New Jersey State Theater, New Brunswick, NJ. Left Main Balcony (Seat K123, $57).
George Li and Xian Zhang after performance of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto.
Program
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73, "Emperor" (1809)by Beethoven (1770-1827).
Symphony No. 9 in C Major, "The Great" (1826) by Schubert (1797-1828).
NJ Symphony had its (last) season's finale in early June, and today's performance was the opener for this season, and interval of over 4 months. And the two pieces on the program were "The Emperor" and "The Great," so expectations coming in were quite high.
Well, it was an enjoyable concert. Certainly the two warhorses didn't hurt. But it was not quite at the "great" level. My major complaints were the uneven execution, and the overall muddled sound that came from the stage. Admittedly the latter could be the acoustics of the auditorium, and not much can be done about that.
I had heard George Li perform twice before, both times with this ensemble. And they were both works by Rachmaninoff. While Beethoven may be easier technically (and I am in no position to judge), it requires a lot more musicality from the performers. For one, it is much more of a dialogue between the soloist and the orchestra, and it also retains a classical form that - depending on how it is brought out - defines how good a performance is. Musicologists can talk about how Beethoven broke with tradition when he composed this concerto, or how the term "emperor" got attached to it (as today's annotator did); good to know, but not necessarily helpful in one's enjoyment of the piece. The genius of Beethoven is that his music speaks for itself. I think it was Bernstein who said Beethoven's notes follow one another inevitably. Whether true or not, there is this quality to his music that makes the progression satisfying. In a poor performance, the music seems to repeat itself too many times (a good example is the Pastoral Symphony); and it is also true of his piano and violin concertos. There was no such problem today.
George Li put in a brilliant performance, somewhat diminished by the acoustics of the hall which made the sound a bit more muddled (I am sure it wasn't due his faulty pedal techniques). For an encore he played Clair de lune by Debussy. I never quite understand how soloists select their encore pieces, but enjoyed how Debussy painted moonlight via his music. (The title helps, and I assume "quiet night in a valley" would also work as the title.)
Better shot of George Li after he played the encore.
If my blog entries of past performance of Schubert's Great are any guide, I will get bored with the symphony at some point. And I listened to the piece performed by NY Phil, Mostly Mozart, and NJ Symphony (also conducted by Zhang). So it was with a certain degree of curiosity and trepidation when the second half of today's program started.
It was a much better experience than I anticipated. Perhaps the best remark I can make is "it didn't sound repetitive at all." (Well, a bit of exaggeration.) Every now and then there was a bit of sloppiness, but in general it was a well-presented, coherent performance. Even the oboe, which had an important part in the slow movement, sounded a lot stronger than it usually does (could still be louder). It was also nice to sit there and appreciate how Schubert comfortably and effortlessly moved from one key to the next - he had a special knack for doing that.
Conclusion of concert.
In the past I always thought NJ Symphony should stick with the basics. Somehow today's program was slightly disappointing, perhaps that speaks to my appreciation of the progress the orchestra has made in the years Zhang has been its music director. Of course I would complain if a few modern pieces are included in the program.
The balcony section I was in still had many empty seats. In fact I moved one row up after the intermission.
A testimony to my "faith" in the orchestra is that I bought both the Red Bank and State Theater (Sunday) series for his season. I went for the cheaper seats ($55 per seat plus service fee), and will be attending around 10 concerts.
Close-in off-street parking was readily available, but nowadays the ones really close to the venue charges even on a Sunday - $7 for 3 hours. The parking garage nearby charges about the same, but there usually is a long line after the concert.
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