Maazel/VPO/J. Banse M4 @ Berkeley's Zellerbach Auditorium

[barry guerrero]

Hi everyone,

I just saw Lorin Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic do Mahler 4 in Berkeley's acoustically challenged Zellerbach Auditoriu. Daniele Gatti was originally slated to lead the orchestra, but he cancelled due to health reasons (or so the rumors state). I think the results were rather predictable. The strings of the VPO sounded fabulous, especially considering that they had to contend with the odd and 'dry' acoustics of Zellerbach (somewhat aided by a Meyer Sound System), as well as with Maazel's generally slow tempi.  The most challenged movement in terms of 'coordination' was the first.

While Maazel brought out lots of interesting 'ear candy' in the first movement, his slow conducting lacked any great sense of 'play' or lightness. However, there was one thing that Maazel did at the climax of the first movement that I really liked: he had the solo trumpet play his triplet figures as though we were hearing the very beginning of Mahler's 5th symphony. In other words, he had those triplets played slower than normal. It was very eerie for anyone who knows the fifth symphony rather well. The scherzo was fine, with lots of sliding (portimenti) in the violins in the trio sections. The were brief moments of lethargy here and there, but Maazel managed to keep the tempo up better in this movement.

The best movement in Maazel's hands was the Adagio, the climax to which being simply beyond all belief (Maazel is great at pegging major climaxes). This was done far better than it is on his Sony recording. Predictably, Maazel was a bit under-tempo for the vocal finale.

Juliane Banse sang just fine, although lacking a bit in 'boyish' simplicity. Her's was definitely the vocal performance of a highly cultured soprano. Still, there was little to complain about. I think Maazel's slow tempi were a bit challenging to Banse's breath control and phrasing abilities. Equally predictable, was the fact that the audience gave a standing ovation that lasted for several minutes. Over the years, I've never seen another orchestra so consistently have this type of effect on audiences in live concert situations. They don't always record so great, but the Vienna Phil. really communicates to its audiences in concert. It really was something to behold. I think the success of the VPO is that they're so able to 'override' the interpretive excesses of their guest conductors (they're all guests). In short, they're able to rise above their conductors.