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SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL CONCERT REVIEW
Tchaikovsky, Kirchner and
Schumann:
Maurizio Pollini (piano), James Levine (conductor), Boston Symphony
Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, New York City, 20.10.2008 (BH)
Tchaikovsky:
Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74, "Pathetique" (1893)
Kirchner:
The Forbidden (2003/2008; New York Premiere)
Schumann:
Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 (1841/1845)
What kind of a conductor begins a concert with the
Tchaikovsky "Pathetique" Symphony, normally saved as a climactic,
crowd-pleasing second half? James Levine never seems to run dry of
creative ideas, and this night at Carnegie Hall with the Boston
Symphony Orchestra was as fascinating a specimen as any. (During
the intermission, friends discussed Levine's 2006 program in Boston:
Beethoven Grosse Fuge and Violin Concerto before
intermission, followed by the Schoenberg Violin Concerto and a
repeat of the Grosse Fuge.)
The Tchaikovsky was simply electrifying, infused from beginning to end with the dramatic instincts of a great opera conductor. The horns—indeed, the entire brass section—helped nail the big moments in the opening movement, and there were many of them. The Allegro con grazia was so infectious that I wouldn't have been surprised to see audience members gently swaying in the aisles, accompanied by the orchestra's rich strings and woodwinds. The Allegro molto vivace was bursting with life, and if the ensemble execution was stretched to its limit with Levine's bolting speeds, the spontaneous applause after was entirely justified. For the final lament Levine coaxed a landscape of exquisite desolation, with the deeply committed orchestra rising in passion all the way through to the end. It was as thrilling a reading as I've ever heard.
But the news of the night was Leon Kirchner's The Forbidden, fresh from its world premiere in Boston a few days earlier. Based on the composer's third piano sonata from 2003, this orchestral version was written to mark the BSO's 125th Anniversary. The score is florid, sensuous, evoking Richard Strauss and Mahler, and probably something of a shock to listeners who categorize all living composers as disinterested in tonality. This one, lushly romantic, almost feels unearthed from the turn of the century, with intensely chromatic waves washing ashore, and ending with a stirring chord in the high strings. The 89-year-old composer, looking quite frail, made his way onstage with the help of an assistant, to take a bow amid increasing cheers from the audience.
The program concluded with Schumann's popular Piano Concerto, with the towering Maurizio Pollini at the helm. From the first note he commanded attention, making the first movement's finger-busting cadenza look easy, and shyly tiptoed into the second movement, the briefest of idylls. The final movement was joyous, beefy yet agile, with his articulation finding an ingratiating backdrop in the orchestra.
On another night, this concert might have stuck to these tacit instructions: A) Open with unfamiliar Kirchner so people won't leave, B) follow with guest soloist in prime spot before intermission, C) end with massive, well-known symphony. Thankfully we have artists like Levine, who ignore that mantra and listen to their own muse.
Bruce Hodges