbach again vehemently confused loudness for passion – hard at any rate to work up at his tempos. It is as though we might gain insight by having most of this piece taken apart to expose all its inner layers – except for their becoming often so muddied - so much found dying underneath in the mean time. The band-y cheap approximation of operatic overture accelerando at the very end, also ending this concert, did not convince. Vehemently loud slash of wind introducing restart of violent main section of this – unmistakable what it is on the live LSO/Markevitch disc from BBC – is such for which Eschenbach made such luftpausen’d reach - it resembled letting off … instead - quiet brief mourning then from good lower DSO brass.

Eschenbach had just convincingly worked up some heat, then overdoing it for final entrance of middle section theme in the violins only to sink everything by docking single pitches on DSO brass loudly as idea broadly siphons itself off - dead. Long delay had been made earlier through regretful sounding English horn commenting on pleasurable guilt of the two lovers, answered by well played harp arpeggios – but with both unsure of where to make cut-offs on back and forth exchange. Descending sunlight from flute trios playing repeat-chord (C Major) tremolo seemed to take very long to arrive.

Should your idea of Francesca da Rimini be one entirely physically disengaged from action Tchaikovsky graphically describes, Christoph Eschenbach is your man, forever likely shall be. I suppose one could get all absorbed too by standing all day in a Cy Twombly gallery to attempt engaging with the forces of nature, how they intermix with human passion. You just have to ask yourself – how much would you talk yourself into it?

DR Kultur: DSO Berlin - Tame Sacre du printemps blots Tugan Sokhiev MD designate debut. Piotr Anderszewski, soloist. 26.11.10. Philharmonie, Berlin.

This marked Tugan Sokhiev’s debut as music director designate of DSO Berlin. Most prominent here wasa work Ingo Metzmacher also did his first season – out of his three with DSO – Le Sacre du printemps by Igor Stravinsky. Sokhiev, originally from Ossetia, just like his mentor Valery Gergiev, and continuing a little while longer as Orchestre Capitole de Toulouse’s conductor, is said to have close to decade long relationship with DSO Berlin as guest conductor. He also replaced Zubin Mehta on short notice during the Vienna Philharmonic’s fall 2009 Asia tour. More than I could have known, he has been serious contender to take Metzmacher’s place for months now – since Metzmacher suddenly announced resigning from DSO Berlin in March of 2009.

Musical qualities to Sokhiev’s work have surfaced – most notably on a Dvorak and Tchaikovsky program he conducted with the orchestra last season – and also for some of this program as well. He has an ear for the lyricism of the music he conducts, a decent ear for balances, yet there are other elements that perhaps are still lacking for position carrying the prestige of having been founded by Ferenc Fricsay.

This program opened with the Roman Carnival Overture of Berlioz. Benevenuto Cellini’s romance to Therese – here sung by English horn – received lovely warmth, ardor, and shape. Once bacchanale – choral during the opera (conducted by Gergiev at Salzburg recently) – began, spiritedly here, some flaccidity however in getting the shape of its tune and rhythms began to creep into the strings of DSO Berlin. In order to compensate for the lapse, urgent push forward gradually then surfaced. Such eventually left woodwinds slightly off ensemble wise, and then violins sounding strained, forced. Risk also began to emerge of conducting slightly ahead of the beat. Even with all carping above, all still ventured forth in a spirited manner and on reasonably secure footing.

Piotr Andrszewski proved consistently fine soloist for the Bartok Third Piano Concerto. The folk-like simplicity, earthy accents, engaged rumination over mystery infusing this music all got matched with limpid Mozartean line, plus secure engagement of quasi-Lisztian virtuosity some of the way therein. He was also very keen on listening to all going on about him as keen to accurately interact with such toward achieving optimum results for all. Sokhiev proved supportive, but one has to reckon tentatively so. The hushed mystery opening Adagio religioso from strings of DSO Berlin he assisted in making rapt and middle section of antiphonal bird call between soloist and solo winds in DSO Berlin had all color, piquancy, echo to resonate very effectively.

DSO Berlin strings sounded slightly thin, tentative at outset of the first movement – but with good sense of pulsation underneath evident – Andreszewski playing his opening bird-song lines with singing tone and deftly applied color – consistent from him with much to follow here. Making glib Bartok’s excellent rhythmic shape to opening lines, DSO Berlin strings made something curiously flat-line of their opening tutti – DSO winds then soggy toward sufficiently being able to color their lines. Andrswzewski continued unencumbered – then with good attempt to assist him from woodwinds – into shaping sprightly second theme with excellent brightness and lift.

Winds then dragged unison allargando line into the Development – canon between Anderszewski and them to follow belabored by tentative beat from Sokhiev. – but with all finally coming together well for quietly haunting segue into the Recapitulation. Qualities that dragged down earlier passages resurfaced again, but concertato winds with Anderszewski on the second theme lightly fed off the nuance he provided them and all eventually came to a light, heady close with Anderszweski deferentially accompanying solo flute. The rarefied, transfigured quality of how the ‘leave-taking’ Adagio religioso opened was again special here. Anderswzweski settled for playing forte as marked anguished chord progressions in the first A section of this, but strings as leaning on similar during return thereof lacked such perfect subtlety., followed by good despondency in making forceful response from Anderszweski, then to help bring all to, very rapt, a peaceful close.

PIotr Anderszewski proved most useful, in marking accents right to keep motion, pulsation flowing right, all calibrated as well as possible through the vigorous finale, different episodes thereof – albeit with first A section fugato more in Sokheiv’s hands than that of the soloist for most of it. Prredictably results were approximate, followed by clotting of matters toward its conclusion. After further muddying of several passages, awkward accenting of the last page of this, tricky in its own right, almost threw Anderszewski off, but all held on sufficiently to a completely vigorous send-off of the end of the concerto. Anderszweski always remained confidently engaged with in both the vigor and often also playful wit of this music.

Memories float back of hearing Helene Grimaud play Bartok Third with Metzmacher and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra – Grimaud who can be colloquial bull in the china shop on Schumann, Chopin, Ravel, even Rachmaninoff, but with the SFSO playing at previous DSO Berlin levels, all crisp, rapt, lightly intense through entire duration of this fine performance – Bartok Third that Grimaud had recorded already with Pierre Boulez.

If one accepts Rite of Spring as concert tone poem, nothing to offend then about how Tugan Sokhiev approached it. However, some listeners still reckon it deserves better. Consistent with making it mere showpiece, this was equally as tame as many performances of Rite arrive these days. Simplicity here felt put aside right away with a heavily nuanced opening principal bassoon solo. With careful anticipation of bar lines and getting mildly stuck on brief concertato of flues and English horn - things waited until right before ‘Augures de printemps’ to sufficiently gather steam. Adequately pulsated streamlined grip on proceedings took over from there. Excess legato from brass and several faulty entrances from winds apart, a secure grip on matters at last manifested itself. “Jeu de rapt’, featuring excellent rapid tonguing from flutes, gradually got weighed down by soggy accents.

Introduction and then climax and brass interjections to ‘Spring Rounds’ got underlined, smoothed out – remindful of a young Semyon Bychkov Woodwind descant first well limned fine steady pulsation underneath to get the main section underway. Reprise of intro was better - following odd pause inserted before rapid stretto coda to ‘Rondes’. Similarly gilded allargando defanged the opening to ‘Jeux des cites rivales.’ Marked grace note upbeats on woodwind got clipped and a few thereof misplaced; streamlined was the rest with which for Sage to make grand entrance. It took a good ten seconds for Danse de la terre - eventually tamed by numerous carefully anticipated downbeats and flat landing, rhythmically - to help weakly conclude Part One.

Shape altogether got abandoned for much savoring of texture, sonority for just about entire Introduction to Part Two – garden variety gilding of strings and horns amidst muted trumpet duo episode sup-par as usual here. Jansons on Concertgebouw live disc proved slightly more competent surface wise, but similarly insipid here. When will such Karajan-esque flaccidity – upon which Bychkov predictably picked up so well early on – be abandoned on this music for good? Perhaps good for it to remain around for shock occasional good performance of Rite will still provide. After DSO strings playing flat and dull entry to ‘Cercles mysterieux’, principal flute and clarinet led the ‘piu mosso’ therein well – compromise then to resurface for how all the first half to Part Two ended.

The great practically Tennessee Ernie Ford (I almost typed ‘Tennessee Williams’) style hitch to the git-along – as I put it - that a dismayed Stravinsky discovered from Karajan took over for Glorification de l’elue ‘, Sokhiev letting all go for it to risibly take on a life of its own for return of main section thereof. Semaphoring between brass and strings for ‘Evocation’ also sounded eccentric. ‘Action rituelle’ emerged fussy, indecisive, with silly curlicue to woodwind cut-offs, funny streamlined clipping of upper violin ostinati and then of brief episode of antiphonal gesture between winds/brass and strings. Only the climax to this truly significant portion evinced some genuine savagery – or real mystery.

“Danse sacrale’ started off promisingly, then for cross-accents between especially strings and timpani to start throwing Sokhiev off. Strings became phlegmatic, starting its main section. Sokhiev avoided overdoing slurring on slow stretto concluding first repeat of how main section opens – partly to compensate for damp accenting of strings attempting to forcefully begin the written out first repeat. Gilding of violins and flutes helped Sokhiev prepare carefully negotiating cross-rhythms opening extended coda. Underlined, gilded (!) rip up solo trombone very risibly ushered in final twenty-two measure loud sustained ritornello for the entire ballet. Sokhiev, trying to recover being incisive, scrupulized the codetta to ‘Danse sacrale’ - bass drum imitating timpani getting lost - all toward making a whimper of concluding Rite. Sokhiev has some invested spirit, musicality for this, intermittent bad use of judgment aside; like numerous others, some just only complacent, he lacks the sufficient technique - that is, on any major podium.

Metzmacher is still clearly the aesthetician with Rite, similar to Fricsay – very similarly with the London Symphony on this piece eight years ago. By his first season with DSO Berlin, he had developed a more individual voice for “Le Sacre’ and thus on his precise terms, the simplicity and pervasive primitivism of this score came across very alive and fresh – even leaving Fricsay slightly behind in several episodes. The new lift – while feeling slightly stifled for air – to reprise of main section to ‘Glorification de l’elue; was most arresting to the ear; equally heart-stopping was the quiet, very precisely pulsated ‘Action rituelle’, followed by a fraught ‘Danse sacrale’ – equally so to how ‘Glorification’, its main section had resumed earlier.

Piotr Anderszewski followed the Bartok Third Concerto out of which he had very confidently made chamber music with - as encore - Three Hungarian Folksongs from Csik (Sz 35). Slightly different from softer touch, rhythmically more delicate turns of phrase expected from a Hungarian pianist quickly became evident. Andeszewski slightly off-center interpretatively, drew out of the first two, slower portions of this a richly colored texture, illuminating the filigree written therein with rich overtones. Dynamics for such intensely lyrical playing may have gotten raised a notch. Gain in perspective was still had from everything through carillon style ringing tone on arpeggio chords for brief jubilation rounding out a most distinctive showing here.