NPR: New York PO. Alan Gilbert. Karita Mattila. Beethoven/Nordic program. 29.1.11

Music of Beethoven split this program with that of Sibelius and Carl Nielsen. Partly to complement how Nielsen's Second Symphony is, Alan Gilbert favored a big-boned, even heroic approach to the somewhat deceptively modest Beethoven Eighth. Though more naturally yielding for its second theme, opening statement of affirmative opening idea got slightly gunned toward invigorating all to follow, strongly driven. Double dotted rhythms anticipating gentler second idea got executed with stalwart rigor, to be consistent with what preceded them. Gilbert also flexibly shaped transitions coming off the second theme, with their rustling tremoli in the strings right underneath, yet followed by crudely hatchet-ed closing idea.

Yielding again as Gilbert was coming off of this, his shaping of the Development section turned out most apt, central fugato buildup thereof both flexibly handled and infused with fine strum und drang toward propelling all forward. Principal clarinet, reflectively on opening theme, opened coda pliant, off hammered close to the recapitulation – toward very confidently concluding the first movement.

What worked well for the first movement worked less well for the remainder of this. Deft ironic wit to the Malzel Allegretto, on which Philharmonic winds were less stiff than the strings, went missing, by dint of mostly strictly marking time from the podium. Heavy, stolid leaning on opening to the Minuet was good, but oddly there was no coming off as line in the first violins carried on just about equally stiff. Excessively underlined accents on timpani and on trumpets, vulgar, layered over the musical rhetoric an extra layer of irony; rustling accompanied well phrased French horn duo for the Trio was more on the right track.
Violin section tremoli to open the rapid finale emerged ragged. Poise got recovered for second theme, as expected, but rhythms for first theme derived subject for fugal writing in the Development turned at once slightly pressed and flaccid. Longer, extended phrases of secondary development Gilbert provided breathing space; working toward nagging impression of a certain lack of charm by and large however was continuing incidence of strain from the violins.

Finnish soprano Karita Mattila then appeared for first of two major selections – the concert aria ‘Ah, perfido’ – in effect study for Leonore in Fidelio – by Beethoven. After abrupt start by Alan Gilbert, Mattila made noble, but curiously arched profile of this piece’s opening recitative – not to mention the expansive, psychologically shifting emotional landscape it covers through just several minutes. Mattila attempted compensating for some hollowness within middle and lower middle range by placing back and darkening color beyond what is natural. Her grasp of emotional terrain that Metastasio’s heroine covers, with all hue and nuance in place, was never in doubt. Maintaining free flow through this, inculcating so very much, was however. Strained high A at crest of ‘Vedro la mia vendetta’ limned fully achieved ferocity thereof to contrast with warmly, firmly achieved legato for closing line of ‘Per lui vivea, voglio morir per lui’ – even with emotion expressed very distraught.

Phrasing continued equally specific through following aria, albeit with much placing back compromising legato and tubular production of engaging reaches into higher register doing the same. Expressive lightening of the tone and of phrasing provided relief – motivated by this singer’s complete musicality and very psychologically worked out response to this aria’s text. Somewhat heavy underlining of slow refrain portion of the cabaletta – all though very sincerely felt – contrasted with awkwardly placed good attempt at lighter tone to take on ascending, descending runs – causing slippery intonation. Combined flexibility and courage to take on this repertoire, combined with complete musical and dramatic grasp of what is at hand helped very well obscure what has always been with Mattila a slightly faulty technique. Even with that less possible now, one could not help but get caught up with Mattila’s thorough engagement here.

Gilbert, warmly supportive of Mattila through the Beethoven, found more common ground with her on selection of three Sibelius songs after the break. Apparently some artistic partnership, revolving around not quite exclusively Nordic repertoire formed during Gilbert’s handful of years with the Stockholm Philharmonic. Enveloped by fine atmospheric sense from Gilbert and the Philharmonic and informed by Mattila’s very intimate feel for the text - poetry by Rydberg (in Swedish) the source - sense of mystery to encompassing Hostkvall (Autumn Evening)’s expansive lines got compromised by vocal problems. This was true through melismatic line to sing of softly falling silvery rain formed from gloomy realms of misty cloudland above (translation: Rosa Newmarch) that Mattila approached by tubular means instead of floating it – up eventually through an unsupported high B natural and slippery intonation overall. This song was composed for the charismatic Finnish diva Aino Ackte.

Coming next was Arioso, also string accompanied, like all three songs here to Swedish text. Pained sense of rapture lost on climactic line to this – Gossens aga ar dass vardag – with its wide (almost Kundry like) jump from a high A down to low D-Sharp drew impassioned feeling from Mattila, though preceded by unvaryingly bearing down an approach to make yielding transition to it effective. The heroine of Arioso unfavorably, naively compares her destiny to that of a wilting flower she observes for her having to concede to family loyalty over desire for the youth at the very center of her life.
Gilbert provided accompaniment sumptuous, but slightly cool, with in mind assisting Mattila toward saving voice. For such thick production, one might even suspect some lack in genuine warmth – also in ability to still convey innocence.

The brief ‘Varen flyktar hastigt’ dealing with fleeting character of a Nordic spring, making it a time for (equally fleeting) love - winsome waltz step to it -freely invited Mattila to lighten up some – opportunity for which she halfway took advantage; transition from minor to major mode Gilbert himself made detached. Fortunately, Mattila recorded all three of these songs at the peak of her powers - with Sakari Oramo (for Virgin Classics).

Alan Gilbert, in having provided us a Beethoven Eighth in bold strokes, even in bringing out something of a driven, hectoring, even quite irascible quality beneath its sanguine surface, was perhaps thinking of the Nielsen to close this program. Neilsen spoke of the different moods or temperaments in human experience in his ‘Four Temperaments’ (Symphony No. 2), of at times their overlapping each other; Nielsen’s music reflects this – least so in the intermezzo second movement devoted to the ‘phlegmatic’ – portion o Gilbert has singled out as particularly charming. Nielsen’s manner of painting in primary colors, for more fully orchestrated passages - in giving the brass much prominence - finds a true advocate in Gilbert.

The strong attitude with which Gilbert opened the first movement certainly made the case. Slight clipping of abrasive accents and cut-offs became suspect. A hard pressed quality of the playing turned things monochromatic against better internally reckoned harmonic changes being made. Supple expanding out of oboe led second theme and of later retransition for less heavily accompanied concertato of winds though got encouraged very well. Strings strained to be heard through crest of their lines through tightly negotiated fugato over loud brass during the Development – equally due to thin unison high scoring for violins as perhaps any indiscretion on Gilbert’s part. While yielding well to this music’s episodic lyricism, the forthright character of the music making here, perhaps slightly peevishly, complemented well how Nielsen himself here depicts a choleric mindset or temperament. Gilbert in taking a forthright tempo prudently withheld excessively pressing the Philharmonic past where they could clearly maintain upholding this music’s demarcations, thus confidently articulate this music with bold strokes.

Following supple trailing off to end the first movement, the indicated phlegmatic ‘waltz’ of the second movement, as perceiving it two-dimensionally, came off well – though slightly devoid of charm or if you will, of Nielsen’s harmonious melos to depict a lighter naïveté. Trio section beginning quite strictly marked eased up well toward achieving better lift and shape, eventually ambling toward return of main section.

Gilbert, to frame starting the Andante, tried plumbing its ‘melancholy’ depths – in how he had strings dig right in, early on. Appoggiatura laden, plaintive reply in oboe, picked up, well characterized by other winds promised good opening out of further rhetoric. The playing here took on a more settled quality, more richly hued, more flexible than heard earlier in either this or the Beethoven. Violins immediately made flexibly singing line out of continuing lines from the woodwinds. Good chamber music was made of principal flute introduced major key episode – continued by Judith LeClair (bassoon) and Philip Myers (horn) before tensions bottle up toward stern reprise of opening this movement. Gilbert’s leaning on thicker scoring to follow reckoned well deeply harmonized chromatic spelling in the brass. Gilbert spoke of an Elgarian quality to the writing here – to perhaps explain his bold strokes to limn its nobility, pathos – deep in twilit colors. Broad expanding out of opening material reprised maintained well, focussed, overall distraught mood to the end.

Except for while intermittently competing with onslaught from the brass, violins displayed good vigor, putting on the ‘sanguine’, to start the finale. Gilbert continued equally at ease with all here as with the Andante. Full chordal interjections, interrupting several lines almost anticipate passage out of the second half of ‘Elegy’ from Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra. For two minute interlude to slowly muse, reflect upon more doleful terrain earlier covered, Gilbert, with fine voicing through Philharmonic strings achieved good simplicity. Further enhancing swagger with which the finale opened, the coda, changing up the rhythmic shape of opening material, indeed came off here somewhat Elgarian, but with hearty spirit infusing all, very confident of this music.

Muti, NY Phil on subject 'at time of war' - Honegger, LvB Eroica - more indicative of change of leadership at Avery Fisher

It might, figuratively speaking, require a return of Paul Kletzki to life to get to the spiritual core of the two works that featured on this Philharmonic program. Riccardo Muti proved that he can at least aspire to such for the Honegger and has achieved at least near as much, though differently than could Kletzki on the Beethoven.

Theme of conflict or time of war in pairing symphonies by Honegger and Beethoven was clearly unifying behind program the Philharmonic played on November 28th. The Second Symphony for strings and trumpet (for hymn quote to close the finale) is very likely the most precise of the five Honegger symphonies, composed during early phase of occupation of Paris and of much of France during World War Two. Muti, in touring with Vienna about two years back, programmed Nobilissima Visione by Hindemith, and also in putting a rare Hindemith cantata on previously at Avery Fischer, revealed here with the Honegger too that he continues to expand on repertoire to be at his behest.

My first experience of the Honegger was with Paul Kletzki and the Houston Symphony on program with Brahms Fourth and Vivaldi concerto grosso months before he passed away. The imprint of having attended this concert so long ago never quite entirely wore off – partly as I never heard the Brahms conducted better live since – not even, though passably, with Thielemann at Academy of Music in 1997.

Muti, with the Philharmonic, was most effective in bringing out this music’s bronze colors, dissonances and strong antiphony between varied groupings of voices. Some hardness to the sound he brought out of the strings is not inappropriate here; spirited quality of the playing was evident throughout. He maintained well a strong pulse through even the slower sections for instance of the first movement and lingering, dying off coda to the second movement. Distraught solo viola, followed by imitating section behind Cynthia Phelps, was full-throated in its ardor. Muti firmly, strongly projected accents to canon developed first theme of the Allegro, but undercut space, nuance for briefly passing second theme. Something approximating a hatchet type of downbeat across full section on stage helped however started to make the music sound on verge of becoming two-dimensional in perspective.

The letting of strings full out on sequence of suspended major sevenths leading into retransition not for purpose other than to display the lushness of the Philharmonic section made for stiffness to line for making eventual segue through two episodes that followed. Attack returned to be deftly pointed for sparse accompanied gigue like motion by cellos to recapitulate the opening Allegro theme – then trading off places with the second theme. Brief, long descent by cellos, to allow tentative shaft of light into the all pervasive gloom was effective; for sense of mildly broader perspective, more room for nuance, sinister insinuation could have been made of the coda.

Motive in small intervals, as especially dominates lamenting Molto moderato sections of the first movement constantly underpins the Adagio mesto - used thematically as well. Muti made heavy underlining of change from playing upward sighing half tones to descending, for such shift to be felt. By the same token, emerging long spun out descant on first stands of the cellos stood out as relatively arched. Dynamics here, as elsewhere, were followed well, if not as subtly as possible. Heavier stepwise motion in minor/major sevenths followed quite dutifully well according to how all that had preceded them. Muti effectively loosened reins on this music in response to return of simple single line lament spun out over tremolo for slow, flexibly expanded out descending descant in violins, then for eloquently spun out eulogy by Carter Brey (cello) to close things out.

Some obvious accenting, getting into the finale, turned vulgar, with violins making slightly too obviously vertical accenting of lighter heroic gesture on first entrance of theirs in the Development section. It all made their part sound quite like Prokofiev. Certainly, within healthy jaunt to it all, the accent is already there. It practically speaks for itself, so that some of the rough-hewn edges of this music should and can more naturally be made evident. Hard accenting between offbeats in violins and rushing stretto underneath became stiff, on verge of clotting during the recapitulation for missing too often already the Gallic trait or virtue of this music having so much internal accenting, pulsation of its own; trumpet hymn at close was almost too obbligato to sizable forces in his midst, followed by some ‘upper west side’ from the strings in bringing all to a close. Veteran principal trumpet Philip Smith cleanly achieved fine expression for closing lines of hymn.

Albeit a little stilted, two-dimensional for some of the Honegger, Muti convincingly captured the spirit, a fine mix of mourning and steely resolve, essential for this music. If not always internally being able to plumb the solemn depths, metaphor of so much here, his body of string players at Avery Fisher certainly got him part of the way.

Among (true) digital recordings of Eroica, the Muti with Philadelphia, perhaps the one very unqualified triumph in their fine Beethoven cycle together, ranks alongside Michael Gielen on the same label as unsurpassed. The spaciousness, flexibly lean, sinuous grace of the strings and warmth from Philadelphia winds and subtle variation in accenting all make something of the complex and expansive proportions of the piece, without ever loss of momentum. Such qualities are hallmark of the classic 1946 reading by Victor De Sabata with the London Philharmonic - legacy to which Muti most flexibly likely pays fitting homage.

After a fiery but flexibly molded truly optimum Schubert Ninth a year ago, and both poetic and blazing performances of Liszt Faust and Respighi’s Pines preceding it, this Eroica instead rated just a qualified success. One recalls as well the so varied layers of mystery for Scriabin’s Divine Poem, achieved by most supple means and farther back to the Mediterranean warmth, light and shade for Brahms’s D Major Serenade, alongside deftly pointed Turandot Suite (Busoni) and other repertoire off the beaten path Muti also champions elsewhere. His partnership at Lincoln Center, dating from shortly before the Maazel years started, has certainly been very healthy for both him and the Philharmonic.

For almost two pages of the first movement - thrust externally applied - things seemed to start off on the wrong footing. Once solo winds provided their consequent, overall line freely opened out, followed by controlled sustaining vibrato through heavy chords toward clearly pointing out their laendler gait. Things then seemed on the right track and as though they would remain so – apart from Muti applying puffy tenuti on accented offbeat heavy diminished chords, derailing focus momentarily.

Sculpting of much transition through early phases of the Development got played sympathetically with ease. While Muti however still maintained poise by internalizing all he could, the hatchet type of attack typical of Philharmonic strings subtly worked back in, especially in making way into dissonant ending main part of the Development. Fortunately however all attack and release was secure through climax to all this. More fully formed inversion of theme from the Exposition Leonard Bernstein was heard commenting upon during broadcast interval as new theme in the Development i.e. ‘Song of pain after the Holocaust,' ( i.e. how did Lenny ever pass sophomore theory?) with one or two further rationalizations to follow. Fortunately Muti indicated hearing this passage differently. There was less secure accenting in coming off also in E-flat Minor main theme octave tremoli sequencing in mostly the strings.

Muti maintained line through the recapitulation well, but trouble still lurked in having to openly try avoiding excessively vertically approached strong downbeats, as opposed to forming good line through everything. Ability to do so provides more basis for contrast instead of less, as his Philadelphia Eroica disc could tell us. Impression of this perhaps needing another several days of rehearsal to set things straight began to sink in – clearest evidence of this being Philharmonic trumpets soon before the coda verging on ‘upper west side.’ The music was written at time the area’s settlers did not yet know such geography. Contrast was clearly felt between lovely phrasing by lightly accompanied principal horn and too vertically approached extended dominant chords - inorganic from what had preceded them - into final cadence.

Finely moulded, not generically dovetailed cantabile most distinctively marked opening of the Marcia funebre - first stand winds most remarkable in capturing the right mood of it all and internal morbidezza to their lines. Strings still perhaps got caught a bit loose from their moorings on accenting, thus mildly phlegmatic in attack. Most desired expressivity by Muti became generically compromised by verticalized approach to rhetorical accents and reply thereof. For Muti, passing maggiore episode to follow was uncharacteristically heavy, stodgy, providing little needed relief. Slightly too obvious intrusive accentuation marked further compromise, as though we should behold a meeting of minds between Muti and the Philharmonic. Impression instead grew stronger that there might, other than from among wind principals, be effectively only one mind at work here at all.

Most of the way out through the coda, Muti achieved most desirable focus, somewhat lacking earlier, with approach to submediant cadence into the coda only shifting the lens from the podium momentarily and awkwardly onto what really was transpiring. Beautiful space was provided unison pianissimo violins for brief (re)-transition from fugue to recapitulation; dying out phrasing of the strings had all covered morbidezza one could desire. For so much previous lapse from the strings, their neighbors two hours to the south, if they could still play the Eroica as they did twenty years ago, would need not fear their competition. Closing phrases to this Marcia funebre provided final fully achieved moments of poetry for the Beethoven here.

In following scherzo, phegmatic attack by the strings overwhelmed lift for reply from animated woodwinds, dampening thrill of being at the ready to go out for the hunt outdoors. The strings’ too projected presence also made them rob themselves of a good forty percent of pulsation to their accenting - closer to all of it needed to generate either any steam or joie de vivre for this venture. Muti marked entering caccia horns (Ttrio) with light tenutos on their first downbeats, mostly as though to serve notice to the strings, that if ever an Eroica with them again, things should not go so awry.

Coming off a dull rendition of the Scherzo, rush down strings opening the finale was only tentatively achieved. Early variation starting on second violins achieved heavily bowed results to less than optimum effect - triplet accompaniment for next variation similarly heavy. The Prometheus theme resounded lightly in the winds, until the strings took over from them. Transition to first fugato episode (C Minor) got vaguely sectionalized, with expressive descant at end in firsts just achieved halfway. For continuing a Tchaikovsky or Balakirev Eroica, vigorous dance in G Minor had accents correct, but all joylessly belabored in achieving them. Second fugato began well, but so true to the bar-line from one third into it that it came off two-dimensional. The Andante epilogue was only episodically effective and then coda at more a true Allegretto stodgy. Wind concertato and then impassioned G Minor cadence in the Andante, both in passing reflected well upon better results achieved earlier here - and then reflecting further back on how a true Muti Eroica could perhaps still really sound, indeed resound.

This Beethoven Third seemed mostly to indicate new change of leadership at Avery Fisher Hall - redolent too of the hollowness, superficial podium editorializing (in the name of interpretation) of the Maazel era. Even late-career Maazel had the craft to keep house in order, so when Muti would drop by, all could then readily fall into place. If the strings however have suddenly achieved (again) lockstep into type of fraternized, codified entrenchment in approaching task at hand, regardless who takes the podium, then cause at Avery Fisher then for now is lost until new leadership once more can be found.

I refrain from making any final judgment or prognostication here. Going so far would be malapropos for a short while yet. Equally malapropos was including for broadcast interval the Bernstein editorial on Eroica first movement. Beyond what one can deem sophormoric, it insipidly told us nothing – to supplement what was slightly below par for what we from experience reckon Muti at Lincoln Center.