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SYMPHONY REVIEW
Pleasurable Music Lacks Something
June 22, 2001
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By Mack McCray
What does a world-class ensemble sound like on an off night? Having been present at the second of the Symphony's Mozart Festival concerts Friday night, I have at least one answer to this question: It still sounds better than most mortal bands, but, to my intense frustration, not as fine as it should sound, given the amount of talent and years of experience gathered on the Davies Hall stage. And having come to hear some of Mozart's greatest works, including the symphonies No. 35, K. 385, and No. 39, K. 543, and three arias, including the wonderful concert aria "Ch'io mi scordi di te?," K. 505, I was downright perplexed.
The Symphony, under the suave, economical direction of Sir Neville Marriner, was hailed with warm enthusiasm by the near-capacity audience. And, to be sure, there were moments of wonderful playing, including the marvelous bassoons and discreet brass, indeed every wind section. But all night there seemed to be a persistent disagreement over the precise point of Marriner's downbeat. Whether this was due to lack of rehearsal time or to failure of communication was not clear, but many attacks were fuzzy, to say the least. Intricate, sparkling ensemble passages did tend to end together, due to the quick ears of professional players, but only after harrowing moments in which the quick notes seemed to stray and lack centrifugal force. At times Marriner's baton might have been a bit too suave and sparing.
Even graver shortcomings were the lack of a genuinely beautiful string tone and the shortage of well-crafted string nuances, despite the expected fine leadership of concertmaster Nadya Tichman. Perhaps the problem stemmed from the rather large string sections employed, or perhaps there is a fundamental lack of unifying philosophy about string sound. The experience was like hearing a recital by pianist Alfred Brendel, where I would expect to hear high quality, superbly intelligent and solid music-making oddly devoid of a plush piano sound or highly personal inflections. (Of course, Brendel's hands would usually be together on the attacks.)
There were moments of great excitement in the outer movements of Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385, "Haffner." And though the Menuetto was not memorable, the second movement Andante was quite affecting. Actually, the strings came closest to achieving real tonal beauty and something akin to elegant nuance in the slow movements of both symphonies. The group of arias before intermission brought joy to everyone in the house. Frederica von Stade was greeted as an old friend by the audience, and her infectious good humor and poignant, thoughtful musicality were irresistible. Her voice was velvet, from the bottom almost to the top, and we could rejoice in the clear diction, the wide range of color and emotion, and the sheer intelligence evident in every phrase. Before "Ch'io mi scordi di te?," pianist Emanuel Ax casually walked on stage with the orchestra players, unrecognized, and sat at a piano buried in the string sections. This made the sudden dramatic emergence of the formidable piano part all the more remarkable. Precision was not the name of this game, but it hardly mattered: Passion, color, and sonorous glory simply radiated from the stage.
The second aria, "Parto, parto," from La Clemenza di Tito, K. 621, featured a beautiful, well-nigh perfect duet with principal clarinetist David Breeden. Throughout this portion of the concert, the orchestra was supple and quietly supportive, alertly steered by Marriner. The final aria, "Deh, per questo istante solo," also from La Clemenza di Tito, was a first performance for the Symphony, and a very welcome addition indeed. Both of the Tito arias, cavatina-like reworkings by Mozart of Gluck's French opera aria style, begin with slow recitativos progressing to fast concluding sections. In "Deh, per questo," the pleading slow introduction included an astonishing chromatic passage for violins followed by a sudden blaze of unexpected C major, ending with a fine passionate allegro in A major. The concluding Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543, was magnificent and exciting, as always, in spite of minor performance problems. The opening allegro presages Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony with its big swinging triple rhythm that sneaks in softly and then erupts with a grand statement. Mozart, like Schubert, was so rich in musical ideas that he could afford to throw them away, using them as transitional devices, closing themes, or passing fancies that we'll never hear again in the work. The brief closing material of the symphony's Andante con moto is a moment of such breathtaking beauty that we wish it would stay forever. But it passes instantly, and the Symphony made the most of this fleeting glory. All in all the evening was a mixture, mostly of pleasure at hearing some of our finest and most committed musicians playing Mozart's music, but also of puzzlement that such a powerful gathering didn't produce greater results, more beautiful treasures. (Mack McCray is a concert pianist and a member of the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.) ©2001 Mack McCray, all rights reserved |
