San Francisco Classical Voice

The Palo Alto Philharmonic is a group that should and can play better than what was in evidence at Saturday night's concert of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven at the Cubberley Theater in Palo Alto.

The performance of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 most represented what is wrong with the group in its current state. There was no communication or transference of a solid pulse to the players from the conductor, Gideon Grau, with the result that things simply fell apart. Each of the soloists--Grau, who was also the violinist, Darcy Mironov (flute) and JungHae Kim (harpsichord)--seemed to have a genuine musical idea to offer, but they failed to share their ideas with one another. Sometimes four different tempos were present at once, one from each of the soloists and one from the orchestra. It felt as if I were listening to a good performance that had been passed through a strange time-distorting lens. The extended harpsichord cadenza in the first movement suffered from many wrong notes. The orchestra was out of tune with the harpsichord.

In the middle movement, for soloists alone, the harpsichordist seemed to make little effort to remain with her two solo companions. Even between her left and her right hand there was often disagreement in placement in time. There were some affecting moments that captured the sadness that underlies the inexorable forward motion of Bach's bass line.

Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor also lacked a clear statement of pulse, with the result that entrances were mis-timed, sixteenth notes capricious as to their speed, syncopations (as the bassoon solo at the recapitulation of the first movement) hopelessly out of alignment. Lacking from the podium were the broader gestures of leadership and emotional intent that mold and hold together a performance. The best playing was reserved for the third movement. The fourth movement would have benefited from more realistic and less inflexible tempos. The ensemble in the winds might have been strengthened if the horns had been placed closer to the bassoons.

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, in G, received a satisfying performance by Kanako Inagawa, whose playing was distinguished by the clarity of her runs (single notes and in octaves) and trills (single and in triple notes). The orchestra's best playing of the evening came during the opening of the first movement. At other times though, the conductor seemed unaware of his soloist's pacing, thereby putting Inagawa at a disadvantage. Her playing in the second movement was appropriately contemplative but lacked depth in response to the growing spiritual crisis of the movement. By the third movement, the piece seemed to start running out of steam and lacked the rhythmic verve that supports its themes. There was some nice solo cello playing, indeed one would have wished that the sustained low D and G during the piano's soaring slow lines had been played by just the principal cellist and not the entire section.

This is an orchestra in need of reform. What I saw was a musical conductor who, failing to communicate his ideas to the players, ought to try out new methods. At the moments when the orchestra most needs support from the podium, the conductor seems to turn inwards rather than outwards. The moments of spirited playing and the presence of well-played passages suggest a genuine potential in the players. Things that could help bring this group to its proper performing level include some judicious pruning in personnel, strengthening of the violas and cellos, teaching the violins how to play softly with a fuller and richer sonority, cleaning up the messy intonation in the cellos, and building up balanced sonorities in which players turn their ears outwards to each other.

A generous, good natured, good humored and supportive audience filled the hall to capacity.

(Joseph Bloom is a concert pianist and teacher, member of the San Domenico School music faculty, formerly on the Rutgers University and Bennington College faculties, and former WXQR classical radio host.)

©1998 Joseph Bloom, all rights reserved