Concert Review: Juilliard Orchestra - Alan Gilbert

Concert Review: Juilliard Orchestra - Alan Gilbert

15 April, 2011, Avery Fisher Hall
Juilliard Orchestra - Alan Gilbert
Mahler Symphony No. 9

Let me get right to the point: this concert conducted by Alan Gilbert, whom I have never heard before, marked the most electrifying Mahler I have heard in years. At this early stage his directorship of the NYPO has not been without controversy but, judging from this concert, he is certainly a major talent. Gilbert has also been appointed director of the conducting department at Juilliard, in place of James DePreist. That too had its share of controversy.

Gilbert, a big man, conducted with volcanic energy and big gestures, a completely different approach from DePreist whom we heard in Mahler 5th just earlier. Boy, did the orchestra respond differently, playing with fervent ardor and complete concentration!

Yet the big gestures happily went in tandem with much precision and insight. The reading was brisk and propulsive in general, but aside from a few moments of convulsive abandon, dynamics were mostly well graded. Gilbert illuminated many fresh details along the way but kept things moving. Considering the force of conducting, there was an admirable lack of vulgarity. The inner movements particularly illustrated this. Gilbert's reading of the second movement literally had a sense of Mahler's marking, somewhat clumsy and very coarse; there was refreshingly little sense of the waltz, which many conductors love to exaggerate and distort. The Rondo though was more brute than Burleske. To nitpick, the two inner movements did not quite have their own characters, the closing adagio was a little fast and the ending felt a bit too abrupt.

The orchestra played wonderfully and most importantly conveyed to us, indeed held us captive by the titanic inner struggle that is Mahler. One would not exaggerate if one invoked heaven and earth, such was the force. I am glad somebody still conducts Mahler that way (certainly cannot be found in bland "critically praised" performances in HK), and look forward to hearing him in Mahler 5th with the NYPO soon.

Review at Blog classicalsource