David Geffen
Hall at Lincoln Center. Orchestra (Seat
D8, $50).
Pre-Concert
Recital
Frauenliebe und
-leben, Op. 42 (1840) by Schumann (1810-1856).
Susanna
Phillips, soprano; Louis Langree, piano.
Program
Variations on a
Theme by R. Schumann for piano solo (1854) by Brahms (1833-1897).
Piano Concerto
in A minor (1841-45) by Schumann.
Symphony No. 1
in C minor (1862-76) by Brahms.
The attendance
for the pre-concert event was good, although not as good as the one at the last
concert we attended. And those that
chose not to make it missed a good one.
First, I admit I
am not one into art songs, so I usually just acknowledge them and go to the
next piece. And I also complain about
the acoustics for voices against orchestras in this auditorium. Perhaps due to the (particularly)
weak-sounding piano, Susanna Phillip’s voice carried very well, from beginning
to end of this 20-minute program. She
sang clearly, with the right mix of emotions, and told the story well. One thing I am not sure about is how good her
German is, I am quite sure she got the pronunciation of many words wrong. Evidently Langree is a competent pianist (few
conductors start out in life as one), although he could have pounded the keys a
bit harder, in my opinion.
Schumann took
all of two days to set eight of Adalbert von Chamisso’s poems into music after
he learned all the legal challenges put up by Clara Wieck’s father were
resolved. “A Woman’s Love and Live”
traces the narrator’s adult life of courtship, pregnancy, motherhood, and death
of her husband. The poems are: (i) Seit
ich ihn gesehen (Since Seeing Him); (ii) Er, der Herrlichste von allen (He, the
Most Wonderful of All); (iii) Ich kann’s nicht fassen, nicht glauben (I Cannot
Grasp It, Believe It); (iv) Du Ring an meinem Finger (Ring on My Finger); (v)
Helft mir, ihr Schwestern (Help Me, Sisters); (vi) Susser Freund, du blickest
(Sweet Friend, You Look); (vii) An meinem Herzen, an meiner Brust (At My Heart,
at My Breast); and (viii) Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan (Now Have
You Caused Me My First Pain). I found it
a bit curious that the commentator saw the need to rationalize some of the
non-gender-equal tone in the lyrics to accommodate the sensitivities of today’s
audience.
Susanna Phillips, with Louis Langree looking on, after she sang the Schumann songs.
As noted both by
Gerstein and Langree, the main program also threw Brahms and his relationship
with the Schumann’s into the mix.
The variations
were written by Brahms in 1854, a year of great difficult for Robert (he was
already in an asylum) and Clara (pregnant with their seventh child); and Brahms
was developing an infatuation for Clara, to boot. A year earlier, Clara showed Brahms a set of
variations she wrote based on a subject written by Robert. Brahms then composed these variation with the
inscription “Short variations on a theme by Him, dedicated to Her.” By the time the music was published, it was
certainly not short (lasting close to 20 minutes). I don’t remember ever hearing it before, but
it was quite enjoyable, and I am sure the enjoyment will increase as I get to
know the music and its structure. The
Clara variations will be performed at another Mostly Mozart event.
The Schumann
piano concerto was clearly a piece written for the virtuoso, and Gerstein
delivered. Our seats were on the right
front part of the orchestra, so we saw mostly his face as he was playing, but
the piano sound came through clearly.
For encore,
Gerstein played the slow movement of a piano sonata composed by Clara but
orchestrated by Robert . The cello was
the only instrument (exception for the last part where the timpani was added)
used and Gerstein described it as a love duet between Clara and Robert.
Brahms’s first
symphony took a mere 22 years, if one counts as the starting point Brahms’s
first sketches for the work. Much has
been said about how this work was in the tradition of Beethoven’s Symphonies –
including Brahms’s own remark “any ass can see that.” I can certainly get that similarity, but do
not have enough understanding of Beethoven’s symphonies to called this the “tenth.” Except for the theme of the last movement, I
was mostly unfamiliar with this work.
Our seats so
close to the stage reminded me of some of the shortcomings of the
orchestra. Today it was hearing the
individual string players “too clearly.” The orchestra roster has a few impressive
names: Cobb is NY Phil’s principal bass, Rhoten is the principal timpanist,
Finkelshteyn is the principal cello of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Kirill Gerstein after the Schumann Piano Concerto.
Perhaps this is
the summer season, or perhaps of my lower expectations, I really enjoyed this
concert, not losing patience like I did with the last concert.
We had a simple
dinner at Europan.
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