Carmike (EP): La Scala. il dissoluto punito (?) Don Giovanni ossia the Temptation of Robert Carsen. La Scala, Milan. Daniel Barenboim. 07.12.11.

... reporting from Nacogdoches, TX.

Momentous current events over this past year concerning Italy, Europe seemed to provide Robert Carsen invitation both to go a little over the top, affect high seriousness doing so with indeed quite an important event – opening of new season at La Scala. There seemed much to offer with this new production of Don Giovanni, including a well diversified international cast and this Canadian producer – having rightly earned respect for good handful of operatic projects so far. Daniel Barenboim is an experienced Mozartean with strong reputation for choosing excellent modernist productions; traditional repertoire effectively emerges on the cutting edge this way. Scare up for instance his fine (and underrated) Nozze di Fgaro on dvd from Staatsoper Berlin. Needless to say, little went well here.

Barenboim disapproved of previous Don Giovanni that never had musically leading it anybody strong leading it toward filling out lopsided perspective it provided. In fact, several of Mussbach’s ideas got taken slightly further here with Carsen than Mozart’s music would ever invite them. Carsen thereby narrowed perspective in place of broadening it instead. Impetus behind how characters interact in Mussbach’s dark vision - with Don Juan wannabe of an Ottavio and as according to other writers, Leporello sole likable character (presented with much savvy by Ildebrando d’Arcangelo - in second cast this season as the Don) is sexual - neurotically so with the motor scooter riding Elvira. Mussbach had though, insightfully, with Da Ponte’s text, double meanings abound; he also trusted Mozart’s music, its suggestive power, to leave open room for mystery to fill in perspective, involving both Don and much else.

Judgment of situation into which to cast Mozart’s Don Giovanni never really factored in, for muddle before us here. Libertinism of the Don, or for that matter of anybody else really became open to question, with game of make-believe engaged in that any solution can be found to such, toward answering what abuses on different social levels occur. Situating Kwanchul Youn in Mario Monti’s box to answer the Don’s invitation to supper thus became insipid.

This new production of Don Giovanni billed itself as ‘a tribute to La Scala', with its traditional curtain, varied portions, assortments thereof omnipresent its major prop. The libertinism of the Don is entity to have engulfed society, sent its inhabitants down into its vortex – through ever apparent narrowing of perspective. How the other characters would engage with this world varied from Leporello’s ruffian, clumsy, vulgar emulation of being the Don himself, and being clearly attracted, like the women, to the Don as well - through Zerlina’s sadomasochistic games with Masetto – likely also inevitable between her and the Don.


World then before us is one self-perpetuating bunga-bunga party, quite misogynistic at that and almost looking like the action of this could have all taken place on a long frozen sheet of ice. All three female leads here are totally complicit with the Don in being reckless. Chambermaid the Don serenades, looking well underage, seated with him practically from prompter’s box perspective for action onstage with him through grand sextet, is found right afterwards stripped completely naked quickly making her exit. Classical Iconoclast (blog) mentions the situating of the three maskers during Act One finale for their sublime trio along center auditorium aisle as empathetically with us taking (unclear what Carsen might have dreamt up) some moral stance. After ‘Penn State’, what then is one underage prostitute?

The Commendatore has the ability ‘to live beyond the constraints of death’ - as both Classical Iconoclast and (implicitly) Carsen has explained - thus becomes sole challenge to the Don. Carsen, in pandering his new production of Don Giovanni as tribute to La Scala equivocates the Commendatore with what hopes might be for position new prime minister might take, regarding progress to eventually come. I am not particularly optimistic. The fear of death, thus of judgment is something Carsen explains interviewed better to live without, lest it paralyze any of us. Humanly then it is possible to live with total sexual freedom, just as long as each one among us takes responsibility – without necessity to fear there being consequences.

Obstructing the way however is Mozart’s music, regarding such a thoroughly unfunny, unsexy, dramatically flat-line production of Don Giovanni. Musical tension building up through assault on Zerlina toward end of Act One is negated by there being inserted in effect a giant ‘so what.’ The Act Two sextet becomes a great concert-in-costume for the Don and his gratifying child service to applaud right afterwards. Charred image of La Scala’s auditorium arises at end of scene in which the Don is stabbed – to only as learned from the Commendatore live beyond suffering same mortal wound as the Commendatore himself. Society that has made La Scala possible is also expendable, perhaps La Scala itself as well. The other six characters descend below, in Don Giovanni’s place. After much equivocation, our condemnation – in world of constantly ratcheted up sexual tension – is to remain here the living dead.

One ‘out’ is for there to be more irony with what Carsen presents - some frisson to develop then not only with Da Ponte’s libretto (partly accomplished) but with Mozart’s music. In the music, as much tension develops, most of all in interaction between the characters, there is always a sense of eventual resolution to provide it meaning. Note the chromatic lines that undergird a giocoso passage, such as trio between Elvira, Don, and Leporello early in Act Two, for how Mozart interweaves dramma and giocoso. Carsen’s world of ongoing games played between well dehumanized individuals might better be served by a Philip Glass soundtrack.

Peter Mattei was the elegant playboy for the title role, no less a monster for being so sleek, suave. He sang much of his part close to his usual high standard, barring scooped opening to several lines of ‘Deh, vieni.’ Sotto voce taking on serenade’s second verse this time unfortunately thus emerged affected. What nobility, emulation of restraint thereof, poise all came across as pointless. Any sense of menace mostly waited until opening of the final supper scene with Leporello to emerge. Mattei’s acting here, for so little expected overall, was competent, including light pointing of irony, i.e. during Act One banter with Elvira. One among numerous varied screwing machines on stage for this, Mattei at least seemed to have more fun at it than Donald Sutherland as Casanova in late period Fellini.

Suppurating frequently open injury was the Leporello of Bryn Terfel, who almost emulated being as stiff as the above. Other than softly singing several lines during the Catalogue aria that Donna Elvira silently played as nymphomaniac touchy-feely psychodrama duet with him, Terfel sang the part dry, choppy non legato, with little charm. Hard to tell what might have been worse – his unmusical, dramatically unresponsive portrayal of the Don (now on dvd) from the Met, or this vulgar Leporello. Terfel has before been one of the best Leporello’s around - likely occasionally too an effective Don Giovanni. New lows were reached here with Leporello salaciously in duet with the Don for Champagne aria tacitly practically drooling over the Don singing it, or the two 'getting it on’ during recitative opening the ‘graveyard’ scene.’ At least, other recitative banter between the Don and Leporello came off quite effectively.

Anna Netrebko, beginning Donna Anna as urging ahead the Don’s opening assault, started the part by singing it quite evenly, but acting same passage conscious of how the camera must be picking up how both outrageous and enjoyable Netrebko wants to make it look. She conscientiously held voice back to blend well with her colleagues mostly through Act One, but the greater hurdles of ‘Or sai’, then moreover of a loudly sung ‘Non mi dir’ completely out of tune, with bench pressed two note figures fully detaching the line toward its conclusion, increasingly grated upon the ear. Her assignation to top line through epilogue practically made it a howling fest of sorts. What loggionisti of yore might have made their voices heard to answer all this seemed absent without leave. This Donna Anna, as an aside, made it evident how well she suspected from start of quartet during Act One that it might be her father’s assailant greeting her and Ottavio – concept as derived from recent Cosi Fan Tutte productions, nothing original here.

Barbara Frittoli vocally provided qualified success at singing Donna Elvira and excess of ridiculously acting the part, called for here. Nuerotic tendency to strip down to dark colored negligee became prevalent; red velvet garb she often wore enhanced her posterior a little much as well. Idea of ‘divertirci’ in confronting the Don in front of Zerlina had to do with how Zerlina might compete with her for the Don’s sexual favors. All of such a moment could have been halfway clever, had Carsen’s hand been lighter. Some of the middle register of Frittoli’s voice has hollowed out by now, compromising intonation wise several lines during ‘Mi tradi.’ Still, she provided some of the more supple agile singing and acting one encountered here.

Anna Prohaska almost made it a complete lie how sluttish, kinky a Zerlina she presented acting wise by how very well she sang the entire part. She never disallowed Mozart’s music from working its own charm even while being disallowed acting it with any. Power of suggestion in place of making too blatant the S&M between her and Masetto for the always musically consoling ‘Vedrai carino’ thoroughly escaped Robert Carsen; given how well Prohaska sang everything, this number only halfway succumbed to such degradation.

Giuseppe Filianoti as Ottavio offered a more conservative countenance than other members of this cast. He sang most of this with good lightness, shape phrasing it, other than perhaps partly to emulate Netrebko’s heavy vocal production, a heavily underlined ‘Dalla sua pace.’ Among all the men here, Filianoti emerged with fine musicality and very supple acting, even well emulated noble profile. ‘Il mio tesoro’ emerged with mostly fine shape, halfway decent agility for its lengthy runs, and well inserted dramatic accents.

Stefan Kocan was the animated, dark-toned Masetto, acting the part well. He fortunately got his only aria ‘Ho capito’ taken up a whole step to its original key (of G Major), just as Michele Pertusi did twenty years ago on Erato (see below). Kwanchul Youn (Commendatore), the very fine Bartolo on Barenboim’s underrated Berlin dvd of Nozze, emerged with fine nobility, sense of choked outrage at the outset, yet waiting several lines into appointment with the Don to achieve sufficient fortitude, firmness to make it what confrontation it should be.

Facing much interference - frequent reconfiguring the set (only effective with major prop relegated to outer left and right edge of the stage, emphasizing dark deep void far back, mirrored that way too), changes of garb, supernumeraries given increasingly cliched tasks - the then equivocated musical leadership remained up to Daniel Barenboim.

Erato release of Barenboim Don Giovanni I purchased two decades ago revealed best his eclectic mix of the Romanticism of Wilhelm Furtwangler and heavy, more stoical approach of Otto Klemperer, letting in where readily obvious the sunlight of what appreciation especially Furtwangler had for the Italianate lyricism therein and for deep psychological probing of the human psyche available as well. Several friends of mine would remind me I was buying Mozart not quite ‘period’ up-to-date; not to be intimidated, I shrugged them off – and am still glad I did.

Tempos at La Scala still tended to be slow, but with Barenboim less decisive, perhaps more deferential than ever before. Luster, especially from La Scala woodwinds, emanated very well, sweetly from the pit, abetted by lush strings, their nuance. Half the time however, things tended to course along flat-line, disengaged, likely distracted by much traffic moving back and forth onstage – and occasionally threatening how well in sync orchestra pit and stage remained. Important transitions, contrasts within the great Act Two sextet glibly got somewhat smoothed out. Both Terfel and Barenboim lacked firm grip through its vigorous coda, recapitulation. Though La Scala’s orchestral forces seldom embarrassed themselves, their playing to (help) define all at stake here came up short, at least until closing scenes of Act Two. One by pure happenstance got reminded here of (not always) sluggish late-career Bohm with Mozart. Barenboim’s sudden affectation of grandeur with Elvira’s In quail eccessi' came across very stodgy.

Egregious here though was woodwind band playing from the orchestra pit instead of onstage to accompany supper just past full orchestra vigorously opening the final scene. Barenboim, very qualified to put together a well performed Don Giovanni, should withhold rights toward publishing this one. For what maybe got billed as ‘tribute to La Scala’, we received La Scala tribute to Robert Carsen instead.

The evening in a very weakly attended cinema finals week in charming college town of Nacogdoches, started off with watching Santa Claus imbibe a Coke Zero to Italian national anthem being played to help ease us into what would follow. Two things to believe in, according to Woody Allen, are sex and death, " ... but at least after death, you’re not nauseous." Better yet perhaps this Woody Allen quote: “Hey, don’t knock masturbation. It’s sex with someone I love.”

This all resembled quite an undertaking.


Special thanks to both Emerging Pictures and Carmike Cinema for making this presentation, others from La Scala possible.

www.operaincinema.com

DR Kultur: Barenboim offers provocatively dialectics inspired view of Bruckner Eighth. Beethoven/Bruckner zyklus - Staatskapelle Berlin. 26.07.10.

Pairing earliest written concerto of Beethoven with the Bruckner Eighth Symphony, Daniel Barenboim made relatively modest proportions of it. A good share if not quite all the characteristic wit and vigor of the young Beethoven came through. Barenboim contrasted making spaciously firm character of opening to the orchestral exposition and then after a couple of expected brooding turns to minor mode, light Haydnesque or Italianate staccato pointing of same opening theme, giving glimpse ahead of the dialectics between Classical and Romantic tendencies from even early Beethoven to eventually something far more advanced.

Barenboim’s playing through solo exposition was fluent, well animated. His handling of half-cadence into second theme had light clarion ring, then finding introspection for turn to both flatted submediant and minor mode during transition from elegantly turned second theme to catching the impetuosity of closing material, in sequence of scales - pointed octaves above to hold all in check. Brief exploits into fantasy during superficially the simpler Development got delineated, anticipating marching light stretto of staccato chords between wind concertato and soloist broken by skipping triplets for the latter. In practically Beethoven’s parody of sounding academic, Barenboim pointed out in the cadenza the building contrast for antecedents, consequents between right and left hand, to lightly all go storming forth toward ultimately gentle, brief cadential reply from Staatskapelle at the end, eschewing coy treatment for any of this.

Nobility for slow movement got supplied in full measure. Expansion of line through second theme, even through much light filigree became spacious, with good pointing of winds and soloist on alternating half-phrases throughout. Within context of such eloquent rhetoric, hushed close to ending lines was moving, with Barenboim making light pause for final trill and brief line trailing off all speak - framed by luminous close in Staatskapelle winds, buttressed earlier by weight from the strings.

Given Barenboim’s unqualified success with rondos to both Third and Fourth concerti, his restraint toward giving Haydn-esque offbeat accenting the oomph it needs to make Beethoven out of this rondo was curious. Apart from that, his fetching quality to rapid runs, tripping staccato with off-beat grace notes made practically complete character of the rest. Gently playful was his take on more agitated middle section; Barenboim also understated firmness in making transition back to reprise of rondo theme, to preserve requisite lightness for it. Pause for turn to G Major fully infused it for ironic ‘upon second thought’ air to it. Barenboim then made fine flourish of all that remained – half-unwitting misplacement of several accents aside.

Gauntlet ahead, for all involved, was the Bruckner Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, following triumph enjoyed evening before with the Seventh. Here good results were more qualified. This was an Eighth that the further one made one’s way into it became more involving. Including on ‘live’ Teldec recording of the Eighth with the Berlin Philharmonic, Barenboim has attempted making something very fluid out of phrasing the work’s broad, arching lines, to provide argument overall fine sense of liberation from the constricting influence of bar lines and downbeats on melodic, harmonic progress through its long paragraphs. It is such that he among many identify with the legacy of Furtwangler – frequently considered definitive for Bruckner.

Barenboim also attempted then with the Philharmonic to make entirely fluid its narrative, - and as aside, make it further clear that result sought was not what sheen, great luminosity he could pull out of the Philharmonic – such as we associate with late-career Karajan - last several times he recorded the Eighth – or with ‘The 101 Strings.’ Claudio Abbado had already spent nearly five seasons in Berlin when the sloppily edited Teldec Eighth got released, with sound engineers having stopped short of fully negotiating the difficult acoustic of the Philharmonie. The change to the Philharmonic is clearly felt, even from time - close to when Abbado took the helm - that Barenboim started recording his then still new Bruckner cycle. The feel Barenboim had for the Eighth then was too confident, even almost improvisatory, making it more of a curiosity than what one can reckon one of Barenboim’s more successful Bruckner recordings.

First movement here raised similar doubts, with hint of brass turning fractious toward Exposition final cadence. Pace was just slightly less breezy for this movement, than it had been on disc. Dotted rhythms were intermittently still loose, particularly with opening theme of the movement, upbeat to the same. Doleful tuba on yet again the same theme got Development section underway with fully characterized, incisive winds replying with its inversion. Slightly contrary to what is marked Barenboim made somewhat risky footing of inverted Theme 2 sequencing into broad arch - streamlined in feel - with first theme derived upbeats deep - slightly loose from their hinges. Without clipping that marred previous Philharmonic effort, majestic climax got achieved well. Violins on inverted second theme figure in half notes elastically maintained fine current through it - with risk of becoming too free-floating still present - less excessively so. Safety net below was found with trumpets precisely marking their quietly ominous ‘annunciation’ motif – allowing better space for descending principal flute – as if to make paradoxical contrast between this and loosely played upbeats earlier.

After broadly pacing second subject well, Barenboim effectively built excitement through rocky third subject, with still risky accelerandi - obbligato principal horn in effect jumping in, as though chomping at the bit. Something of just cut above human dimensions was made of the ‘annunciation of death’ – impact felt very well thus in place of taking it on along lines of metaphysical dimensions; all then prudently faded to silence with well achieved stillness for all at near total cessation of activity.

Barenboim infused circumspectly better paced Scherzo with clumsiness to ‘deutscher Michel’ notion behind its main idea - with thin strings above to start things off. Light timpani strokes underpinned light re-transition in the strings throughwistful gray descending cascade in the flutes. Grand rhetoric from unison violins marked final step of re-transition back to recapitulation very well. Slight drag to four note motif in trumpets derived from central rotating idea here was very apt and abetted restraining crudely clipping heavily brass laced repeat final cadence endings, of making anything so cursory thereof. Strings betrayed slight fatigue toward the end; otherwise, scherzo reprise made slightly more compelling case than first time through – with succinctly captured shifts in color, perspective on oscillating idea emerging in full.

Barenboim chose leisurely tread for the trio section this time, with broad rhetoric of its phrase endings and glow of light suffusing now spaciously accommodated harp arpeggio endings to each half - beautifully voiced horns the second time through. Strings re-entering after double bar sounded drowsy, but texturally open with opening statement reprise more specific in shape, plus fine sense of striving toward a peaceful close.

Central to Barenboim’s interpretation of the Eighth was the Adagio - finale effective denouement to follow. The Adagio in the Seventh prefigures to extent the Adagio in the very different Eighth; alongside such insight, Barenboim was effective guide the night before. With great yearning, violins assisted by fine pulsation underneath exerted pull with opening long held notes to the main theme, purposefully dragging well descending lines germinating thereof. Barenboim’s pace through just the huge buildup on A Major cadential chord, after Teldec, was still slightly brisk - not digging in all one could on doubled C-sharp in the bass. Moving through this chord too urgently denies making it count all it should. Abbreviated restatement toward more steeply achieved cadence (one whole tone higher) was firmer. Principal flute spurred cellos onto finer heights to fully achieve ardently sung second theme – rubato from calm French horn segue into such supple within the line – little to prepare for what risks Barenboim would then engage in.

Winds became impulsive during ‘Langsam’ interlude back to first subject, compelling strings to almost overstate their reply. With expressive shape maintained for new reprise of the opening theme, subtle immediate use of accelerando made felt on the consequent descending figure, once the strings picked it up, the impetus to break away. One might suspect Barenboim, trying to affect being Furtwangler, even to take things a step further - as occasionally suspected from an otherwise often circumspect Eugen Jochum.

Forceful repeat of same descending consequent in blazing doubled B-flat Major was anguished - behind it push to keep things moving ahead. Barenboim then circumspectly made fine separation for descending lines to restatement of the second theme; things kept rolling forward, even toward enfolding bright nodal pronouncement of second theme in C Major within the overall line. Pulsation was good for sextuplet accompanied reprise of the opening theme, but at restive pace, freely achieved pulling away became obvious. Establishment of D-Flat Major is such from which in the long run this music never entirely breaks free. Inexorable rush forward, though sufficiently loud climaxes in B-Flat Minor and A-Flat Major (Robert Haas restoration calmly in-between), indicated also by now a positivistic sense - striving by earthly means to achieve something of the infinite - to this, with, contrariwise hint of ‘annunciation’ becoming better heard tugging underneath lines to follow. After the shattering climax, French horns provided warm lit noble repose, to endure past the Adagio’s final cadence.

Barenboim’s impetus, what freedoms he took, was hypothetically to reveal the dialectics and accompanying stress – i.e. the special pointing of Scherzo idea to depict ‘Deutscher Michel’ crosscutting energy being directed toward constantly pushing forward motion to dilute, diffuse away such characterization. Here, finding a life-force in activity, motion forward made synthesis with dark underpinnings underneath. Here was not the Bruckner of Romantic devout faith or layered on with Romantic tradition learned device. Such goading, pressing forward imaginatively encountered here provided means of trying to close gap painful to leave open. Irritation with such handling, for straying away from conventional guidelines, could be expected - to perhaps be earned here slightly.

Detachment achieved was not such for Barenboim to find in an academic or intellectually achieved deconstructionist way, but out of necessity – including in such dialectical environs as how to maintain utter fluidity of line while keeping large impediments in trying to choke off all life behind it so prominent in its path. Subtle sense of decay through developing processes of this Adagio – even of main idea with Tristan derived pull to it – prefigures similar processes to occur in the Ninth. Constant positivistic striving to break free, keep life going, keep one oblivious of contamination from dialectical tensions all made itself felt. The beauty of this Adagio - in light of newer aesthetic than Furtwangler ever knew - Barenboim and Staatskapelle hardly ever compromised.

Insistent forward motion infused hefty, but rollicking start to the finale – fanfare in trumpets prudently placed halfway back, followed by reserved longing to infuse second theme group - with how beseechingly brass played their calm reply. Broad recitative in the strings in reply to insistent marcia third idea on purpose appeared detached from the rest. The Haas emendation to the finale sounded too bright, in response to first theme derived hard push on dominant chord for the mediant (E-Flat). Barenboim then also made too weighty opening the Development, next leaving brass flaccid in their repeated loud inversion of the first theme, in having arisen out of reprise of marcia idea heard first time slightly earlier.

Barenboim then became fastidious with lightly forward driven re-transition, insistent with it as though coda to the preceding section - all precisely marked. All prepared for an at once hair-raising, yet prudently held back start to the Recapitulation. Antiphony between pairs of trumpets for fractious secondary development was held prominent over rapidly scurrying strings toward dotted rhythm building of stretto of their own. Deep yearning infused again the second theme, at point - with no loss of poise - the physicality of all having transpired has this music practically crying out for place to find rest. Spacious provision for extended cadence in flutes, high winds to close this section was eloquent, as to even foreshadow Sibelius.

Finale coda, during which stable foundation for how to close entire dramatic argument had more than halfway been found, trudged slowly forward with third theme, culminating with arched climb in strings for harrowing restatement in C Minor at last of first movement first theme. Dissembling toward end of section (Coda, first part) also rhetorically aped sounding Sibelian here. Much air around violins for opening part two over rock solid brass helped complete picture toward – through steadily taken tricky brief D minor interlude – deliberate, purposefully a less than triumphant close.

This was arguably Barenboim’s finest movement – even while demarcated more conventionally than the preceding Adagio. This is not quite a definitive account of the Eighth; strides forward however with this interpretation are considerable - reckoning of what lurks beneath deep. As achievement here with the Seventh was enormous, so is potential with Barenboim on the Eighth and can happen in full. DVD release for four of the symphonies, including the Ninth, out of this STK Berlin series (with only perhaps further redo of the Eighth – one under review here plentifully exciting) would be very welcome, with for filler the Beethoven Fourth Piano Concerto.

DR Kultur: Daniel Barenboim leads glowing Bruckner Seventh. Beethoven/Bruckner zyklus. Staatskapelle Berlin. Philharmonie, Berlin - 25.06.10

Speaking with student from Tokyo years ago, I learned quickly he knew some piano and had some interest in classical music – in addition to whatever else on the side. On my mind was a Bruckner Seventh Symphony to come over the air later that evening from Chicago under Daniel Barenboim. What I then had to ask Keigo was what if anything anybody knew of how the great late maestro, prolifically recorded Bruckner interpreter Asahina Takashi was getting along. Upon arriving home, some minutes before Norm Pellegrini (DSO emcee) came on, I discovered notice that he had passed away several weeks earlier – right before end of 2001 – and after having conducted in Nagoya his final concert two months earlier as fifty-four year music director of the Osaka Philharmonic.

I then quickly emailed Keigo for both of us to reckon the Seventh on in memory of whom Barenboim and Henry Fogel brought to Chicago for much too delayed U.S. conducting debut at age of 87. The Bruckner Fifth Symphony at Orchestra Hall then beamed to television sets all across Japan – in May of 1996; a friend of mine living in Indianapolis made the drive up to attend This Orchestra Hall Seventh among Bruckner I had yet heard from Barenboim went just adequately, mildly phlegmatically. He had put out in 1992 a fine recording of the Seventh (Teldec) with the Berlin Philharmonic. Now very lately there has been this performance by Staatskapelle Berlin several days of necessary breather after three consecutive nights of both Beethoven concerti and three preceding Bruckner symphonies at the Philharmonie.

Re-reading Robert Simpson’s notes and inspired by what just got played at the Philharmonie forces one to somewhat rethink what one has smugly concluded from its overall serenity to be one of the most conservative of Bruckner’s symphonies. Things are not always as they appear on the surface. The Seventh is instead perhaps Bruckner’s most quietly radical and thus mostly quietly innovative creation thus far. The layout of there being three theme groups for such as an Exposition and Recapitulation for its first movement do not really tell any story of this movement’s formal properties. So much gets redefined in this first movement, for on the surface, it one must label it, the great arched binary form it is instead. Rich with so much supple modulation (between keys) and manipulation of its material, there is much found within to anticipate what Bruckner would write in his Eighth and Ninth symphonies. Unique to stand on its own as is the Sixth, that Bruckner considered his most original (thus far), it subtly anticipates some of what happens in the Seventh.

The open sonorities, gleaming quality about its melodic material, as Simpson says, make for the lay listener the more congenial experience of Bruckner than a number of his other symphonies. In this happening however, one can fear there is as much or perhaps more lost than illuminated. My earliest experience of the Seventh live – Houston Symphony under Efrem Kurtz (1979) – was mostly likely so unwittingly deceptive. Though happy at the time with what I had heard, but having developed just some intimation toward what Bruckner is about, I felt vague dissatisfaction.

Assessing the Seventh to be of mostly classical formal characteristics is misguided and can often lead the interpreter to hold where and how this music stretches boundaries too much in check. There is tempting often safe choice to sentimentalize, even make stodgy long paragraphs and expanse that happens between what proportions, according to textbook, are readily assumed to conventionally emerge.

Barenboim took the Seventh in 1992 on disc at quite a stately pace, but still flexibly shaping narrative of what transpires with good cohesion and fine handle on logic. At more moderate tempos here and utmost flexibility with which one can keep this music intact, he opened out the Seventh’s unique characteristics the best I have ever heard anybody do at all lately. Barenboim assuredly managed working in diminuendo into opening line of the first movement as it leans into the dominant - B Major – consistent with his finding more flexible sweep to this movement’s opening paragraph overall than previously. He then clarified with inevitably accumulating sense of anxiety this music’s inability to hold on to such as any stable tonal center - balm arriving in form of (as Simpson typifies it) the half supertonic of C Major to at last help confirm B Major as (partially) achieved tonality at last.

Allowing a few lax rhythms, Barenboim freely achieved fine internal rubato for bourree like third theme. Later passing reference to it got heavy emphasis when more prudent to understate anticipation of pianissimo arrival of (tonality for) main theme in E Major moments later. Judiciously scaled moderate sweep suited Barenboim for grandiose inversion segue into C Minor re-statement of the opening theme – impressive here – in context of his ease at making all breathe very well throughout all else. Fortunately he avoided overstating what is effectively incidental reference to the home key where is conventionally expected a more prepared, fulfilling restatement. Barenboim wisely held off making significant allargando, until reaching consequent to it here; trumpets glistened in doubling this once more further enhanced lean into the dominant (B Major). Off entrance of second theme, almost half a beat early (on purpose), came playing of restive deep longing, as if to proclaim continuance this direction (B Major) as tenuous at best. Barenboim then insistently made segue to A Major from third theme group. Inevitable large parenthesis of the main theme consequent - mostly non-enveloped here - then ushered in without large slow-down a fully enthralling, blazing conclusion in E Major.

Equally passionate, thoroughly developed was Barenboim’s now moderate paced traversal through the Andante – more Andante here than very close to ‘Adagio’ he took on disc, others have also taken - very affectingly. Now he is near two thirds quicker to an arguably, mildly controversial not ‘sehr langsam’ Andante Metzmacher took last year with DSO Berlin. Metzmacher found the more linear means of exploring Bruckner’s innovation with form than Barenboim; his scaling of Bruckner’s horizons was the starker for it. Barenboim achieved more fulsome results, even if perhaps more intuitively than how Metzmacher, more consistent artist, had.

The Andante opened mostly elegiac, in place of sounding hieratic. Strings made pensive their musing, coming off firmly resounded refrain to main theme. Lines throughout were suffused with fervor we associate with line from Bruckner’s Te Deum. Passionate crest was made to opening paragraph of this Andante on half-diminished supertonic, but without denying scale of what was imminent, while making supple long descending clarinet lines and sonorous comment on Wagner tubas. Cantilena for second subject was close to Italianate – Barenboim’s experience at La Scala starting to show – in its fully vocalized grace and sensuality. Gentle yearning in upper violins coming off this episode was very affecting. Great sense of striving,achieved by supple means, infused rising crests through the remote tonalities of C and G Major, latter of which through passing cadence in C Minor, this music returns to C-sharp Minor by means of tertiary relationship with A-Flat (or G-Sharp). Gentle second theme, enhanced by floating violin’s descant, all centered in A-Flat, facilitated very reflective following retreat thereof.

Sense of great strain was apt in making last ascending reach or two from gradually accumulating sequence for explosive climax in C Major (leading tone or half-subtonic to C-Sharp Minor) – all seemingly to not have encumbered the line coursing through all this and the ease with which flutes (in D-Flat) found lift in making retreat from it. Deftly achieved sense of light lingering beyond - past notably sad lament from horn and Wagner tubas - ended what continued sounding very incredibly assured. Barenboim, in finding the self-transformative character of this music, had this Seventh speak very much as anticipatory of the Eighth (and Ninth).

Rollicking broad bow strokes and posthorn sounding principal trumpet made merry romp of the scherzo. Sweep and shape up to end of first half was all free, yet precise to the ear - open air and light interplay made of bucolically accented retransition to restatement of the opening. With simplicity Barenboim caught drowsiness of start to the Trio, letting in vernal shaft of light to anticipate making benediction out of restatement of the same, underpinned evocatively by not quite awakened ruddy sounding low French horn.

Mercurial jaunt opened the finale rapt – all keenly observed the rapid harmonic shifts between episodes and through elaborate figuration within. Barenboim treated somewhat strictly one inverted restatement of the opening theme in the strings midway through, to avoid making cliché of such. He then made very solid the forceful brass unison ascending craggy, igneous restatements of the main theme. Hush coming off such last statement by Staatskapelle brass to frame chorale second theme was very telling - after keeping first statement of the same chorale simple several minutes earlier. It spoke naturally it being felt by all on stage of having accomplished (considerably) more than what usually passes as good norm for the Seventh. With the fire these players let course through the tricky closing pages of the Seventh, there seemed no further challenge too great. Following evening, it would be the Eighth.

Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto provided gateway to such a fresh open-ended outlook on the Bruckner Seventh. The breaking free of a semblance of classical grace and poise seemed practically as much theme song for this concerto as for the Bruckner - as though Beethoven could have been composed as catalyst thereof. Fine precisely scaled enveloping was made for parenthesis into minor key submediant during the solo exposition, but already with a Lisztian fire on cusp of bursting out from the playing, yet without loss of poise. Barenboim both as soloist and conductor provided with measured finesse balance between antecedents and consequents in the line, their internal exchange of masculine and feminine phrasing, accenting. There was also the orchestra’s role of, colloquially speaking, taming the near-savage beast. Calibration between soloist and orchestra through the frequently agitated Development was excellent – with quasi-operatic rhetoric for long cadential segue through pensively remote C-sharp minor episode into well characterized capricious G Major re-transition.

Equally Mozartean from Barenboim were doubled broken thirds restatement of first movement opening idea and vocalized phrasing he drew out of Staatskapelle oboe and other winds under much filigree. Cadenza to have started tentatively quickly regained its footing, poise with well shaped lyrical second subject and incisive interplay between insistent first theme derived motif in left hand and increasingly elaborate response in the right. Putting thought of virtuoso display for its own sake aside, quite an engaging drama played out from there before all attained to Elysium for a most bel canto opening to the coda to the first movement, and equally impassioned playing to achieve its close.

Broad allargando for firm orchestral accents contrasted well with poised, hushed reply from soloist, with Barenboim making it subtle the string tutti’s retreat from making confrontation. He then curiously eschewed threat to overstate the ‘lion’s roar’ near close of the intermezzo - after fine beseeching quality to his phrasing right before.

Barenboim then made rhetorically slightly hesitant accents of rondo theme upbeats, without deflating any vitality of the rondo to ensue. Pace was a vigorously stated healthy Moderato that allowed the expansive second theme high in the right hand ample space to sing out. He then wisely eschewed making anything too arched out of largely re-transitional Development – with fire to internally spur on both line and filigree and alternate accents between orchestra and soloist as from within, toward making something febrile of its entirety. Thinking well ahead, he phrased return of the second theme in the tonic with greater poise and then made broad allargando, written out such, of slowly descending and ascending chord resolving on the subdominant for playfully clarinet doubled restatement of opening theme - replied to contrastingly with great vigor.

Fully weighted then were the vigorous octaves to open brief cadenza - to soon thereafter spin off pointed ascending, jumping trills into orchestral re-entry. His reach for the large clash of thrashing secondary dominant to the subdominant was found lacking nothing in heft toward bringing this rondo to a furious conclusion. Nothing could have proved better showcase, not so much for Barenboim, but for Beethoven and Bruckner to rouse anyone listening out of last vestige of lingering sense of complacency. This was what this concert was all about, what got accomplished here.
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DR Kultur: Beethoven/Bruckner zyklus. Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim. Frank Peter Zimmermann. Second, third installments.

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Opus 37; Bruckner Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat. Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim. Philharmonie, Berlin - 21.6.10.

Second installment, first picked up here, in series of concerts pairing the six mature Bruckner symphonies with Beethoven concerti started with by turns an affected, pedestrian to often inspiring account of the Beethoven Third Piano Concerto. Pace for first movement was leisurely – soft-edged to gild some of the more forceful accents therein, turning several phlegmatic. Full lean was made into second beat of measure heading into long preparation of half cadence - abetted by singing line from Barenboim in fine cantilena above during solo exposition.- to frame very lyrically played second theme. Barenboim’s rhetorical simplicity in opening the solo part bespoke long experience playing this music. Moderately paced running sixteenths closing out the Exposition were fluent, well animated from within.

Staatskapelle Berlin violins became affected on their leaning anticipation of the Development. Barenboim as soloist started it off lyrically, but then played broken octaves over series of extended well shaped woodwind appoggiaturas one to two dynamic levels above marked, undercutting interest in the crescendo to arise thereof and segue in forceful restatement of the Allegro’s opening measures. Except for slightly tentative ensemble to concludie it, the Recapitulation went much along similar lines as what it restated. Curiously indecisive playing of the cadenza, brought to a secure close, preceded minor mishap during the coda - of which little hay should be made.

Opening of the Larghetto, with hushed reserve on its opening chords just right, got compromised by slurring on the heavy side and also hint of clipping on turn within the opening line. Barenboim made fine bel canto out of lines to follow, though gilding a few among them in manner that could be called Chopin-esque. Suspicion of attempt to put a personal stamp on things extended through making too much crescendo into line that goes high in the right hand at end of the Exposition. Pace then dragged through the quasi fantasia Development, but fortunately Barenboim found more shapely means and better pacing for the rest of the movement to follow, spinning forth beautifully decorated line with greater prudence than earlier. Final fortissimo chord of the Larghetto became allowed to fade away slowly, after spaciously voiced phrasing, to deny its implied effect - attacca at conclusion to segue in the very contrasting rondo finale.

The rondo finale went best here. Barenboim’s statement of mischievous opening theme was such as to be given surreptitiously, to segue in all inherent wit and animation to follow. He then made comment on warm toned clarinet statement of the A-Flat episode with subtly on-a-dime shifts from sublime to caprice. Orchestral fugato went well, followed by well couched slow alternating octaves coming off. Wind chords coming off double statement of the rondo theme (coming off fine solo flourish from Barenboim) sounded as dramatically hieratic as is their wont. Reflective musing on the rondo theme in the Neapolitan (D-Flat Major) led to thoroughly effective dispelling of any potential gloom with rousing dispatch of the entire coda, with certainly tricky head cues from piano bench to keep woodwinds entering well, together with all else.

Theater to be made here happened, fortunately on entirely musical terms, with achieving lofty cathedral heights of the Bruckner Fifth Symphony. Barenboim capitalized upon every opportunity to elucidate every tension threatening the very moorings of edifice in sight while, pardoning only perhaps just one moment of oversight, holding just about the entire structure firm. As good as his somewhat densely reverberant Teldec recording of the Fifth is with the Philharmonic, this performance with his own orchestra exceeded it.

Introduction at clearly forward moving pace began just mildly suspect, a bit dry here including on opening string chorale - with lift provided pizzicati underneath. Dotted rhythms from full orchestra up to brass chorale consequents were both craggy and firm.

The Allegro entered forthright, with good broad shape to cellos’ main theme decorated by Mahlerian accents in high woodwinds. Light but pointedly marked differentiation was acutely made between pizzicato antecedent and legato close descant consequents in way to make the second theme, especially as taken at mild breeze, speak. Fine space was made for gentle moment of repose, reflection in winds and brass before restatement and then motion forward to urgently pressed forward third theme. Shape to arching line in the woodwinds and acutely marking off restive string section off-beats into fiercely driven dotted rhythm stretto and light tremoli descent downward was all secure and firm.

Horn quartet anticipatory toned restatement of the introduction was excellent, pace then only lightly distracted by intermittently loose accenting. Extended Pieta-infused vocalized descant in violins over this restatement was affecting, insistently marked by previous string pizzicato imitating winds. Development of Allegro first theme got heavy going, threatening to be fractious, albeit for Barenboim fully guaranteeing space for all harmonic contrasts to get through and emerge fully in character. Almost exaggeratedly craggy work was made of arduous start to making transition out of so much sturm und drang - rapid and very tense crescendo into pressing forward recapitulation ferocious. With a few similar risks taken, most of them paying off, Staatskapelle Berlin continued to provide thrilling playing through coda, even without all previous tensions built therein resolved. All then blazed forth to conclude this overture/façade - fully dignified stance taken for this first movement maintained to the end.

Double reeds made arched shape of ascetic idea to open the Adagio, taken at moderate pace. Strings offset the winds excellent with their incisive pulsated pizzicato and then riskily making a few loud shifts in their responding lines. Second theme in full bow from violins was highly impassioned, followed by calibration of return to A section being slightly loose, but then fully anchored by strong brass, such flaccid accent here and there to seemingly let what elaborate bolts and joints kept tight breathe. Increasingly jagged writing in the strings then, with all space necessary, became incisively clear. As to lift one’s eyes toward upper arches, cornices of the cathedral, Barenboim provided lift and at least at first imperceptible accelerando through brighter B section toward making all lying above so affirmative. This, in contrast with such ruddy space explored, infused here by so many shadows and even doubt or guilt and pain. Supple line was provided final restatement of A section, all to confirm that all heard thus far had happened by dint of necessity. Strongly anchored, highly imposing melodically dissonant brass interjections then thrust themselves out all on purpose as though to block stirring inexorable motion in the strings forward to the end.

The high level of playing persisted through a more moderately paced scherzo, its cross rhythms and offsetting brass interjections highly driven from within, with just adequate space provided for alternating laendler. With carillon of pressing, marching forward opposing forces in context of fully realized and demarcated scherzo sonata form, one needed a little extra time to catch one’s breath, especially after scherzo’s reprise. Gentler Trio section, intruded upon by deeply bronzed brass chords, provided relief, but that seemed fleeting, even meager by scherzo’s end. Even so, rusticity to accents in the brass and from elsewhere, to beneficially contrast with the practically demonic quality to how driven all encountered here came across, reassured so full a view of humanity to remain in sight – as part of perspective to breathe life into as much a gauntlet of a Bruckner scherzo as any. More so it is than any earlier scherzo, as here got spurred on by hard dig into cellos and basses toward furious conclusion.

The finale started off forthright, not rushed, all the way through Mahler accents from principal clarinet. For lower strings however to dig in so hard on quasi-fugue start to the Exposition, though marked fortissimo, raised doubts – and sounding so much ‘in the moment’, it doubtful the aim could have been deconstructionist. Consulting the Salzburg broadcast under Furtwangler revealed deeply intoned weight given to accenting the very same subject. Thought of what had happened here only devalued little an overall fine performance. Following lines clearly and cumulatively ascended well to fine apex - fine space provided for well limned lighter second theme, even to reflectively expand out for brief episode taking in further distant tertiary harmonic relationships, all paced with gentle propulsion forward. Taken at a driving Allegro, Barenboim avoided enveloping forceful brass interlude (closing idea) - also making for supple trailing off to start of the mostly fugal Development section, that began darkly with fine anticipatory sense of what would follow. Most impressive during fugue was its fleet, supple working out concertato wise without loss to sense of scale or of its architectonics.

How Barenboim had started the Exposition then made in effect understated crest of line at sempre triple forte – quickly achieved from already forceful start to the Recapitulation. It then hardly at all did for glorious, blazing dark hued double brass chorale conclusion - all lights on cathedral wide at Philharmonie to which all - every remaining contrast reckoned fully characterized - inexorably led.

Beethoven Violin Concerto in D, Opus 61; Bruckner Symphony No. 6 in A. Frank Peter Zimmermann, Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim. Philharmonie, Berlin - 22.06.10.

Formal, intertwined harmonic subtleties with many forays into the Neapolitan building neighboring parentheses to tonic and dominant key areas (thereby building relationships at the tritone) deeply infuse the language, structure of the Bruckner Sixth. Thought behind this was to become more elaborate, subtle in the Eighth and Ninth. Pastoral repose and tranquility, feeling of open space roaming about mountainous valleys remain intact. In no way then, intellectualized or otherwise, is drama of traversing any neighboring terrain or reflection upon such undercut.

The finale to the Sixth began the most assuredly of any movement here. Barenboim caught very well the surreptitious groping downward in the strings, broken by sharp brass interjections. Reach for first theme group closing fortissimo tutti capably took on heroic proportions. Paraphrasing Robert Simpson’s comments on the Sixth (in The Essence of Bruckner) - with Bruckner’s eschewal of gratuitously elaborate or decorative surfaces in the Sixth - is the following. What drama should be played out and is better exposed in the finale than earlier must be calibrated that overall dramatic momentum can pass through numerous well marked empty spaces unimpeded overall. Simpson has also well pointed out one or two compositional lapses that can create issues for the interpreter.

Barenboim, able to keenly observe all at stake, perhaps however in sweep of the moment passed up several signposts, warnings along the way. His doing so did not kill his efforts, but did make seem slightly confused Bruckner’s grasp of structure. Much as this finale anticipates the finale to the Eighth, we have only yet come most of the way.
Where things got slippery here for Barenboim was within his ‘in the moment’ approach to rely somewhat on accelerandi to keep things stirred up – even in getting past what hinted a little excessively, too lightly at one near end of the Exposition – place one suspects is there for the unwary on the podium (rare weak spot in the Sixth). Doing so spurred on even further ignoring composer’s forebodings, doing so - as things twice even quite well careened closer to the finale’s conclusion. For closing phrases of the Exposition, Bruckner’s indication of allargando for lines in lower brass beneath obsessive repeat of upbeat dotted figures in the winds got submerged as usual.

Similar perseverative activity on upper winds as consequents to cello section reprise of opening theme in the upper winds then became too underlined, starting the Development. Strenuous arrival at A Major that does in effect storm the door down got in with less than absolute sureness of footing, with messy articulation from Staatskapelle Berlin strings over rapid sixteenths and stodgy cadence achieved at tritone.

Cause here was far from lost however. Expansive, loving handling of second theme and its often unique placement within harmonic scheme of things was secure; pristine sense of air around lines for the strings hovered above, as though something caught aloft, as should be. Same went into framing lovely brief paragraph of first theme inversion right in cellos under benedictory violin section descant as extended segue into sturm und drang of the Development. Brass utterances were always secure, marking dramatic argument of one of the most unique among Bruckner’s finales, albeit for a few demarcation lines remaining fuzzy, thus inquisitive character of this music too extended.

Cumulative sense of where this music is headed got mildly impaired with opening of the first movement, of plentiful contrasting gesture and rhetoric. Development of second theme grew more confident as it proceeded, with fine limning of descant, consequent through Tyrolean vista and eventually through repeat note trumpet fanfares for blazing tutti near end of the Exposition, albeit for stodgy brass handling of rhythms. Octave in place of at-fifth inversion of first theme passionately carried sense of air off steep slopes, central to what is mostly a retransition in place of Development. In terms of follow-through such inversion made cumulatively still more sense as pensively restated toward final build-up to a blazing conclusion to a prudently paced, sonically well crafted first movement of confidently venturesome ambition.

Barenboim then, to paraphrase Klemperer’s de-sentimentalized stance on Bruckner’s music, understated less well defined than friend and predecessor the broad contours of the Sixth’s lovely Adagio by taking it slightly too fast. Through such restive atmosphere, one could hear in dark yearning from the violins intimation of something from the composer’s F Minor Mass the Second Symphony directly quotes. Even however for the expanding out second theme, things - as also for Klemperer - sounded reticent, but expanded out better more freely upon their recapitulation. The inward quality of this music has me disagree slightly with Simpson, his advice for expanding out as much as (reasonably) possible - as courting danger especially today of anyone going beyond that.

Coitege step at minor key dominant was very precise - firm marking of soft timpani beats underneath - but through environment in which now more overt refrain is made to intimate line out of the F Minor Mass - things anticipating such a reference hurried here. Barenboim made intimate musing of broad closing section to the Adagio, something within all context of which he preferred held in check.

Purposefully rocky assessment was made of the Sixth’s unique scherzo – riskily at what sounded momentarily like real contention between strings and brass. Some of this emerged a little more arched than genuinely felt, but craggy profile for this music stayed intact. Strings and brass in reply to one another, with beautiful pointing of violin pizzicato made warm, yet searching repose of the Trio. Here overall was an at once pensively reticent, but inquiring take on the Sixth, with playing from Staatskapelle Berlin that sounded mildly on a breather from taking on such as the Fifth the night before; one would anticipate better success with it on stand-alone - further apart from the craggy peaks of especially the Fifth and the Eighth that for this series surrounded it.

After taking openly confident stance on the Bruckner Fifth, making the most too of its dark nooks and crannies, of what they represent, something of how Barenboim went about the Sixth, partly nature of the music itself, ran him slightly aground. Similar lift to this work with which Barenboim has succeeded well before only made it halfway this time around. As this more internalized, unprepossessing, but structurally enigmatic piece presents itself, it is in the pastoral character of so much therein, remindful of still seldom played F Major string quintet Bruckner wrote near the same time, from which the Sixth developed much of its persona. This being orchestral, its darker underpinnings, interjections make stronger presence felt than can happen in chamber music; the air both these pieces breathe though is indeed similar.

Portentously rhetorical accenting from Barenboim made confusing phrasing of ritornelli through opening movement of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, though with welcome searching quality for turn to minore during the lyrical second theme. With light vibrato Frank Peter Zimmermann limned his lines with poetically classical grace and poise, flexible and light too on his runs up broken octaves. He then played even, minimally shaped obbligato to Barenboim’s streamlined handling of closing theme to the Exposition. Orchestral stodginess persisted until winds got reprise of the second theme, but especially riveting was Zimmermann marking change of color into B Minor with fine support from bassoons, then circumspectly showing deep feeling from within for cantilena in G Minor to follow.

Staatskapelle then sounded conventionally get-on-with-it on ascending broken octave runs from his strings - nothing to faze Zimmermann, who matched such drive with ease, and then made halo out of light portamenti to ornament the second theme. Even if cadenza lapsed intermittently into some matter-of-fact playing, Zimmernann’s first movement here was long on poetry, short on what anyone would ever call mundane.

Reasonably moderate pace was set for the Larghetto Apart from mild intrusion of a little arch tone occasionally from Zimmermann, and streamlining of one or two variations, soloist and maestro with ease came closer together here and brought unity of flowing line and the Larghetto’s aura of tranquility into focus. Zimmermann found especially individual shape to closing phrases here, anticipating well transition into the rondo-finale.

With good lift, feel of open air, bounce to it Zimmermann and Barenboim became then entriely as one for large majority of the rondo, with only possible exception being a hard push on transition back into main section thereof. This followed an expressively played fine bassoon solo extending into gentle consequents within still febrile line from Zimmermann through plaintive G Minor middle section. Interplay to follow between back and forth snatches of rondo theme, development thereof was such of which both Zimmermann and Barenboim made vigorous aplomb – along then with ascending, descending spiccato arpeggios and rondo theme in rapid double stop offbeat marked sixteenths from Zimmermann. Sweetly engaged reprise of rondo theme - remotely in A-Flat Major - helped close such a highly welcome visit from him.

Radio Bayern: La Scala opener - auspicious debut by hot new Georgian mezzo - but otherwise was it Bizet's Carmen - or was it Sominex - or Sophocles?

This was indeed something preceded by much hype, but after all, Opening Night at La Scala - yet with embarrassed impresario – mostly by how disastrous his opener was last season - Don Carlo conducted by Daniele Gatti. The loggionisti have also shown that Daniel Barenboim has also slightly fallen out of favor with them, with recent Aida performances.

Administration appeared to see to it that notice get out, that more radical steps on Emma Dante’s part get softened or removed – even partly at Barenboim’s insistence, allegedly, for no better sake than just to animate, use the press, in covering so much about all this ahead of time. All it could have accomplished was just (further) muddying of the waters. I have even run onto a website or two to engage the loggionisti in some online dialogue, I suppose, as to expectations, when they have been reported as of late having become restless about this opener coming up. Giuseppe Pennesi (La Scena Musicale) has most meaningfully reported here ultimately a passionless, sexless Carmen. It indeed sounded very much like his description – even with the amount of sexual, of course to be socially correct all misogynistic violence to have occurred on stage.

There was also an ante-prima for the deemed highly respectful under-30 crowd Friday evening –for the press to milk for all its worth. The new Dante production indeed has its rebel youth chic, experimental appeal, but half-commercial look too. With what I have read, it seems she might have received more hospitable welcome at almost any smaller house in Italy, such as in Genoa, Parma, or Siena, instead of the big time in Milan. With the fully expected fischiato (booed) response she received Monday night, it was though Danny boy could have put up a lamb for slaughter. Perhaps with all the religious symbolism she layered on, she might have welcomed something of a heroic martyrdom of sorts –myopic as to what might work for the good of Emma Dante in the long run.

Before editorializing on this further, it is time to move on to what it was like just to hear this. To Emma Dante’s credit, there are perhaps two things – even without seeing this in action. For one, and for her quote about Carmen being ‘pure as a nun, but also animalistic’ – something along those lines – her Carmen, in Antia Rachvelishvili, somehow avoided turning in a heavy statuesque iconic tragedy queen of a Carmen – harmful for a lyric voice such as that of this new artist.. Complementing that was also heard a welcome amount of witty irony spun forth in especially spoken dialogue. Fortunately the spoken dialogue got chosen here, in place of the badly concocted Guiraud recitative that makes so much of Carmen come across contrived.

What confounded me more than anything long before this draggy Carmen came to an end, though avoiding very well some of the obvious Teutonic accents of a Karajan or Maazel, was still how stodgy it sounded under Barenboim – almost as though the recitative could have fit in just fine. He was certainly out of his fach here, whereas La Scala audiences can remember the passion with which he infused Tristan und Isolde for their opener two years ago. Barenboim’s scrupulous ear for textures, through which soloists in his orchestra emerged effortlessly, proved worthwhile however.

Tempi were often slow, apparently for sake of achieving pleasant quasi-Gallic dovetailing of many lines. Carmen though first and foremost should emerge as something living –as vibrant a piece of musical theater as possible. Jerking forward of the pulse once or twice during quarrel between Jose and Escamillo sounded cut and pasted - as way of managing dramatic pacing instead of it emerging organically from what has preceded the marked shift to allegro or two. Barenboim does not have it for conducting French opera at La Scala other than for some Berlioz – still inherent to Berlioz a sense of both internal and underpinning French rhythm as well. Such is certainly even so in attempting to disclose to us what multicultural influences from as afar as northern Africa or Cuba Barenboim - perhaps at behest of Emma Dante - now claims to hear in Carmen – many of us would find a novel insight indeed.

Numerous places in this Carmen actually sounded draggier than actually may have been the case, but Barenboim had singers who whether they asked for better or not had him upon whom to depend to provide some sense of pulsation to their lines. Especially in the Jose/Micaela duet in Act One, the Card Song, and in the final scene, it was obviously lacking, for what probably were some of the slowest tempos Monday evening. All preludes, entr’actes came off well - flute principal effective for one starting Act Three (and then back-phrasing moments later the smugglers’ chorus tune) – with enough snap and pizzazz for the Act One prelude and aragonaise starting Act Four as well. All that is fine, but with most interest of all in how Barenboim might aid, build dramatic interaction between his singers. Rachvelishvili sustained the Card Song very flexibly well; build-up to “Encore…toujours la mort” was ineffective, other than from her alone.

What indeed seems almost miraculous now was the La Scala debut of now quickly rising young Georgian mezzo Anita Rachvelishvili. One heard her take command of the stage right away - fearlessly so. An entirely new name to most of us, she had auditioned for Frasquita, but with Marina Domashenko and one or two other mezzos unavailable for this run, Rachvelishvili found herself quickly catapulted into taking on the title role. Though compromised by some of the stage direction - clutter surrounding her with all that - there was apparently nothing to faze her in the least, or for that matter, to compel her to unsuitably force a lyric voice, even with it having its Slavic cutting edge. She used it always lightly and often most incisively to make the words of Carmen count, eventually defiantly. Mind you, it was the words alone, not having to spend principal on a voice to make it happen for this young singer.

One noticed right away a Carmen not the least bit in love with Don Jose, from Seguidilla on, but who could have Jose wrapped around her little finger at any point she might like or upon demand. The lower register smoldered, the upper register was always clear - all evenly connected the entire way. If Dante expected a free spirit of a Carmen on her stage, she got it; if she expected instead ‘Carmen-as-victim’- all heavily enveloped and back-phrased – better then for Dante to have looked elsewhere. Where amidst everything here Rachvelishvili got her impetus to deliver us the Carmen she did remains unclear; it appeared to have been from personal dramatic and musical instinct possibly more than anything else.

An occasional note may have gone sharp, she may have missed harmonic contrast as one picky critic quipped between minor and major mode in the Habanera. In this piece, the words, together with the music, one and both inherently the same in such a number were paramount and she always made the words speak. Rachvelishvili was the one singer among four principals with which the natural color of her instrument always clearly emerged, and shifting colors within - effortlessly at her command. The Slavic edge I mention she will want to avoid allowing to harden – especially under pressure of taking on parts dramatically beyond her scope. Most welcome here was her utter refusal to force anything for dramatic emphasis, with her getting it all practically with the words alone. Even in a vocal yet wordless passage as dance with castanets in Act Two to freshly entice a frequently moribund sounding Don Jose as that of Jonas Kaufmann, she could infuse it with concise swivel to its line and rhythm that could even entice a ground hog. How it failed to do more for the Jose on stage with her than it did was as confounding dramatically as anyone could have run across lately.

The Card Song had an air of being at once morose but casual as having to accept an imminently ominous fate. Rachvelishvili made all so alive, incisive at times, but never ostentatiously so – even in obbligato to Mercedes and Frasquita during smugglers’ ensemble in Act 3 – obbligato to which the ear could not help being directed. It is perhaps why she won the audition - for more than which she had bargained.

The greatest implausible in all of this was the Don Jose of Jonas Kaufmann. Could this really be one of the world’sleading Don Jose’s now? The voice certainly has plenty of heft, though of essentially a singer on the lyric end of the spectrum of dramatic tenors. All it seemed that Kaufmann was out to prove, with also his mildly coagulated French vowels, was how good a honk he indeed has, but such quickly became boring here. Should we be grateful that Kaufmann has enough goods vocally to supply the demand for doing the part of Don Jose alone? It has been said already that he has been more flexible in shaping his interpretation of this part other times; on parlando lines, yes, he did give some hint of that, but here that was not quite enough.

Other than for Kaufmann’s good looks, what might have ever turned Carmen’s head, especially a Carmen instead of being for instance in the hands of Jessye Norman in those of Rachvelishvili, must remain mysterious. One person writing in praised Kaufmann for lovely mezza voce he achieved on high B-Flat in the Flower Song – so back-phrased as to sound cowering before a Carmen of Rachvelishvili standing over with a whip - suggesting reverse interpretation from Emma Dante’s vision of all this - but what of the five notes building up to it? If he could have placed them farther back glottally, one might have started to hear grating noises – or indistinguishable from that.

In fact, for photo of more consensual Act Two scene I have seen, done riding the saddle style, than encounter in Act Four, Rachvelishvili as Carmen is clearly the one playing top. I could not hear, other than such heavily misdirected testosterone being put out - with things getting allocated the wrong way - how this Don Jose could have put out for such an encounter. Fortunately, Rachvelishvili did not attempt competing with Kaufmann on vocally putting out the hormones – regardless what was happening onstage. I am equally frankly surprised that Carmen, with a Don Jose of so little manliness as this one, would not have entirely cast him aside from joining the smuggling party for Act Three. As phoned in as finale to Act Two finale sounded, Carmen might’ve as well been merely thinking just 'been there, done that' to 'here we go again.'

Equally fine, dandy competition for the hand of Micaela, even that of Adriana Damato, was the Escamillo of Erwin Schrott. The dry start to "Votre toast" (‘Toreador Song’) was embarrassing. Schrott did intermittently evince bravado, macho here and there, but such coming only in fits and spurts – again not to excite the Micaela too much - constantly followed around by two priests. The one time Rachvelishvili sounded bored the entire evening was for Act Four Mozartean duetttino with Schrott.

Adriana Damato (Micaela) was equally dicey as Schrott in experimenting around as to good vocal placement. The two might have made a fine match indeed. When Rachvelishvili dropped scorn on the Don Jose about his obliging his mother, I then expected Rachvelishvili to meet her, Jose’s mother, in the mountain pass – during the following scene. Damato certainly sounded older than listed age for Micaela from just about the start. One had to admire a little valor on her part in attempts at long lines in her big aria in a single breath, but that and some of the high notes then became somewhat of the ‘hail Mary’ variety. Her best singing came for last several minutes of the slowly taken Act One duet with Don Jose.

Gabor Bretz’s Zuniga (Gabor Bretz) was strong, albeit with phlegmatic accent here and there, but with fine sense of humor and irony - understandable given what minor drawbacks he may have encountered. A young Morales (Mathias Hausmann) was also good, plus Carmen’s two animated companions (Michele Losier, Adriana Kucerova). Rodolphe Briand (Remendado) had some of the finest diction in this cast, but tone so thin that when things started to pick up a clip, it would tend to almost disappear. Francis Dudziac (Dancaire), accommodating him, had to sing softly, not to drown him out.

This was, plus being such a multicultural Carmen, one very internationally cast. I can imagine worse diction emerging from such, but can also imagine diction – coached well here – making it sound like everybody much more idiomatically understands each other than was apparent. So much clutter going on – many extra characters onstage – seemed to take place of more meaningful dramatic interaction.

The final ‘Tiens’ near the end from who was indeed smartest person in the class said it all - just as to such a wuss of a Don Jose standing right in front of her. One must look forward to future Carmens and also some Rossini from new Georgian bombshell having entered our midst – but in more sympathetic environment, even while still at La Scala. This project resembled most of all product of mutually supported, perpetuated insecurity between producer, impresario, and conductor – most naïve the producer – with what booing greeted them during curtain calls.

In this great re-telling of Sophocles by Georges Bizet, as all clarified to me by minion of La Cieca (www.parterre.com) – no wonder that both Don Jose turned out to be way he is and that Emma Dante likes the music so much - and Danny’s slow tempos - pointed out already about Act One duet. I however would like to suggest some further changes.

Have Don Jose still rape Carmen at the end, but make it look half-consensual - that she might be enjoying or even egging it on. Have her start to exit stage as Escamillo re-enters – Carmen in exiting as to equally blow both guys off - and get shot to death by Don Jose. Escamillo, in retelling Carmen according to ancient legend, originally might have hitched up with Micaela - all it seems he might have been worth anyway - then making him eponymously Don Jose's father. Schrott already made Escamillo sound old. At least then it would all make perfect sense. There may be less bravado, esprit, swagger to it, but so little need for that has been implored much anywhere as of late.