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SYMPHONY REVIEW
Not Quite Ecstacy April 27, 2002
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By J.M. Bailey
Of course the San Francisco Symphony played really
well, and of course David Robertson conducted with
energy and passion and a true sense of the impulsive
rhythmic forces at work in the piece. So why did this
performance of Messiaen's monumental Turangalîla
Symphony seem excellent, but not
ecstatic? It came across as just a little
matter-of-fact and the central issue was the dynamic
range, which ran from mezzopiano-ish (moderately soft) to
really very loud indeed. So whereas the
overwhelming passages in the work were very intense,
it lacked those moments of transcendental stillness
and quietness which combine with the more extrovert
sections to make this symphony potentially a great
work, rather than just a very good one.
The superb playing of pianist Roger Muraro in his
San Francisco Symphony debut did provide
moments of reflection. He seemed to play right into
the piano, drawing from it an extraordinary range of
colors and expression. The piano part is
extremely demanding technically, yet Muraro never played with less
than high musicianship and sensitivity.
The highlight of the performance was the fifth
movement "The Joy of the Blood of the Stars." This was
performed with true joie de vivre, which certainly
captured the Dionysian feel of the music. The sixth
movement "Garden of Love's Sleep" featured a
hushed tone in the strings, although it tended to be
rich rather than haunting, and the movement as a
whole seemed a little measured rather than timeless.
The rousing rendition of the finale, which has a
similar character to that of movement five, was very
convincing and gave the performance the lift it needed
after so much demanding music.
All of the orchestra played this difficult work well, but special mention must be made of the large percussion section responsible for many of the striking moments in the performance. They played with power where needed, but also with great subtlety. Most of the movements of the symphony end with some gesture from the percussion section, and they were all carried off to excellent effect. Some technical difficulties with the Ondes Martenot provided a moment of light relief, as Robertson, who seemed totally unfazed by the mishap, gave a witty explanation of the nature of the problem and the situation which resulted while a replacement was installed. Cynthia Millar, who performed on the instrument in her San Francisco Symphony debut, played with evident sensitivity, but unfortunately as with most performances of Turangalîla, the Ondes Martenot could be heard only in the quiet solo passages. Good program notes by Thomas May and Ronald Gallman rendered unnecessary Robertson's affable, if slightly patronizing, spoken introduction at the program's start. He did make an interesting point, that the performance occurred "ten years from Messiaen's death, almost to the hour." The audience was stirred to energetic, prolonged response to the Messiaen, the conductor, soloists and the featured sections of the orchestra. (J.M. Bailey has studied and taught music in the Universites of Western Australia and Oxford, and is currently in the States pursuing further studies in music performance.) ©2002 J.M. Bailey, all rights reserved |
