classicfm: LA Phil/Dudamel Bruno Walter commemorative Mahler 9 at the Barbican - 28.01.11

The Los Angeles Philharmonic toured Europe with fifty years commemorative of making classic Bruno Walter recording of Gustav Mahler’s Ninth Symphony with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra – ensemble comprised then of much L.A. Philharmonic personnel. Sessions were held January 16th, 1961; Gustavo Dudamel showcased the work in Disney Hall on same date this year.

Tempos in particular for the first three movements were similar to those used then by Bruno Walter. The Adagio was the sole exception – especially in mind of Walter having moderated his tempo for the final Adagio from how he conducted it for his Anschluss era Vienna recording. It took not until Bernstein’s Amsterdam recording – among several slowest on record (with Levine’s two) but instead until Roger Norrington for Bruno Walter’s earlier tempos to very nearly be recreated – the swiftest on record – for which Arnold Schoenberg probably called Walter a coward. One reckoned Bernstein might serve partially as Dudamel’s model for this early stab at Mahler Nine. Bernstein was dissatisfied with CBS compelling him to keep length of his Adagio down to 23 minutes - two minutes more than Walter in 1961, nearly five more than 1930’s Walter.

Dudamel has had dicey luck with Mahler thus far. His DGG Fifth with the Simon Bolivar strains for ability to grasp form – lessons learned from which, I suspect he applied here. Dudamel’s inaugural Mahler First with Los Angeles missed nearly all the simplicity behind its inspiration – with tendency to distend phrasing to disproportionate lenghts, plus the fussy quality about it all. It missed what subtle nuance can best serve indicating how the Mahler First Symphony points forward as well. With Verdi Ernani, Lombardi store greater perils for the unwary than do Otello, Don Carlos, Falstaff.

Broad approach to the Ninth’s (supposed) profundity and fuss over less essential detail was less problematic here. Mahler’s Ninth presents some of his most open, exposed writing of any numbered symphony of his since the Fourth. It also hearkens back to emotional subjectivity of the earlier symphonies - after the more objectively conceived Ruckert – with the Ninth fourth within (broken) line of purely orchestral symphonies.

This was for sure a young man’s Mahler - Mahler not very deep into middle age when he composed this. The love of life, love of Nature it expresses is in part still that of a young man partly unwilling to let go. Dudamel kept the temperature slightly cool in approaching this music - somewhat in his still having a tentative feel for it overall, thereby a desire to be prudent, but also, welcome, most engaging of all with its lyricism. .Mistakes certainly became, during some of the Andante comodo, frequently obvious, plus some intermittent through the three remaining movements. Here is still work-in-progress interpretatively, but one also perhaps fully on its way to fruition. Some of the coolness or, if you will, objectivity may be due in part to both a still slightly thin quality of Los Angeles PO strings, but also the dryness of the Barbican acoustic. An airing of this interpretation from Vienna’s Musikverein might tell us more.

Subdued air pervaded the ‘Lebwohl’ opening – understated irregular pulsation underneath and falling quality of main thematic motif – gently filled out by slightly distraught warm glow. Eventually‘ leidenschaftlich’ characterized D minor theme started off with clear direction, then to have Dudamel fuss over minor crests in continuing line thereof, also turning filled out return of varied ‘Lebwohl’ (in D Major) slightly flaccid. Forward, light projection of ‘leidenschaftlich’ underpinned Exposition closing section, then momentarily making all curiously sound slightly weightless, but simultaneously finding something both naïve and refreshing within lift to overall line. Slight clipping of ‘irregular heartbeat’ on octaves put things slightly off, but then surfaced sufficient profile to nobly frame suitably restrained viola section lament.

Impulsivity lightly seized transition into weightlessly trumpet fanfare marked Mit Wut (and nicht zu schnell) that Dudamel firmed up with nodal point from doubled brass therein – then to let all slide away limber. Tricky proportioning out of imminent, truly marked ‘Leidenschaftlich’ became loose. Exchange of bi-tonalities on ‘Lebwohl’ got underlined well, but brief ‘schattenhaft’ to follow slightly picked apart. All to follow into climax to the Andante comodo flowed by - perhaps as though all easily achieved.

Dudamel could have been facing serious issues, had the movement almost ended there. For instead what happens, one began to sense Dudamel’s hearing past this point. All broadened out beautifully for weighted cortege entering from afar. Full orchestra broke off without fuss for beautifully shaped flute, concertmaster, horn solos. Key location throughout here was Dudamel’s just slightly rushed ‘Etwas belebter’ utterly spot-on – next to Lenny’s distended, deconstructive taffy pull - both in anticipating it and making the release. All then without bathos melted into clear, then fading away blues - almost as though to make one forget ‘multitude of sins’ encountered earlier.

Moderately broad in pace, strengthened thus, the ‘laendler scherzo started off with heavy marked rustic gait, knowingly, not self-consciously so, allowing this music’s charm and banality speak for itself – even while leaning hard on repeatedly inflected accompanying brass. First go at second laendler could have afforded heavier downbeats but all landing hollow, right on brass and timpani. Dudamel waited until later reprise of gentle ‘Lebwohl’ F Major laendler to linger over it more than matter-of-fact – indicating growing sense of mastering the art of omission alongside that of commission. Variation on somewhat already the ‘wrong-note reprise of Laendler II Dudamel momentarily had his horns accompany with a most comical slurp, impossible not to have tickled the funny bone.

Drawing out of transfigured colors its harmonic shifts turned poetic extended F Major laendler (reprise), making one indeed reflect upon Columbia Walter’s better virtues. Preparation of ‘dance is over’ solo bassoon reprise of Laendler I was fine, with earthy reply from woodsy solo viola, winds, concertmaster, followed by strong elan and heft for genuinely invested gutsy started mid-phrase Laendler II reprise. Following very intentional gaffe several minutes earlier came, equally witty, big unintentional one, on rushed restart of Laendler I, de-tethering just about everything – so much fun – with recovery very quick. Pulsation through low thudding perfect fifths beneath, dark ruddy color and macabre effect all about - purposefully, ironically including odd bow noise from the concertmaster - sardonically, ideally helped bring this scherzo to a close.

Strong parody, irony emerged more the intent with Rondo-Burleske than banal virtuoso display Other than slight thinness in the strings - Dudamel most attentive to achieving good accenting - the character of this music, taken moderately fast, came off fresh. Solo strings cutting through rustically klezmer parody of Third Symphony got sharply etched – follow through on lower winds’ voicing, marking also thoroughly characterized. High wind’s running preparation of main subject reprise was acrid, with dry reprise of further distorted march also spot-on. Trio opened with decent simplicity, especially as limned from aloft by the violins. Luminous buildup to the climax to developing its main idea became also slightly understated – through warm harp glissandi. Reprise of main section was more straightforward than fierce, with light pointing of strings led ‘operetta’ episode palpable, Accelerando by trumpet was slightly impulsive - utter enjoyment of everything in place of making display again paramount, with merry romp through lower brass toward concluding cadence of perhaps more lift than usual vehemence.

Dudamel framed opening the Adagio with strong lean on its unisons, but avoided sinking line by observing following internal separations well. .Pace was very slow overall, but did not feel it much except for C-sharp minor episodes. Several big crests to the line got understated, perhaps one or two slightly deflated – sign of inexperience but also already strong opinion on where more important emphases should lie. Probably nothing about this entire Ninth more took me aback, conducted by Dudamel - much heart-on-sleeve having been expected instead. Quieter sections of this Adagio were such for which Dudamel opened wide most frequently well calibrated space for them to project their deeply meditative quality, vernal shimmering lights in higher reaches – to recall the ever blossoming, renewing quality of much within ‘Das Lied.’ Others, certainly Bernstein’s first try at the Adagio make afterthought of these passages for great ‘wailing wall’ of obvious big refrains, but not Karel Ancerl – now hardly Dudamel either.

Reach toward large climax, through subtio piu mosso (marked Nun etwas drangend) was flexibly impulsive - Dudamel then gently applying the brakes for four descending big notes into starting the recapitulation. At similar crest in tutti minutes before, he eschewed over-emphasizing this for how more charged he could make large reach without forcing it, toward it all cutting off. Anguished high violin’s A natural - intense from Otto Klemperer - got mildly understated toward good, mature impetus lyrical shaping of entire line overall. Dudamel failed to quite open ‘Adagissimo’ final page slower than body of this Adagio – final show of naivete then some excessive lingering over this music’s ultimate fading away.

This interpretation of Mahler’s Ninth still has some ways to go - not to fall back on more conventional solutions, but instead perhaps to even take several extra risks. Most moving here seemed both Dudamel’s very close scrutiny of the score and amount of heart and imagination, if not surplus of intellect he has invested into thinking it out. With Los Angeles Philharmonic instead of with orchestra back home with which Dudamel can often rehearse over twenty hours each program he conducts, even with what mistakes, naivete present, this is the best I have yet heard Dudamel on anything – versus Dudamel the primed, pumped fawned over pawn of nefarious marketing forces active, omnipresent today. How much this aspect of the business he can put aside may well determine how he can prevent himself from ever again cheapening other repertoire - and then perhaps make great strides.

LA Phil (NPR): Gustavo Dudamel conducts Dvorak and Tchaikovsky - both in B Minor. Alicia Weilerstein, cello. 06.05.10. Disney Hall, Los Angeles.

What logic must be behind pairing Dvorak concerto with the Tchaikovsky Sixth? For someone with, let us say, mild taste for overemphasis, here is what veers dangerously close to bathos reinforcing bathos – sinking so much underneath. I can not explain the Dudamel phenomenon, except to be remindful that man by last name of Abreu assembled la sistema in Venezuela, not Dudamel. Dudamel is felicitously poster boy as program’s first international success. Coming from very humble origins arises so much.

One certain way to deny music its power and eloquence is to deny it its form. The Dvorak Cello Concerto opened, with Alicia Weilerstein, equal partner in crime as soloist. Something of thus very modest results, albeit with very sufficient theatricality to help us pretend we had something, came about. As for any marking that has ‘poco’ in it , Dudamel usually interprets that for anything to be marked even for just isolated measure or two, must mean shyness on the part of the composer about asking for more, to add more, or even to start earlier than where he might have indicated. Whenever it might help Dudamel’s own expressive purposes, it might even be possible to do just the opposite of what the composer indicates in the score. It sure seemed too, with highly vernacular deconstructionism at play, that here was Dudamel’s (newest) attempt overall to reveal how sliced bread, or chain of broken sub-phrases can be discovered anew.

Lower winds started the Dvorak in lumbering manner - with long distraught ritardando a good four measures before marked - for eventually what turned out good horn entrance. Weilerstein, upon first entering, made triple stop chords so pushed and thick to right away resemble her playing quarter, quintuple stops instead – with immediately flaccidly apoplectic response from concertato of winds. Louder statements from full orchestra, while working so much else so hard, registered consistently anti-climactic. Repeat chain of appoggiatura to strongly mark line for soloist before first entering with second theme was all also ironically too light. Dudamel however then tried to prove expressivity about timpani upbeats in the following ritrornello – at expense to line.

Long, mostly unmarked ritardando framed new contest entry by Weilerstein - as how to make often expressive G-sharp minor entrance for the Development most slathered over yet. An obvious hard jerk forward, one among many, next had to be healthy for getting things going again. Ending with loud half-scrape up octaves run into the Recapitulation was a series of accelerandi, each successive one less subtle, more exciting than the one before, none of which written in by Dvorak. For all this, the Recapitulation upon arrival seemed quite cruelly anti-climactic. For about a minute or two, we somehow got a breather from all the spelling out of so much to us. Things eventually continued to proceed in as broad-brush, but half-ironically simultaneously fragmented way as earlier.

Dudamel made palpable good restful atmosphere to open the slow movement, but all as getting too distended. Hard docking to open the middle section did little to assist belying an overall lack of subtlety. Violin section arpeggi, admittedly light even in numbers, over continuing cello line, sounded very wispy - lame at supporting anything. Underlining of halfway lost principal bassoon to accompany misshapen line from Weilerstein turned out most curious. Concertato of horns reintroducing outer section to the Adagio almost ran out of breath, with Dudamel paying special attention to marking timpani upbeats correctly. All was beginning to individually develop a life of its own, as though we might be getting here post-Lutoslawski Venetian Games, Cello Concerto Dvorak instead of just Dvorak. Usual place for brief conspicuous speed up in note values, then additionally instructed, went by hardly noticeably at all; Dudamel and Weilerstein probably just surmised it most safe to simply get through it.

Push and shove proved again rule of thumb, rule of flail, for starting the finale - high dance step octave F-sharps in violins getting icked so that woodwinds in same pitch interplay with the violins did not get any real say at all in the mix. Weilerstein eschewed finding stable tempo for opening the rondo, resulting in her missing accents, and compensating for such lack, making good fast flailed sa-shay through following lines. Next entrance in double-stops then got heavily worked, as expected. Principal clarinet made so much massage out of the usually completely gentle, yielding second theme; Weilerstein then settled for educated guess to negotiate rapid triplet or sextuplet arpeggi coming off this and then loud halfway pitchless scrape up run into ritornello to follow.

Concertmaster solo over accompanying cello began with real spirit, but Dvorak would have scratched out his molto rit. and accents descending off high B had he encountered such clearly evident context here. Loud, highly extended docking, respectively settled for what we should find climactic for framing brass chorale and long held F-sharp (contest now as to who can hold it the longest) for Weilerstein, for Los Angeles Philharmonic next to flail away for finish line at last. At end of the broadcast, Dudamel was described as standing for his bows within ranks of the Philharmonic, as to represent himself as merely one among colleagues on stage. Could have so many interpretative decisions about the Dvorak occurred by committee? Could not have Dvorak lived to take orchestration from Stockhausen or Bernd Alois Zimmermann? Could not such insight have enhanced his writing then, you think? I am reminded of Proms commentary last summer introducing Dialoge by Zimmermann - i.e. how so many instrumentalists, including two pianists, got assorted into all randomly chosen groups to freely interact.

Blow the dust off them old warhorses! There once came occasion for Ilan Volkov to join Heinrich Schiff on the Dvorak. Without needing props from anybody, he conducted the Dvorak with as much poetry, quality of detail, supple line at age of thirty-one as I have heard anybody do it. Both soloist and conductor left at the door all usual mannerism and fuss that so non-poetically can clog the alternately dancing and rhapsodizing lines of this music. Here was loudly announced attempt to blow all the dust off the Dvorak, but ultimately a harder layer of grime and crud accumulated, caked over it instead.

Not a terribly slow, but quite extensively diffuse, prolix account of the Tchaikovsky Sixth Symphony followed – that ultimately sounded tiring, even for players of the Philharmonic. Giulini recorded this with them not so terribly long ago. First period of the stormy Development section broke apart into at least half a dozen sub-phrases. Following this was re-entry of first theme, played in about three different articulations; most interesting was the heavily slurred one, such as probably got copied off a recording– useless to try guessing at or knowing which one. Musing brass chorale over still, quietly rumbling basses all went matter-of-fact, replied to by Tinkerbelle flourish in the winds. Quasi-mexican serenade of sorts was made out of the great Theme 2, followed by marking of just about every sub-phrase for winds that could be found over stasis of marching chords in strings underneath Connecting line to all this then became completely lost. Syrupy muzak out of rushing line in violins toward reprise consequent of Theme 2 and jerking-back-of-personal-frame-on-podium marking of timpani upbeats beneath nobly restrained closing clarinet solo was all most expressive indeed.

Second movement five-four waltz began unsure of where to place either accents or hips on the podium for it. Winds, when given the tune, never throughout the course of this achieved meaningful shape to it. Accompaniment to flourishing string line responding to winds thereby was shaky all at once in numerous ways. Equally fey was extra piquant touch to the polonaise-infused dotted rhythm ends of phrases and eyelid drooping back-phrase in making it from trio section back into main waltz. Trio section fared better. Two note sequential, stepwise sub-phrases starting the coda got individually packaged care as individual phrases all on their own instead of components to one connecting line.

As for the scherzo-march, slower than usual, slightly more energy than affordable got spent on working what ultimately resulted in shaky ensemble for triplets in the strings to open this. Clipping of wind parts reminded one well of name of hall where this concert took place. Dudamel dug into multiple stop cadences in his strings with tremendous force. The march, at constantly slightly distended tempo, also received quite a work-out. It did not especially flatter the acoustic of the still relatively new Disney Hall – across street from the Chandler - to make hollow space for first five note repeating timpani in the coda, yet Dudamel did just that. Conclusion carried forth with brilliant flourish.

The tragic finale was not terribly slow so much as devoid of real shape. Dudamel, from perhaps several recordings he has listened to, knows where to push or rush the line through two climactic long arches therein, but missed internal placement of accents within the line, even clipping a few notes along the way, making caricature of it all. There was the practically usually blowsy muzak typical of often mediocre interpretation of the opening divisi-built tune to the finale; enhancing such more than one could ask or want, a little salsa thrown in for flavor. Hardly any connected line was achieved at all.
Brass sostenuto was quite good for their chorale intoned final say, but it, toward good mimic of understatement, suffered from the shaving off of several note values of their full worth; any coursing line through it and rests, got entirely lost. Entirety of coda following the brass chorale got worked hard; so no last drop of passion with which Dudamel must infuse it could be missed. Does not the name Carlos Paita ever come up, as of late?

With so much work Dudamel picks up, getting rushed-coached through so many scores by Abbado, Rattle, Barenboim does not replace hard work on one’s own and time for reflection needed to become an at all significant interpreter. Here is someone who has come a very long way; it is not for me to demean what enthusiasm Dudamel brings to the plate each time he steps up. Not forgetting horn, other fine wind principals, the best musician on stage for this was none other than principal bassoon Shawn Mouser, who let slip out a fully convincing shape to long descending line one third the way through the finale. Give him a fifty percent pay raise right away.