31 January, 2020

Simone Young Alban Gerhardt

Simone Young Encore!

January 31, 2020, Geffen Hall
NY Phil - Simone Young - Alban Gerhardt
Britten - Dean - Elgar

Viva Simone Young, who now is a favorite of mine! After her cataclysmal Mahler 6th with the NY Phil (here) last year, I was an instant convert. This program is not one I'd go for usually, but I'd go hear Simone Young conduct anything! This was an early concert (11:00 am), which suits me well, but there were a lot of empty seats.

Britten's Four Sea Interludes has never done that much for me, but Simone Young paced it well and elicited excellent playing from the orchestra and for once I enjoyed the orchestral colors.

This was followed by Australian Brett Dean's Cello Concerto, played by the excellent German Cellist Alban Gerhardt (website), who is familiar to me and the Hong Kong audience (my experience with the AYO concerts here), but this was his NY debut. The enjoyable concerto, for lack of a better word, features sort of long chant-like utterances from the soloist, unusually without too much pyrotechnical display. The orchestration is highly accessible, and the audience seemed to really like it. Gerhardt gave the premiere and it was obvious he knew it well. I personally enjoyed the Hammond Organ, kinda funky.

Although I am crazy about his two symphonies and many of the tone poems, somehow Elgar's Enigma Variations, despite the famous Nimrod, eludes me most of the time. Part of it is my own intrinsic reservation about the style of Orchestral Variations (Brahms, Hindemith, etc), so different from the sonata form. But in this performance, Simone Young paced it beautifully and got things moving, and nothing got bogged down. In Nimrod, the NY violins was still not the sweetest, but otherwise the orchestra played beautifully. The last three variations were quite eloquent and, credit to Young, there was only one climax, and it was very well done.

One thing about Simone Young. The orchestra sounded musical under her baton, whereas under the likes of Jaap or Daniel Harding (post below) it could be overdriven and coarse. This lady knows exactly what she is doing - superb control, just the right amount.

As I have said, I'd go hear her do anything!

13 January, 2020

Paul Lewis Daniel Harding Parker Quartet Andrew McGill New York Baroque Inc

The Biggest and the Smallest Bands: 3 Concerts

Click pics to enlarge.

Big comes at a cost, in this case literally, as I had to pay for my NYPO ticket, whereas the other were free concerts given during the holiday season. In this case, it is definitely not "you gets what you pays for".

Jan 10, 2020
New York Philharmonic - Paul Lewis - Daniel Harding
Grieg - Strauss

I am familiar with both artists' work on record. In the case of Daniel Harding, I heard him last in Strauss almost a year ago in a magnificent Ein Heldenleben with the Concertgebouw (here), so I was really looking forward to the even bigger Alpine Symphony. The stage was jam packed, and I was expectant. Alas, the woodwinds played tentatively, and the big Sunrise was just brute and piecing in sound. After that, the orchestra was not very cohesive nor alluring during the ascent. Things started to get much better around and after the Summit, which was powerful. The descent led to some foreboding, a fierce storm and then a calmer summing up. I managed to enjoy the second half of the piece, but the orchestral sound and acoustics of the Geffen Hall were not a patch on the Concertgebouw in Carnegie Hall, so perhaps it was not Harding's fault. Maybe a 2:00 pm concert is too early for the NYPO players to wake up!

Paul Lewis played distinctively in Grieg's Piano Concerto, and the orchestral contribution was very good. To me, the pianist's refinement and rhythmic emphasis sounded somewhat idiosyncratic, but not uncomfortably so. The performance was definitely not in the romantic tradition, but was dramatic. From my third tier seat I found the piano sound to be bass shy, and although I found it enjoyable I cannot be as ecstatic as another review (here).

Jan 6, 2020
Advent Lutheran Church
Parker Quartet and Anthony McGill
Salonen - Shostakovich - Mozart

I was very happy when I found out the Parker Quartet was giving a free concert! I heard them in 2011 (here) in another free concert in Flushing and was mightily impressed (it shocks me that it was almost a decade ago, as it just seemed like yesterday, sigh, how time flies!).

The Advent Lutheran is a nice church, but not very big. However, it has a substantial music program, Music Mondays, which I didn't know about until I read about the event in the NYT. On this occasion, due to the publicity (and perhaps the star attraction of the guest soloist), people had to be turned away in order not to violate the fire code. I was lucky I got there a little early.

As is usual with the Parker, there is a substantial piece of new music, Salonen's Homunculus (the word means little man, for what that is worth). It was well crafted and well played, but not quite as challenging as some of his larger works, like the violin concerto (I heard the DG version, played by Leila Josefowicz). It sounded really nice in the church though, and happily there was no undue reverberation.

Shostakovich's Quartet No. 9 is a masterpiece and part of the trilogy that is No. 7-9. This is much less played than No. 8 and undeservedly so. The Parker was thoroughly idiomatic and probing, equally captivating in quieter passages and the motoric finale.

After the intermission came Mozart's Clarinet Quintet with New York Philharmonic's Principal Andrew McGill, who played very beautifully. He was ably supported by the Parker, but overall the rendition did not quite have the "time stood still" feeling that the best performances can imbue in us. Nonetheless, the concert was admirable, and the reception afterwards, where we enjoyed a glass of red wine, certainly was a plus! I shall be attending more events!

December 18, 2019
Angel Orensanz Foundation
New York Baroque Inc.
All Bach

NYC is amazing! I have never heard of the venue nor the Band, but learnt of the free event from the NYT. I was very happy to get to hear Bach orchestral works in a church!

The Angel Orensanz Foundation is an Arts Organization that rents out its space, a former Synagogue, for events. The New York Baroque, Inc apparently is an established period-instrument band.

On this occasion, the conductor was the estimable Richard Edgarr, director of the Academy of Ancient Music. Before each piece, he gave a little speech which invariably illuminated the piece. More musicians should do this.

Orchestral Suites 1 and 3, and Brandenburg Concertos 6 and 5 were played. The orchestra was certainly not perfect, but the spirited playing and earthy sonorities of the period instruments were absolutely delightful. Highlights included the mesmerizing interplay by the 2 violas in the Concerto No. 6, and of course, the racuous Gigue of the Suite No. 3 (not to mention the heavenly Air)!

Great concerts in unusual spaces!