MET Orchestra - Gergiev - Trifonov

MET Orchestra - Gergiev - Trifonov

May 18th, 2019, Carnegie Hall
MET Orchestra - Valery Gergiev - Daniil Trifonov
Schumann - Schubert

Daniil Trifonov played the Schumann Piano Concerto with his customary virtuosity, clarity and refinement but, as usual, one wondered if it was a bit narcissistic. From my seat I found the orchestral bass a little too prominent (actually part of the Gergiev style) as to be incongruent. The encore Schumann piece though was utterly compelling.

The Schubert 9th Symphony, "The Great", was notable for the sensitive playing of the MET Orchestra. I have always thought orchestras that play both orchestral and operatic works are the best, the best example being the VPO. The strings played with finesse, sweetness and detail; the winds characterful and the brass noble. Gergiev's conducting was a little surprising, somewhat restrained in dynamic swing. Although he brought out uncommon details (especially with the divided violins), as the piece unfolded, one did start to feel a little the dreaded longeurs in this very long work. I don't think it was nearly as bad as this review, but surely the piece should have a bit more momentum (in the past years I have listened to this piece twice with lesser orchestras and both times the flow was better; see here and here).

pic from New York Classical Review.

New York Philharmonic - Semyon Bychkov - Labeque Sisters

May 3, 2019, Geffen Hall
New York Philharmonic - Semyon Bychkov - Labeque SistersBruch - Strauss

The first half is a rarity, Bruch's Concerto for Two Pianos, which is basically owned and championed only by the soloists Katia and Marielle Labeque and Katia's husband, the conductor Semyon Bychkov, who have played them many times elsewhere.

I am basically not a fan of most piano duos, as most of them are not too inspiring. That goes for the Labeque Sisters as well as the much younger Jussen Brothers. There are of course exceptions, like  Robert and Gaby Casadesus, or Vronsky and Babin.

Unlike his Violin Concerto No.1 and Scottish Fantasy, this work has no memorable melody, especially for the pianos. But, the orchestral part is actually rather interestingly scored. Like many other Bruch works, it is, for lack of a better word, "atmospheric". The opening brass parts are particularly organ-like, and Bychkov brought out all the colors of the piece.

After Bychkov's recent Resurrection with the Czech PO (here), I was surprised at how incisive he was in Strauss' Ein Heldenleben. The opening, The Hero, was a little breathless and the low brass were rattling. No matter how exciting, this work needs some opulence, which was in short supply, but then this hall is definitely dry sounding. The Hero's Adversaries was almost too incisive and the same feeling applied. Then things started to turn. The orchestra played The Hero's Companion with depth of feeling and the sheen in the strings was surprising, though I found Concertmaster Frank Huang's solo too hyper-detailed and a little lean. The best was yet to come! Nothing prepared me for the absolute mastery of The Hero's Works of Peace and The Hero's Retirement. The orchestra played irreproachably, and the horn section for once was golden-toned. Bychkov's pacing was absolutely right and Frank Huang's wistful solo at the end was perfect.

This marked the third Ein Heldenleben I have heard this year. While The Royal Concertgebouw (here) had the better overall playing and Straussian opulence, this concert was even more insightful and surpassing in feeling. A TALL achievement for the NYPO!

New World Symphony - Michael Tilson Thomas - Yuja Wang

New World Symphony - Michael Tilson Thomas - Yuja Wang

May 1, 2019, Carnegie Hall
New World Symphony - Michael Tilson Thomas - Yuja Wang

Wolfe - Prokofiev - Berlioz

The New World Symphony, based in Florida and headed by Michael Tilson Thomas, is an academy for recent conservatory graduates, who receive fellowships to further train and develop. So it is not exactly a youth orchestra, like our own beloved Asian Youth Orchestra, rather, given its over 30 year history, older than something between Europe's more recent and better known Mahler Youth Orchestra and its spinoff Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

Michael Tilson Thomas has never thrilled me on records. Although he majors in romantic repertoire, unlike his mentor Leonard Bernstein he never seems to let his hair down. As a composer, he has excellent analytical power but again, unlike Bernstein, more often than not, something is missing, despite all the critical accolades.

The second-half's Berlioz Symphony Fantastique was fastidiously laid out by the conductor, architecturally superb, and very well played. The brass and percussion sections were particularly formidable. I enjoyed the playing very much, but ultimately the shade of coolness did not achieve the goal of Fantastique. Still, a very good performance.

The Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 5 featured the indefatigable Yuja Wang, half naked in a shimmering green dress, which actually mirrors her solo part, played with aplomb. However, MTT's conducting left much to be desired. He is not a Prokofiev conductor - much more punctuation and rhythmic pointing were needed. The strings in particular sounded emaciated, sometimes loud but without body, other times just vapid. As an encore, Yuja played a jazz-infused composition of MTT, which was just lovely.

Concert opened with Julia Wolfe's Fountain of Youth, an eclectic mix of motoric minimalism and the composer's "avant-garde" anything-goes Bang on a Can ensemble, extremely well played and enjoyable.