I had occasion last Friday afternoon, November 7, to attend the "geriatric matinee" performance at Avery Fisher Hall. Our seats were just about perfect -- about 15 rows from the front, just a couple of seats left of center. Perfect for watching soloists. On this occasion, that particular advantage was less than ideal.
The program featured a preliminary test of endurance, Bang Bang performing a semblance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1. We were treated to a pounding destruction of this early concerto, replete with Bang Bang's swooning, jumping, swaying, nodding, hand-waving to the orchestra, and nimble-fingered noodling. The second movement was interminable, Beethoven's cadenza endlessly compounded by all sorts of "creative" additions and deformities, and the entire final movement an outright outrage. Bang Bang gets my vote as Liberace's heir apparent. But the little old ladies seemed delighted by his antics and oblivious to the tortures inflicted on Beethoven's music. Their ovations encouraged an encore, a Chopin prelude.
The Bruckner was another matter altogether. I've attended many concerts by NYP, but never have I seen an orchestra this large. The large Avery Fisher stage was literally crammed full with musicians. I was surprised to see that concertmaster Glenn Dicterow was not on stage, but he was the only one of the principals I noticed absent.
Eschenbach's pacing in the first movement was middle of the road, solid, coherent. Other than an exposed flub in the woodwinds, the orchestra was in good form.
The Scherzo is my wife's most favorite piece of music *ever written*. To meet her lofty expectations performing this movement is high praise indeed, and they did. Perhaps just a tad slower than I would have liked, but still very fine indeed. It was obvious they had rehearsed this movement a lot, with pinpoint timing and no big flubs. I was rather surprised, with such swollen string sections, that the strings were so sharp.
The final movement was also a bit slower than I would have preferred. The horns were wobbly in a couple of spots during this movement. But movement was coherent and well thought through.
The big crescendos throughout the symphony, and especially during the final movement, were absolutely huge. I have attended hundreds of concerts over the years and I have *never* heard a symphony orchestra play this loud.
But in addition to the sheer volume, the eloquence of the performance was beautiful. The air during some of the quieter passages was so rarified that I found myself holding my breath, not wanting to disturb the fragile beauty with a stray breath. Tears leaked from my wife's eyes in some passages.
I must admit, I've not been a great admirer of Eschenbach in the past. He has always seemed to me a competent conductor and a middle-level musician in that role. He did not break new ground with this performance of Bruckner 9, but to his credit, he did not muck about with it and screw it up. I would say, though, that the nuances of Eschenbach's interpretation of the piece emphasized the "modern" affinities of the work rather than its romantic roots, which I for one appreciated and approved. And the NYP played as well as I've heard them.
We were disheartened by the geriatric crowd, though. As the last note faded, they were on their feet, not to applaud, but making their way to the exits. I don't know if it was their lack of understanding of the piece, or weakened bladder control, or just elderly ennui, but only about a third of us applauded the fine effort of the orchestra.
I have attended only one previous concert performance of Bruckner 9, so I cannot compare it to a lot of previous "live" performances. But I've got at least one gazillion recordings, maybe two gazillion, of this great work, some of which are recordings of concert performances. This was a performance I'll not forget. Despite my little criticisms, this Bruckner was about as good as it gets in a concert hall.
Topic: NYP/Eschenbach Bruckner 9 (Read 4986 times)