Program
Overture to Macbeth by Verdi (1813-1901).
Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major by Shostakovich (1906-1975).
Overture to Lohengrin by Wagner (1813-1883).
Symphony No. 6 in E minor op. 74 Pathetique by Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).
Vogel and Wellber after the performance of the Shostakovich Cello Concerto.
We are stopping for a couple of days in Dresden during our trip in Europe, and thus able to attend this concert. The pieces are familiar to various extent, and this would be my first encounter with all the performers (I thought, wrongly, that I had heard Vogler before).
While one could point out miscues here and there - one violinist clearly jumped the gun at one point - this was overall a very enjoyable concert.
For the two overtures, both reflecting the less well-known styles of the respective composers, the orchestra did an excellent job of bringing out the nuances of the pieces. "Ethereal" is a term that comes to mind, for both pieces. Having seen Lohengrin at the Met recently, I can still imagine the projection of the moon in the background as the rather long overture was played.
This was the third time I heard the Shostakovich cello concerto, and unfortunately I have to rank it number three. While I can't recall the specifics, Alisa Weilerstein's rendition brought with it an excitement that could not be matched with subsequent performances I heard live. Vogler's cello sounded quite weak in comparison to the orchestra, that was especially evident when the horn was playing a duet (the orchestra sometimes chimed in). Either the cello should be louder, or the horn softer. Similar passages with other instruments were better balanced. I also also noticed in the Cadenza there was a lot of harmonics, and Vogler managed to do substantial vibrato. That would be quite impossible with a violin. So, I am at least learning some new things about the piece each time I listen to it.
Jan Vogler's name sounded very familiar, but I couldn't find any reference to him in this blog. I later found out he has been the director of the Dresden Music Festival for several years.
To be clear, this was still an enjoyable, and impressive, performance. Despite being too loud, the horn's duet with the cello was charming; and the horn got to play many solo passages. It's shortcomings are only evident when pitted against other performances I have heard. Interestingly, for me Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique gets more enjoyable each time, the latest I heard was New Jersey Symphony in late April this year.
Vogler played a Bach solo that really brought out how a simple sounding piece can have so many aspects to it. And, who needs a Bach Festival to hear Bach performed.
The Pathetique was the last piece Tchaikovsky premiered. He died within a couple of weeks of conducting that concert. I imagine (and I am sure I have heard) there are interpretations that leave the audience less despondent after listening to them, but I prefer those that leave them without much hope. Today's was that kind of performance. The mood changes are so many, some of the passages are so fast, that there are inevitable miscues and problems with imprecision. Today's was no exception, but forgivable in light of the overall effect, and perhaps inevitable to the listener who doesn't know the music well.
The Tchaikovsky piece didn't start auspiciously. Not a problem with the orchestra, but with stage lighting which cut in and out several times. Indeed the orchestra restarted after the first "incident." The problem continued for a while, but to the orchestra's credit that was probably the last thing on anyone's mind after they finished.
After the Tchaikovsky. Our seats were in the first row in the balcony, but we had to strain somewhat to see past the railing in front of us.
The harpist came out (standing behind the harp on the left) for the encore. The harp was critical to the Intermezzo by Macagni, and it sounded beautiful.
As encore we heard the Intermezzo from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. Anne said she could imagine the woman walking up the steps of the church as the music wistfully played on.
Reading up on Wellber's biography, it seems he is an up and coming young conductor; or perhaps he's there already, just not a household name in America yet. Born, trained, and started his career in Israel, he has been active in many concert halls and opera houses around the world. His latest appointment was as music director of Volkoper Wien. He conducted with a great deal of energy, and the orchestra responded well. Sometimes I did feel his exuberance may lead to some miscues with an orchestra that's not very familiar with his style.
Kulturpalast is a few minute walk from the hotel we are staying at, so we were back in our room 10 minutes after it concluded. The McDonald's burgers we had as snack would have to tide us over the evening. (We did buy a piece of pastry.)
Some shots from inside the Kulturpalast, first completed in 1969, although renovated multiple times since. There is a very utilitarian feel to it. This is the lobby/ground level.
One floor up. A small cafe is located here, mostly blocked from view in this photo.
Part of the mural on the wall (upper left corner of previous photo). Evidently the tribute to the proletariat survived all the changes that have happened.
This is the home to Dresden Philharmonic. Seats a little over 2400 people. The organ was installed in 2019.
View from the venue. Much construction is going on around the city.
I walked by the Kulturpalast the next day and took this picture. It's difficult to get a full view of the front of the building.
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