SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL CONCERT REVIEW
 

Schumann, Mahler: Radu Lupu (piano), Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Rengim Gokmen (conductor), Hagia Eirene Museum, Istanbul, 5.6.2010 (AM)

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D Major “Titan”

The millennium and a half old hall that is the Hagia Eirene is home to the majority of concerts that take place during the International Istanbul Music Festival -certainly the highest profile classical music event in the city. The basilica, part of the Topkapi Palace complex is simply magnificent, if a bit too reverberant thanks to its giant one and a half domes and the gigantic enclaves on both sides. The stand-alone banquet chairs that sit the audience under a giant dome adorned with gorgeous frescos, and the romantic music of Schumann and Mahler set to be played by the orchestra under a giant Iconoclastic cross were the only things that seem to be out of place. I felt as if a sage was going to walk in at any moment and deliver a divine experience.

And he arrived in the shape of Radu Lupu. The pianist, with his Brahmsian looks, received an enthusiastic welcome, and began his somewhat understated rendition of the Schumann concerto. The orchestra under Mr. Gokmen set out for an energetic, almost fierce start, but Mr. Lupu’s answer was mellifluous. The oboe and the woodwinds began the main theme somewhere in the middle but when they handed the subject over to the piano, Mr. Lupu’s stance was unchanged. Thus, the tone for the rest of the movement was decided. His hands rarely moved higher than a few inches off the keys and he played mostly by the fingertips. But even within the very limited dynamic range he established for himself, Radu Lupu was able to show the many facades of mood called by the Schumann concerto –even if in a miniature scale. The reappearance of the theme in major was only covertly joyous, and whenever Mr. Lupu played against the oboe he reinforced the melancholy. The spaciousness of the hall was a hindrance against the rising and falling of Schumann’s music on a bigger scale. In the sections where the orchestra is expected to cordially accompany the piano by means of chords alone, the piano was unfortunately drowned, and thus the contrasts were kept hidden under a thick veil of reverb.

The second movement showed Mr. Lupu in his most poetic. The conductor played his orchestra to suit the lushness of the pianist’s sound, often taking cue from him. The Allegro vivace showcased further agreement between the two forces. The strings section kept a restrained posture whenever Radu Lupu played, and at other times demonstrated a well-balanced cumulative sound. The concerto ended in its usual formal shape, and despite numerous and hearty appeals from the audience Mr. Lupu did not do an encore. Overall, we witnessed a finely tuned collaboration in which Mr. Gokmen graciously allowed Radu Lupu to set the pace both rhythmically and dynamically.

The second, longer half of the evening was dedicated to Mahler’s First Symphony in D Major. That’s where we saw Rengim Gokmen take control of his sizeable orchestra. More precisely, it was with the beginning of ‘Kraftig bewegt’ that the ISSO members started to show courage to overcome the coyness that characterized their first movement.

The first movement carried a general air of tragedy carried over from the drone the beginning. When the festive themes began to arrive, the woodwinds failed to take the central stage. Instead they bowed to the strings section which preceded the broad sombre tone that the orchestra opted for. As I stated above, the Eirene hall has a deep reverberation which may be the cause of the strings –closer to the edge of the stage to mash other parts of the orchestra. I failed to notice the cuckoo-call, that one bit of sound that could break through the heaviness of the movement. Mr. Gokmen frequently called the outer sections to join in the action, but they seemed to vacillate.

The second movement was where everything began to get much much better. From the opening rhythmic material, the woodwinds and strings were much more in agreement. The dance elements were felt throughout, thanks to the conductor’s timely cues. The music here had forward momentum –perhaps preparing us for the canon ahead.

“Feierlich und gemessen” is a mix between a funeral march realized by the ‘minorization of Frere Jacques and some simple cafe music played by a seemingly small band. Mr. Gokmen carefully timed each evocation of the Frere theme for maximum emotional impact. He prepared the trio so that it wouldn’t be completely distinguishable from the march. And when the time came for all the materials to build on one another, the orchestra sounded full and in almost perfect synchronicity.

The final movement was also a resounding success. Right from the start, each section of the orchestra announced itself subsequently. By the time the intro was over, the hall was overtaken by an immense urgency. The movement is a constant struggle between defeat and triumph. The ISSO, under Mr. Gokmen’s baton kept the audience under constant ambiguity. Except for a somewhat tiny sounding brass section (I would welcome the hall taking the blame here once again) there was nothing to complain about throughout the lengthy finale. The lyrical section featured a remarkably lucid strings section. The thematic relationships with the first movement were particularly emphasized, and the chaotic D Major coda where the symphony reaches its climax was skilfully realized with the virtuosic elements not held back and presented in full force.

ISSO well deserved the prolonged applause that immediately followed the finishing thumps of the symphony. Overall, Radu Lupu’s Schumann was a pleasure to listen to, but Rengim Gokmen’s Mahler was the true highlight of the evening.

Alain Matalon