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The New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall (II): Jean-Yves Thibaudet (piano), Lorin Maazel (conductor), New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, New York City, 18.2.2009 (BH)

Barber: Overture to The School for Scandal, Op. 5 (1931)
Gershwin: Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra (1925)
Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps (1911-1913)


Jean-Yves Thibaudet has been touring with Lorin Maazel and the New York Philharmonic, playing Gershwin's jazzy Concerto in F over and over, which must at least partially explain this utterly suave reading, brimming with confidence, that brought this Carnegie Hall audience to its feet before intermission.  Thibaudet's precision and articulation were so on the money that there was scattered spontaneous applause after the first movement.  He was also effective in the melodic second, as juicy as anything by Rachmaninov, with Maazel and the orchestra as sensitive partners. 

In the final movement some of the previous themes converge, and here Thibaudet showed his bent for the ultra-stylish, matched by lyricism from the Philharmonic crew.  As Thibaudet roared into the home stretch he had the audience completely in his corner, and as the ovations began, he touchingly stood up and kissed concertmaster Sheryl Staples's hand.  She seemed delightfully nonplussed.

The opener was Barber's Overture to the School for Scandal, written when the composer was a frisky 21 years old.  Now and then this piece seems ubiquitous, but not here, where it popped with total freshness.  Maazel chose not to use a score and fairly hopped around the podium—shades of Bernstein!  The orchestra sounded absolutely terrific, fizzy and reminding us all why this score is one of the composer's most admired.

The second half was devoted to Stravinsky's Le sacre du printemps, with Maazel eliciting a crystal-clear opening from bassoonist Judith LeClair, the orchestra following with rivers of sound.  Here savagery took a back seat to luxurious color, with excellent attacks although rhythmic precision may not always have been in the forefront.  Still, one could imagine steam and fog, or sheets of corrugated steel ripped off and hurled into the air.  At the beginning of the second part, I don't think I've ever heard the muted trumpet figures executed so softly, so precisely, and Maazel dusted off many other details, helped by immaculate playing.  Yes, there were a few "Maazel-isms," including the somewhat ponderous final few measures, given in inexplicable x-ray treatment.  Nevertheless, the audience loved it, and afterward Maazel gestured to his smiling bassoon principal, Ms. Clair, who stood up to receive the first well-deserved roar.

Bruce Hodges


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