Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Orchestra (Seat DD104, $63.50).
All Dvorak (1841-1904) Program
Slavonic Dances, Op. 72 (1886-87) Nos. 2 and 1
Piano Concerto in G minor (1876)
Legend No. 6 (1881)
Symphony No. 8 in G major (1889)
If I remember correctly, these tickets were bought during
last year’s Thanksgiving sale.
Meanwhile, our church scheduled a Benefits Concert that Anne had to help
organize, so she couldn’t come. CS
agreed to come and offered to do the driving.
The program, a combination of the “popular” and the “intellectual,”
largely lived up to its promise. I think
it is a great tribute to Fischer and the musicians that an orchestra that
started 30 or so years ago now enjoys the reputation it does.
Each of the halves begins with a short lyrical piece that
is typically Dvorak. The Slavonic dances
(No. 2. Starodavny; No. 1. Odzernek) are quite popular and pleasant. Legend is much softer and simpler-sounding
than the dances, but equally pleasant.
All three were initially written as four-hand piano pieces and
orchestrated by Dvorak later.
Dvorak’s piano concerto is seldom played. Actually CS’s reaction when I told him about
the program was “I didn’t know Dvorak had a piano concerto.” And his daughter has a doctoral degree in
piano performance from Julliard! One
thing about virtuoso techniques that I don’t quite understand is what used to
be considered unplayable pieces are now routinely performed. Many violin concertos fall into that category:
Tchaikovsky and Brahms are examples. It
is not like sports where modern techniques can be used to improve posture and
nutrition (maybe it is but is kept a secret?)
Not being a pianist, this concerto didn’t look all that different from
other difficult ones I have seen performed.
In any case, Ohlsson made it look quite easy.
What was unexpected was the piece didn’t seem to want to
go anywhere. Much of it felt
fragmentary, incidental, and seemed only to loiter about. It was like Dvorak was putting together his
individual ideas but failed to make a comprehensive statement out of them. To the reader who thinks I am nit-picking
again, I say this: the sentiments are that of Brahms’ as quoted in the Playbill
(slightly edited). Indeed individual
passages or sections sounded quite good, but I couldn’t quite anticipate, nor
could I understand, where the music was going next.
Ohlsson played an encore.
I am sure it was a Brahms Intermezzo.
CS was duly impressed when I told him that. The reason I know is because this was music I
happened to study when I was in high school.
Hearing it played well and looking at it as a music score are rather
different experiences.
I remember being unpleasantly surprised when I heard
Dvorak’s Eighth recently. I didn’t
remember which orchestra played it, so I told CS it might have been the New
York Philharmonic. In any case, today’s
experience was completely different. The
symphony was as enjoyable as any other Dvorak composition I have heard (well,
there is the New World Symphony, and the string serenade.) I think Fischer just told a better story. And – drum roll – I actually had so-so
encounters of this symphony played by the NJSO and the NY Phil.
It was overall a good experience. Interestingly I just got the Great Performers
tickets I bought for the following season, and I noticed that one of them is
Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra.
I feel ambivalent about it, so I probably should temper my assessment
somewhat.
We left Middletown at about 1 pm, hoping to catch lunch
in Manhattan. A bus breakdown right at
Exit 16E caused such a delay that I only had time to gulp down a sandwich
bought at Avery Fisher Hall. The return
trip was quite smooth by comparison, even though there was congestion getting
to Lincoln Tunnel.
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