Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, N. Y.; November 6, 2003
The November 6th New York Philharmonic concert was one of the finest in its three-week-long Beethoven Experience series. First on the program was the Leonore Overture No. 2, which is similar in overall plan to the more familiar No. 3, but different enough to make it a relatively “new” listening experience, especially in concert. Both works feature the dramatically arresting moment when the trumpet heralds from afar, or in the case of this particular concert, from the rear balcony, which heightened the effect. Maazel’s vital conducting, full of dramatic pauses and dynamic shadings, made it seem as if this were the only overture Beethoven need have penned for his opera Fidelio. The Philharmonic responded handsomely, offering vibrant woodwind playing, and particularly beautiful tone from the violas.
The Emperor Concerto presented the young American pianist Jonathan Biss. An exceptionally animated performer (he more than once seemed in danger of teetering off the piano stool), Biss brought considerable kinetic energy to his interpretation, which generated musical sparks from the very opening with its grand cascading scales. This was a tightly argued, fleet and exciting rendition, with Biss displaying sterling musicianship and nimble and precise fingerwork, all projected with remarkable clarity. He also offered much tenderness and poise in Beethoven’s quiet solo passages, producing soft tones that transfixed by their near-ethereal beauty.
After intermission, Maazel led the Philharmonic in a viscerally exciting, no-holds-barred Symphony No. 7. The performance’s trajectory could be sensed right from the first chord, as the conductor’s clear, straight-forward phrasing projected the music’s main lines, while his quickened pace and steely control unleashed its bracing rhythmic energy. Indeed, the orchestra’s stunning rhythmic articulation was the hallmark of this performance, whether in the joyously dancing first movement (with horns gloriously singing out the main melody), or in the relentlessly driven finale, where the strings maintained exact articulation, despite the breathless tempo. Throughout, Maazel’s immaculate ensemble balance made every section clearly audible, even in the raucous closing pages with low strings seesawing, high strings shimmering, and the brass blaring away. This was a performance that reaffirmed the New York Philharmonic as one of the world’s great orchestras — a fact not lost on the audience as it roared its approval in a sustained standing ovation.
Victor Carr Jr
