New York Philharmonic – Sir Colin Davis, Conductor; Soile Isokoski, Soprano; Mitsuko Uchida, Piano. May 6, 2006.

Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, Second Tier, Seat AA109.

Program
Overture to La clemenza di Tito, K. 621 (1791) by Mozart (1756-91).
“Ch’io mi scordi di te? … Non temer, amato bene,” Scene and Rondo, K. 505 (1786) by Mozart.
Piano Concerto in D major, “Coronation,” K.537 (1788) by Mozart.
Luonnotar, Op. 70 (1913) by Sibelius (1865-1957).
Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 52 (1904-07) by Sibelius.

Tonight’s concert certainly had a few big names. Colin Davis is a well-known British conductor who has been around forever. Mitsuko Uchida is always a dependable concert pianist. This is the first time I encounter the Finnish soprano Soile Isokoski.

Mozart’s opera La clemenza di Tito tells of the story of the first century Roman Emperor Tito and was written to commemorate the coronation of Leopold II as King of Bohemia. It was written in September, 1791, during that time Mozart was also working on his Requiem and The Magic Flute. Mozart’s fortunes seemed to be turning around, but tragically he died in December, 1791. The overture was very Mozartian and enjoyable, with good dynamics, although the piece was played a bit too softly.

“You ask me to forget you? … Fear nothing, my beloved.” is about 10 minutes in duration. The ensemble consists of a reduced size orchestra, a soprano, and a pianist. It is interesting and shows good balance. Isokoski has good volume, projects well, but didn’t show a lot of dynamic range.

Uchida put on a different top for the piano concerto (maybe she dressed in layers and just shed one of them). It should be noted this Concerto was written for a different coronation of Leopold II (this time as Holy Roman Emperor). After a rather lengthy introduction (Allegro), the piano played the first theme which in typical Mozartian fashion contained many repeated notes. Uchida uses minimal pedaling to produce a crisp sound that is most enjoyable. The dynamic range was a bit too narrow, though. After the first movement, Davis held the orchestra so the coughing could subside. The clapping started by some in the audience was cut off by Uchida’s raised hand. The second movement (Larghetto) began with a rather familiar motif which was answered by the orchestra. The third movement (Allegretto) also contained some familiar tunes. This was a satisfying performance of a Mozart concerto with a degree of clarity and crispness that is refreshing.

The dark mood of the second half of the program is a strong contrast to that of the first half. A frequent listener of Sibelius might guess that the conductor eventually committed suicide during one of these dark Finnish winter days. In actuality, he stopped writing music when he was 62 and lived for another 30 or so years.

Luonnotar is adapted from the Finnish mythology Kalevala, and is about 8 minutes long. Thus it was a bit surprising that the Finnish singer would need her music for this piece (she didn’t need it earlier). The story is a bit complicated but tells of the creation of the cosmos. The harps (2 of them) and timpani (2 sets) evoke the images of the ocean and the waves. The broken phrases sung by the soprano underscore the feeling of despair. It is also interesting that the singer is the narrator rather than the subject. Isokoski’s voice was impressive, even against the full orchestra. I actually thought she was a bit too loud at times.

Both the orchestration and form of Sibelius’s third symphony are quite traditional. The only percussion instrument is the timpani. The first movement (Allegro moderato) started with the low strings and contained some nice melodies. The second movement (Andantino con moto, quasi allegretto) had a pleasant beginning contrasting nicely with the dark first movement. An interlude by woodwind and low strings seems to be on a different tempo and produced an unsettling effect. The motif was repeated multiple times in different sections of the orchestra. Even though the orchestra launched into the third movement (Moderato – Allegro man non tanto) with enthusiasm, it was doomed by the coughing in the audience. Nonetheless, the dramatic movement left no doubt that this is 20^th century music.

This is the first time I saw Colin Davis; Anne had seen her in Hong Kong decades ago. He conducts with energy, and seemed to manage the rather long concert with ease. Unfortunately, the nature of tonight’s piece was such that I couldn’t form an opinion of how well a job he did.

The Lincoln Center Plaza had a huge crowd lining up to see the magician David Blaine inside a fish bowl, attempting to break some kind of world record. He eventually failed after holding his breath for about seven minutes at the end of his seven-day soak in the bowl.

See also the New York Times review of the concert.