NJPAC, Newark, NJ. Orchestra (Seat H101, $46).
At the conclusion of the concert. Notice on the far right the regular principal bass.
Program
NightVision (2001, rev. 2002) by Ludwig (b. 1974).
Piano Concerto No. 24 (1786) in C Minor, K. 491 by Mozart (1756-1791).
Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64 by Tchaikovsky.
It was a nice spring day. The cherry blossoms are in bloom.
The Program Notes contains much praise for the two "classical" pieces for this after (concert start 1:30 pm). And its description of NightVision is quite interesting also. My first thoughts were the concert had the potential of being "great," but would the NJ Symphony be able to deliver?
Ludwig's name is David Serkin Ludwig. He is Peter Serkin's nephew, and Rudolf Serkin's grandson. So quite a musical heritage. He is no slouch either, as he is Dean of Music at Julliard. (The others Deans head up dance and drama.) This 7-minute piece was commissioned and premiered by NJ Symphony in 2001, over 20 years ago. Per the Program Notes, the piece has quasi-minimalist, Coplandesque, Straussian, and Hollywood cinematic elements, but demonstrates Ludwig's eclectic personal musical language. One could argue all that is true.
During the brief on-stage dialog with Zhang, Ludwig joked that he was a Julliard dropout, and he still made it as a dean at the school. He also had the sense of humor to say something is wrong if the interview is longer than the piece itself.
As the piece was his first orchestral composition, I do question if it truly represents his musical language. In any case, having listened to his music for all of seven minutes, I cannot tell what his language is, anyway. The piece did not leave me scratching my head, so that's something.
Zhang and Ludwig had a brief dialog before his piece was performed.
After the performance of NightVision.
Mozart's 24th piano concerto is not that familiar to me, so it took me on a ride in directions that I didn't expect. The Israel-born Borrow put in an excellent performance.
The Program Notes describes the opinion of a musicologist who thinks the C Minor compositions written by Mozart suggest that Mozart was severely depressed during that period. Frankly I have my doubts. Yes, one can convince oneself music in minor keys tends to be sad, introspective, or melancholic, the 24th certainly fits that bill, but to use that (and other pieces, I know) to make such a diagnosis is really stretching it. If one assumes Mozart also wrote music in major keys, are we then to diagnose him with another kind of psychiatric problem?
As encore Burrow played Rachmaninoff's Prelude Op. 32, No. 2 in G sharp minor. Probably to show off his virtuoso side. He didn't announce the piece, so how did I find out? I surreptitiously used the Google "Song" function. I am impressed, both by the pianist, and by what Google can do.
Israel-born Tom Borrow was born in 2000.
The Tchaikovsky Fifth Symphony is a war horse for orchestras. For me the notable characteristic is the use of the same opening theme in all the four movements, a practice not common among composers or in their compositions. It was many many years ago, but I still consider among the live performances I heard the one Blomstedt did with the NY Phil in 2012 is the best one I have heard. With passage of time, the specifics that I enjoyed - apart from the notes I took - have faded. The one characteristic that still stands out was Blomstedt allowing the orchestra to let loose; instead of sounding chaotic, the music felt like horses galloping forward with abandon. Will Zhang execute a controlled performance, or will she let the orchestra run on its own. We are talking about the NJ Symphony, so I do worry what would happen if the members are given the "fire at will" command. It turned out to be a controlled, but also enjoyable, performance.
While the concert didn't turn out to be "great," but it was memorable. And how many "great" concerts can one expect to encounter anyway. (Right now Mehta's performances of the Bruckner and Mahler Symphonies, and the Blomstedt one discussed here, are the three that readily come to mind.)
NJPAC really needs to get its act together. Last time, with Joshua Bell, getting the audience seated took a long time. It was a full house, so may be understandable (still not excusable). Today's turnout was reasonable, but it wasn't until 1:40 pm that the audience began to settle down. Some suggestions: start the process earlier, print the door number on the ticket, or make it easier to move from one aisle to the other. Also, the customer sometimes can be right. There was this lady whose seat is in the middle, perhaps one or two seats closer to the other door. The usher insisted she go back, and enter through the "proper" door. There was perhaps one person in that row, so it would be easy enough. The lady just ignored the usher and took her seat. All that time people were waiting to have the usher make sure they "belong."
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