Somehow I had not managed to catch Kurt Masur during his reign at the NYPO. Ever since I heard him live in a complete Beethoven cycle with the miraculous Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in the late 70's I have become one of his fans. The NYPO audience, post-Maazel and entering the Alan Gilbert era, gave him a great welcome even before the first down-beat.
The concert opened with Beethoven Symphony No.1. Coming right after Orpheus' performance of No. 2, the difference could not have been greater. Masur's superbly virile performance, with only slightly reduced strings, had a sonorous bass line and prominent balance of winds, reminiscent of the so-called "Central European" style. It revealed many more details and a sophisticated rhythmic sense infused the performance. The "Haydnesque" element was clearly heard. It goes without saying too that the brass and woodwinds far outstripped their Orpheus conterparts. This was a performance by a master who had lived with the piece all his life. Indeed Masur had recorded at least 2 complete cycles on Philips, both with his incomparable Leipzig orchestra. The first, scattered now on several pairs of Philips Duo, is IMHO one of the best ever, and even offers superior sonics to the remake. It is now also available conveniently in a multichannel SACD/CD set issued by the reliable Pentatone.
Of the magnificent Bruckner Symphony No. 7, little need to be said (finally). From the first bar, it completely outclassed a previous performance by the same orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta. The same sophisticated rhythmic sense also pervaded the breathing performance; subtle rather than forceful, it gave passages, such as the scherzo, a "Schubertian" lilt entirely appropriate for the music. The perfect balance and chording of grand themes could only have come from decades of experience. Diverging a little into HiFi, I shall quote Robert Harley's conclusion on the dCS Puccini/U-Clock: "...simply presents more musical information to the listener without calling attention to the fact that it's presenting more information..." If you read the NYT review, it basically says the same. That is what separates a master from lesser "maestro's". The NYPO played magnificently for Masur. In case you wonder, Masur's also has a solid Bruckner cycle on RCA.
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