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The conductor as intellectual
New York Philharmonic at Verizon
Steve Cohen
Friday night’s concert at Verizon Hall seemed so retro. Here was a conductor, Lorin Maazel, who’s even older than John McCain. He’s at the end of his tenure as music director of the New York Philharmonic, and even that tenure once seemed irrelevant (Maazel was hired as interim maestro in 2002 while a search was conducted for a younger leader). And Maazel chose an all-Tchaikovsky program of the sort beloved by Eugene Ormandy, who retired in 1980.
But what we heard was wonderful. Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony received a supple and subtle performance that underplayed the brassy fanfares and revealed the composer’s clever development of the piece’s themes. Maazel maintained a steady momentum instead of separating the most-familiar "big" moments and milking them for crowd-pleasing effect.
Before intermission we heard Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 3, a four-movement piece that could have justifiably been labeled a symphony. The first three movements, an andante, a waltz and a scherzo, are similar in form to what we hear in many symphonies. They’re conventional, even banal. But the last movement comprises a clever set of variations that culminate in a joyous big ending.
The New York Philharmonic sounded alternately warm and exciting. The lush string sound was a pleasant surprise, equal to the Philadelphia Orchestra on its best days. The violins were separated, with the second section on the conductor’s right, and this approach contributed to an impression of spaciousness.
I admire Maazel’s desire to show off two comparable compositions by one composer, even though the similarities led to some ennui during the first three movements of the Suite. Maazel is recognized as a very intelligent, intellectual conductor. What’s often overlooked is his expressiveness and emotionalism as well as his cultivation of beautiful sound.
Over the course of his long career Maazel experimented with different approaches to certain pieces, and his critics accused him of inconsistency. You might say, instead, that he displayed a questing nature. I once asked him why he took an unusual tempo in one part of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. He looked into my eyes and replied, quietly: "Why not?"
Although he’s been conducting since 1942, when he was a child, Maazel is only 77. I hope we get to hear him frequently in coming years.
But what we heard was wonderful. Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony received a supple and subtle performance that underplayed the brassy fanfares and revealed the composer’s clever development of the piece’s themes. Maazel maintained a steady momentum instead of separating the most-familiar "big" moments and milking them for crowd-pleasing effect.
Before intermission we heard Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 3, a four-movement piece that could have justifiably been labeled a symphony. The first three movements, an andante, a waltz and a scherzo, are similar in form to what we hear in many symphonies. They’re conventional, even banal. But the last movement comprises a clever set of variations that culminate in a joyous big ending.
The New York Philharmonic sounded alternately warm and exciting. The lush string sound was a pleasant surprise, equal to the Philadelphia Orchestra on its best days. The violins were separated, with the second section on the conductor’s right, and this approach contributed to an impression of spaciousness.
I admire Maazel’s desire to show off two comparable compositions by one composer, even though the similarities led to some ennui during the first three movements of the Suite. Maazel is recognized as a very intelligent, intellectual conductor. What’s often overlooked is his expressiveness and emotionalism as well as his cultivation of beautiful sound.
Over the course of his long career Maazel experimented with different approaches to certain pieces, and his critics accused him of inconsistency. You might say, instead, that he displayed a questing nature. I once asked him why he took an unusual tempo in one part of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. He looked into my eyes and replied, quietly: "Why not?"
Although he’s been conducting since 1942, when he was a child, Maazel is only 77. I hope we get to hear him frequently in coming years.
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