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Murail, Mozart, Messiaen and Debussy: Olli Mustonen (piano), Ludovic Morlot (conductor), New York Philharmonic, Avery Fisher Hall, New York City, 10.1.2009 (BH)

Tristan Murail: Gondwana (1980) (U.S. Premiere)

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 11 in F Major, K. 413 (1782-83)

Messiaen: Oiseaux exotiques (1955-56)

Debussy: La Mer (1905)

My educated guess is that the New York Philharmonic's stunning performance of Tristan Murail's Gondwana, brilliantly conducted by Ludovic Morlot, marks the first time the orchestra has ever done a spectral piece—or for that matter, any work involving microtonality.  Murail, who currently teaches at Columbia University, is one of the leading practitioners of spectralism, a compositional style in which a note's waveform is analyzed by computer and broken down into its component parts.  From these dissections, a composer develops complex, microtonal chords—fascinating tools that can make equally compelling music.

In Gondwana (referring to the super-continent in the Southern hemisphere, some 500 million years ago) Murail begins with the sounds of a bell and a trombone, extracting their essences that then pour out onto a canvas for large orchestra.  A single chord opens, then slowly evolves into a series of trills, which then lead to enormous paragraphs of sound, always slowly evolving.  It is the sonic equivalent of massive shifts of tectonic plates, to which Murail refers in his title.  The hypnotic effect was helped by some spectacular playing from the orchestra, especially the strings, to create Murail's massive tapestry.  I must say that this was one of the most beautiful works I've heard the Philharmonic tackle in years, and if there is any justice they will do others like it—or program Gondwana again, since the single largest obstacle to getting to know unfamiliar works is infrequent performances (e.g., one).  Gondwana deserves a spot in the orchestra's rotation, and if I had not been already committed to other concerts I would have returned for a second hearing.

In Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 11, soloist Olli Mustonen made a curious impression, first by using music—not that it's a crime, of course, but I was surprised that he didn't perform the piece from memory.  His technique, however, will definitely divide audiences.  Even more than Lang Lang, Mustonen opts for some body language that may or may not endear.  His hands seem to operate more vertically than horizontally; rather than traversing the keyboard, he raises his arms high above, and then swoops down like a hawk to attack the notes.  Now personally I am open to whatever technique an artist chooses, as long as he gets results, but to my ears on this occasion, I was hearing too many errors.  Much more successful was the Messiaen Oiseaux exotiques after intermission, in which the pianist's dive-bombing made a crisp foreground to play against the Philharmonic's chamber-sized contingent of brass, winds and percussion.  Mustonen's attacks, almost stinging, gave the piano a more prominent role in the mix.  In a year of fine Messiaen performances to mark his centenary, the Philharmonic should be very proud of this one.

The concert ended with a rapt reading of Debussy's ever-popular La Mer, and despite the fact that I have heard this work live at least three times in the last nine months, Morlot knew how to make its textures sound revolutionary.  (And I often think that spectral composers like Murail are Debussy's spiritual successors.)  With carefully monitored tempi, helped by some ravishing playing from the musicians, Debussy's oceanic bliss surged through the hall.

Bruce Hodges

Carla Rees heard the same program on a previous night, and her review is here.

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