David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center. Orchestra (Seat AA112, $62.50).
Program
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 (1874-75/1888) by Grieg
(1843-1907).
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 (1868-95) by Grieg.
Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88 (1889) by Dvorak
(1841-1904).
For the record, Peer Gynt, per the quote of Henrik Ibsen
in the Playbill, “was a real person who lived in the Gudbrandsal, probably
around the end of the last century or this one … not much more is known … haven’t
had much on which to base my poem …”
With that he wrote a “meandering tale about an anti-hero … ‘ with no
ruling passion … who turns out finally to have neither center nor self.’” Even more interesting is the music Grieg
wrote for the play, from which four movements were extracted to become Suite
No. 1 (Morning Mood, Ase’s Death, Anitra’s Dance, and In the Hall of the
Mountain King.) [The Playbill has additional
information about the poem and the music.]
My first reaction in listening to the music was that the
New York Philharmonic sound could be velvety and sweet, despite a recent review
in the New York Times. The music was
enjoyable to begin with, and in the hands of a great conductor and musicians of
a great orchestra, it sounded downright delightful.
Applause at the end of Peer Gynt Suite No. 1.
Grieg’s piano concerto is difficult technically, no doubt,
but there is no shortage of pianists that can deliver the brilliance required
from the opening flourish to the last A major chord. However, I have heard few performances that
could string together these brilliant episodes into a coherent and compelling
story. Tonight’s performance was one of
those. There was no instance where I
just wanted to music to move on to the next ‘highlight.’
Thibaudet shaking hands with Staples at conclusion of Grieg's Piano Concerto.
As with Grieg’s piano concerto, my enjoyment of Dvorak’s 8th
runs hot and cold. Today we got one of
these hot ones where every moment was to be relished. Staples had a solo line that came through
beautifully (although I would have preferred a stronger sound.)
One minor quibble I have would be how he seemed to
emphasize individual lines and exaggerated the dynamics and tempo changes. A matter of taste, no doubt.
When I first saw Blomstedt as a conductor (first blog
entry 2012), he was old. He is now 91 years
old (Playbill under-reports by one year.)
Other than a slight slump in his posture, he conducted with as much
energy as he did the last time I saw him.
His bio entry in the Playbill starts with “Noble, charming, sober,
modest …” Not bragging if it’s true, I
guess – although I would say “modest” probably doesn’t belong on that list.
The New York Times review is full of praise.
We took the train in, and had a light snack at Wasabi’s
at Penn Station before taking the 10:20 pm train back, where we met Chung Shu
returning from a Carnegie Hall concert.
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