New York Philharmonic – Alan Gilbert, conductor; Yefim Bronfman, piano. October 1, 2013.

Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, Orchestra (Seat R111, $68.50).

Program

Alborada del gracioso (Dawn Song of the Jester) (1904-05/orch. 1918) by Ravel (1875-1937).

Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (1961) by Bernstein (1918-90).

Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 (1874-75, 1889) by Tchaikovsky (1840-93).

This was the first concert for the season for which we had tickets.  Anne had to be Washington DC for a meeting (despite the government shut-down), so I went by myself.  The 5:25 pm train got me into town early enough that I managed to exchange some future tickets for which we had schedule conflicts.

The most interesting aspect about the Ravel piece is that it doesn’t sound like Ravel at all.  (I am making the statement with full knowledge that my exposure to Ravel is quite limited.)  As described in the program notes, the piece is very Spanish in character.  Ravel’s link to Spain evidently was through his mother who spent her youth in Madrid.

Regardless, this “song” was originally a movement in Ravel’s Miroirs Suite for the piano, and Diaghilev commissioned the composer to create an orchestral version for a ballet.  The performance showcased New York Philharmonic’s ability to have a wide dynamic range.  As to the interpretation, there is an interesting excerpt in the Program Notes about the piano version: it may be the most difficult piece technically, and Ravel wanted it played tautly and in a lively tempo.  The orchestral version certainly sounded difficult enough, and was played at a respectable pace.  However, it was more along the lines of “caution occasioned by the difficulty of the work.”

West Side Story is variation on the theme of Romeo and Juliet.  Instead of Capulets and Montagues we have rival New York City gangs; at the end only one of the protagonists (Tony) dies while Maria survives.  The musical opened in 1957, and in 1961 Bernstein extracted nine sections to assemble into tonight’s set of Symphonic Dances, including the most popular tunes “Somewhere” and “Maria.”  The sections are: Prologue (Allegro moderato); “Somewhere” (Adagio); Scherzo (Vivace leggiero); Mambo (Presto); Cha-Cha (Andantino con grazia); Meeting Scene (Meno moss); “Cool” Fugue (Allegretto); Rumble (Molto allegro); and Finale (Adagio).  Per the Program Notes, the uninterrupted sequence is derived from a strictly musical rationale; I imagine that also means it is not a synopsis of the plot.

As far as I know, West Side Story is rarely staged, and I have never had the chance to see it live.  I am, however, familiar with the two tunes, and appreciated them.  The piece is 22 minutes in duration, and the phrases “too long,” “too repetitive,” and “too loud” all came to mind.  Speaking of loud: at times I really worried about the harm done to the players (not just our ear-plug wearing violist.)

During the intermission I chatted briefly with the gentleman sitting next to me (he got the seat we returned.)  He was saying Gilbert is a bit too precise for his taste, and thus far I agreed with him.  Actually, I still recall how disappointed I was with the first concert of the last New York Philharmonic season.  And by this time I was worried tonight was going to be a repeat of that evening.

So it was a good thing that Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto was on the menu after the intermission.  It certainly salvaged the overall concert.

A few things I learned from the Program Notes that are worth repeating.  First is that Tchaikovsky wasn’t “much of a pianist” and thus solicited the help of Nikolai Rubinstein on technical matters.  And it shared the same fate as the Violin Concerto (Leopold Auer in that case): Rubinstein pronounced it worthless and unplayable.  Tchaikovsky decided to publish the piece anyway, and premiered it in Boston with Hans von Bulow at an American Chickering piano and an orchestra of freelancers conducted by Benjamin Johnson Lang (described as “long-forgotten”).  He also changed the dedication to von Bulow.  The piece was a sensation.  Rubinstein did come around and led the piece in Moscow in late 1875; and Tchaikovsky also revised the score, twice.

We have heard Bronfman before on many occasions, and admire his skills as a technician and (most of the time) his interpretation as a musician.  Tonight he did well on both counts.

It is always dangerous to perform a familiar piece of music since in the listener’s mind there may be an “idealized” version of how it should be placed.  And indeed there are variations in the tempo of certain measures that I didn’t expect.  In tonight’s case they made the music more interesting.  And familiar doesn’t mean easy, and there are challenging passages in the music (at least for a non-piano player like me.)  Bronfman dispatched those brilliantly.  It was in a way that kept me on the edge of my seat, though – and I kept thinking how Trifonov’s stab at difficult runs did not worry me.  The applause afterwards was thunderous, and well-deserved.

In any case, afterwards my neighbor and I both agreed it was appropriately wild.

Alan Gilbert usually writes a couple of paragraphs on the programs he leads.  He has a lot of praise for Bronfman and expresses how much they enjoy their collaboration.  All good.  He also talks about their warm and natural relationship offstage, sharing a love of good food and wine.  I must say on that he is right on, more so for Bronfman than himself.

This was an overall good evening, although I expected more.

Note added 10/9/2013.  I found out I didn't immediately look for a New York Times review.  And here it is.