Above: pianist Emanuel Ax
~ Author: Oberon
Friday February 1st, 2019 - An interesting juxtaposition of composers this evening as The New York Philharmonic injected a Stravinsky gem into a program book-ended by Mozart's first and last symphonies. The beloved pianist Emanuel Ax played a Haydn concerto - and then performed the prominent piano part in Stravinsky's Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra.
Mozart's Symphony No. 1 was the evening's charming musical appetizer. Lasting only eleven minutes, this work by an eight-year-old genius makes us smile with anticipation all that will flow from his pen in the coming years of his too-brief lifetime. Maestro Jaap van Zweden and the Philharmonic players gave a neat-as-a-pin performance; it had the sensation of being over no sooner than it had begun.
The ever-genial Mr. Ax then took his place at the Steinway for Haydn's Piano Concerto in D-major, Hob.XVIII:11. From the opening Vivace, the pianist was at his finest, with crisp, elegant playing and a rippling cadenza. In the second movement, Un poco adagio, a gorgeous central section leans into the minor and then resolves itself thru a series of lovely modulations. Mr. Ax's thoughtful dynamic colourings in this second cadenza were lovingly set forth, as was the movement's expressive finish. Then the pianist and his colleagues were off on a scampering romp in the concluding Rondo all'Hungherese. The music's witty, with a gypsy lilt. And the percussionist added an extra detail: a bean shaker is briefly heard.
Following the interval, Mr. Ax's many admirers got to revel in a second - and very different - serving of his artistry. George Balanchine choreographed Igor Stravinsky's Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra as the RUBIES section of his three-part ballet, JEWELS. I have heard this exciting piece played so many times at New York City Ballet but had never - up til tonight - heard it in a concert setting.
The musicians were arranged in an unusual configuration for this work: the basses have moved to within reach of the conductor's right hand, and concertmaster Frank Huang is seated directly in the Maetsro's line of vision. The Philharmonic's extraordinary wind soloists - Anthony McGill (clarinet), Robert Langevin (flute), Mindy Kaufman (piccolo), Sherry Sylar (oboe), and Judith LeClair (bassoon) - have assembled their own clique: Stravinsky gives them a lot to do.
The opening Presto is exhilarating, almost jarring at times. Mr. Ax is soon running up and down impeccable scales as the wind players pipe up in pristine, colourful motifs. Later, in the Andante, the music takes on an somewhat somber feeling, the winds playing as a choir. The basses pluck deeply, setting a pulse.
In a mood shift, a jazzy, almost debonair piano theme slowly takes off. There's an oddly deadbeat cadenza, leading to the final animation: flute and piccolo warble like merry birds, and the tuba lends an ironic commentary. A brilliant piece! I felt that many in the audience were unfamiliar - and delighted - with it.
To close this very enjoyable program, the thrice-familiar Symphony No. 41, Jupiter, of Mozart was given a finely-shaped and vibrantly played performance by the Maestro and his music-makers. Again the Philharmonic's wind soloists - flute, oboe, and bassoon - had a heyday, with the horns adding polished tones. As always, in hearing this music, one begins to imagine what Mozart might have created in the years to come had fate not been unkind.
~ Oberon