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Ravel, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Mussorgsky: Martha Argerich (piano), Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit (conductor), Carnegie Hall, New York City, 7.10.2008 (BH)

Ravel: Valses noblese et sentimentales (1911)
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat Major, Op. 10 (1911)
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 35 (1933)
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (1874; orch. Maurice Ravel, 1922)


Any time pianist Martha Argerich is in the house there seems to be an extra-special buzz—such is the aura she has created.  This program with Charles Dutoit and the Philadelphia Orchestra seemed generous with not one, but two piano concertos, the first each of Prokofiev and Shostakovich.  In the former, Dutoit began with a moderate tempo for the initial tutti, but when the orchestra dropped out, Argerich dashed off madly, with each of Prokofiev's phrases hanging in the air like smoke trails.  But that said, despite the speed, one of Argerich's trademarks is a ringing articulation: the piano line was clearly audible in the dense orchestral fabric at the end of the first movement.

The brief Andante assai was passionate, with the orchestra sounding magnificent, but then the Allegro scherzando had me wondering, How can a human being play that fast?  Prokofiev wrote his demanding showpiece for himself, and it would be hard to imagine the composer's fingers matching Argerich's jaw-dropping fleetness.  She returned after intermission with the first of Shostakovich, with moods ranging from high-spirited to philosophical, showing anguish and strength.  The orchestration includes a sunny role for trumpet—here, the superb David Bilger.  Fully earning the six curtain calls she would receive, Argerich captured all the wit of this early exercise, and the final Presto made me laugh out loud.  As the line grew ever faster, Argerich sped up like a train on the verge of derailment, with Dutoit and the musicians desperately hurling their luggage into the back of the last car.

Every listener should hear Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition now and then despite its ubiquity, to marvel at Ravel's orchestration, and here the Philadelphia players showed impressive color and control, ending with a knockout punch in "The Great Gate at Kiev."  And despite the orchestra's rancor over Christoph Eschenbach, and Dutoit's very public disagreement with his Montréal ensemble, all of that faded into the background, and I felt as if I were hearing the Philadelphia Orchestra of yore, that ensemble of silken, sumptuous tone.  Brass were splendid, from the luscious saxophone solo in "Gnomus" to the tuba in "Bydlo" and the sputtering trumpet in "Samuel Goldenberg and 'Schmuyle'."  At least on this hearing, the Dutoit-Philadelphia partnership shows promise.

The opener was a lithe account of Ravel's Valses noblese et sentimentales, its eight short sections showing each level of the orchestra's luxurious strata.  Dutoit took care to highlight the penultimate "Moins vif," a fraternal twin of La Valse, ending with a whisper-quiet fadeout, gratefully uninterrupted by the audience. 

Bruce Hodges


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