Nott/Skelton/DeYoung CSO DLvDE

[Roland Flessner]

This evening I heard Jonathan Nott conduct the CSO in Das Lied with Stuart Skelton and Michelle DeYoung. I had not put this concert on my subscription because Pierre Boulez was originally scheduled. I haven't heard any of Nott's Mahler but I know that it is highly regarded in some quarters. I got lucky and scored a good seat at the front of the upper balcony for only $33 because of a supposedly "obstructed view," which turns out to be a railing that would trouble only a very short person. Some brief impressions:

Skelton has a strong and good-sounding voice, but it didn't project well over the orchestra. I haven't heard "Das Lied" live (except for a concert at Ravinia decades ago), and I'd imagine the balance is tricky, especially in the first song.

DeYoung sang with a distractingly wide vibrato, and the voice didn't integrate with the orchestra as it should in Mahler. I have her recording with Oue/Minnesota but haven't listened to it for a while and will have to refresh my memory.

Nott led a sharp and attentive reading, with the CSO in very good form. The woodwinds were terrific (Eugene Izotov on oboe, Matthieu Dufour on flute, Scott Hostetler on English horn and Dennis Michel on contrabassoon [I think]. Dale Clevenger, who has been appearing only occasionally the last couple seasons, sounded very good on horn. The tamtam was atmospheric and effective.

The concert began with Schoenberg's Piano Concerto with Pierre-Laurent Aimard as soloist. Though I'm not deeply familiar with this piece, the performance sounded sharp. I have the Brendel/Kubelik recording, but several hearings will be required before this piece makes much sense to me.

[barry guerrero]

Do try to listen to the Schoenberg because, quite frankly, the piano concerto is really one of his better works. Schoenberg was more willing to compromise with his strict 12-tone technique at this late point in his career. I find it far more appealing that his somewhat nasty sounding violin concerto (his "Serenade" and "Jacob's Ladder" take the cake for un-listen-ability).

Sounded like the Mahler was a good gig. De Young is great on the Reference Recording cd.

[Roland Flessner]

I listened to "Der Einsame im Herbst" from DeYoung's recording with Oue. She sounds MUCH better than at the concert.

I will chip away at the Schoenberg. I've always been a "late bloomer" with some kinds of unfamiliar music, but eventually it sinks in. In college I noticed that some of my friends seem to get a lot more from a first hearing, but then they really didn't need to hear something again. I don't think I need to explain to people on this forum about the nature of obsession.

Although it's obviously a very different kind of piece, I adore "Pelleas und Melisande."

[barry guerrero]

"I listened to "Der Einsame im Herbst" from DeYoung's recording with Oue. She sounds MUCH better than at the concert"

It strikes me that she doesn't sound quite so good in her more recent recordings either. Maybe too much Wagner.