Performance photo by Chris Lee
~ Author: Ben Weaver
Saturday November 23rd, 2024 - The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra gave two sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall last week under the baton of its chief conductor designate Klaus Mäkelä. The second concert on Saturday, November 23rd featured beloved works by Arnold Schoenberg and Gustav Mahler.
Between the two concerts, this evening's playing of Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 was the strongest performance of the orchestral works the Concertgebouw presented this week. Originally composed for string sextet in 1899, Schoenberg made an arrangement for a string orchestra and it’s become one of his most beloved and most frequently performed works. The string section of the Concertgebouw was on absolute peak form with its lush yet concentrated sound. Schoenberg’s score is by turns dark, ominous, romantic, and shimmering, and the orchestra reflected each emotion and turn with beautiful clarity. Maestro Mäkelä conducted it without a score, so it appears to be a work that is close to his heart. Maybe that’s why he managed to keep the tension throughout the entire composition.
When it comes to playing Mahler, I think the Concertgebouw’s only rival is the New York Philharmonic. These symphonies are close to their hearts and they perform them frequently. The Symphony No. 1 in D major received its Dutch premiere in 1903 under Mahler himself. This evening’s performance under the orchestra’s young incoming chief conductor was somewhat mixed.
The first movement was something of a mess that echoed the very unfortunate performance of Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 the previous evening: while Maestro Mäkelä can build to a climax, he was unable to connect any of the climaxes together, the tension and structure of the music disintegrating every few minutes. So it was here, unfortunately. Low voltage would be one way to describe it, a flicker of color quickly draining into something dull and gray.
Fortunately things improved as the performance continued, and Mäkelä managed to keep the symphony moving. The second movement is filled with sections of chamber music, interrupted by full orchestral blasts. There was some wonderful playing from individual sections of the Concertgebouw, the winds in particular covering themselves in glory.
The Funeral March was the best part of the performance. The double bass solo (principal Dominic Seldis) was appropriately weary and somber. The mocking tune that interrupts it was nicely paced and delightfully almost jazzy. The Finale was largely well handled, but lacked enough frenzy to be truly satisfying until the very last moments.
With Maestro Mäkelä taking over two of the world’s top orchestras - the Concertgebouw and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra - these performances left me concerned if he is the right person for these jobs at this time. But time will soon tell if the confidence he has inspired in others pays off.
~ Ben Weaver