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SYMPHONY REVIEW
Emanuel Ax Outshines Symphony
June 21, 2001
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By Paul Hersh
The San Francisco's all-Mozart concert "Homage to Prague" on Thursday presented two vividly contrasting approaches to Mozart's music. Emanuel Ax performed the Piano Concerto in E-flat, No. 22, with clarity, deep musical commitment and understanding, unfailing rhythm, and technical mastery. The Symphony, with Neville Mariner conducting, presented the Overture to Don Giovanni and Symphony No. 38, "Prague," in performances that were less than satisfying.
The highly dramatic opening chords of the Overture were surprisingly understated. They lacked the high tension and energy that the score demands. The unfolding of thematic material was loose and disorderly, with no clear sense of the narrative line, and the orchestra seemed underrehearsed. Toward the end of the piece, however, the intensity picked up. As the music reached higher dynamic levels, its pacing and cohesion grew more compelling.
When the orchestra began the extended opening tutti of the Concerto, many of the problems of the Overture were still evident. Those difficulties were most clearly shown by their sharp contrast with the first piano entrance. Ax's playing directed us to the music in a no-nonsense way. His approach to the instrument was extremely focused, both in physical motion and in quality of sound. Notes spoke clearly at all dynamic levels. Ax's intelligent grasp of phrase structure and of the relationship between tension and relaxation in the music held us in rapt attention. Even the extravagant cadenza in the first movement worked.
The principal parts for flute, clarinet, and bassoon were beautifully played, as well, especially their delicate conversation in the second movement. Ax caught the rhythm of the finale with consummate finesse, and the brief, dark episode just before the conclusion was deeply moving. There is little need to mention such details as luminous tone and dazzling passagework, for although present, they all were kept in the service of the whole, freeing us to revel in the music rather than in its execution. The remarkable thing about such playing is just how unremarkable of itself it is, always pointing instead to the score, and just how rare it is. The performance of the "Prague" Symphony was the least satisfying of the evening. Highly unsettling was the almost complete absence of steady rhythm. Phrases were very difficult to follow, seeming to run on without structure. Mariner appeared unable to elicit a clear vision from the players. The Symphony is attempting to set higher and higher standards at its auditions, and the excellence of its individual players is well known. But in great music making, whether solo or ensemble, every musician must be playing as if life itself depended upon it, not with histrionics but through fervent engagement with the piece. Beyond the surface of the notes, the music's real meaning must be revealed through thoughtful shaping, controlled ardor, and directed energy. Such commitment is a sacred trust, and there are musicians in the orchestra who honor it. Unfortunately for the ensemble on the highest level, there are those who don't seem to be exerting themselves to their fullest capabilities. If the music of Mozart isn't a stimulus for this exertion, what is? (Paul Hersh is a pianist and violist and, since 1972, the James D. Robertson Professor of Piano at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.) ©2001 Paul Hersh, all rights reserved |
