Mahler Wesler-Most Shostakovich Petrenko Buchbinder

November 9, 2019, Carnegie Hall
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra - Vasily Petrenko - Rudolph Buchbinder
Weber - Mozart - Shostakovich

The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra visits Carnegie Hall annually and gives 2-3 grueling concerts on consecutive days, a testament to their stamina. On this occasion, the previous night was conducted by director Mariss Jansons, who became unwell. Vasily Petrenko, who happened to be in town for the Met's Queen of Spades, became a last-minute substitute. And that was my fortune. Not only is Petrenko a Shostakovich expert (his Naxos series is one of the best), I have liked his conducting on a date with the Oslo in HK before (here).

Before the big piece, Petrenko showed his ware even in the first half. Weber's Euryanthe was well organized. Then came Mozart's Paino Concerto No. 23, the accompaniment of which was fluent. Rudolf Buchbinder was an unusual soloist, displaying legato playing of the first rank and staying shy of banging it out in big moments. Part of this may be due to his reduced dynamics (due to age), but his experience and ways were compelling. The audience was thrilled and rewarded with an encore of Strauss waltz.

The Shostakovich Symphony No. 10, minus an occasional glitch, was played with the utmost attention to detail and overall architecture. This was a patient reading that brought out all the unease and suspense, and enigma, of the piece, that at the same time avoided gilding the lily in the big moments. Ensemble was tight and never flashy. A great performance.

The orchestra is imho one of the world's best. In the first half, the winds were irreproachable, though they became slightly more cautious in the second half and I sometimes miss some savagery. But with Peternko coming in only on that day, this was a miraculous moment.

Here is a good review of this concert, and here is one for the day before, when Jansons became ill (read the comments too; curiously, this site, which reviews all concerts did not have one for this one).

October 4, 2019, Carnegie Hall
Cleveland Orchestra - Franz Wesler-Most - Yefim Bronfman
Widmann - Mahler

I was not expecting much going into the concert, having been lukewarm to Franz Wesler-Most's recorded works, but was genuinely surprised.

Although the ubiquitous Yefim Bronfman has never been a personal fave, the Jorg Widmann work for piano, Trauermarsch, inspired by the Mahler on the same program, was quite enticing, and sonically resplendent. I enjoyed it, but the relationship with the Mahler proved elusive to me.

The Mahler 5th was tightly argued and, of course, fastidiously played by the Clevelander's. It was a non-sentimental approach but one that was not dispassionate (unacceptable in Mahler), rather wide-eyed and a just a little weary. It was cogent and much better than the more recent 5ths I have heard (including BSO/Nelsons and BSO/Alsop). It was fluent, detailed and did not sound forced, but one struggles for descriptive words. An excellent performance, that.

Here is another report of the concert. Notice the writer, like I, don't have too many words for the Mahler.