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!