A Debut For the Ages

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The New York Sun

This is “Messiah” week at the New York Philharmonic, meaning that about half of the orchestra is up at Riverside Church, performing Handel’s oratorio, while the other half is down at Lincoln Center,playing a standard concert.(Hey, there’s nothing not-standard about “Messiah” at Christmas!) Under the circumstances, the concert at Lincoln Center has to be programmed just so – and we have, this week (and one day of next), two Haydn symphonies and a Mozart piano concerto. Half a Philharmonic can take care of that, no problem.


The guest conductor is the same as the soloist: Christian Zacharias, a German pianist who took up the baton about 15 years ago.They all get the itch, eventually. Since 2000, Mr. Zacharias has been chief conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne. On Wednesday night, he made his New York Philharmonic debut (that is, his conducting debut – he’d appeared as piano soloist before). Mr. Zacharias proved himself a worthy maestro – and he remains a top-notch pianist.


The Haydn symphonies on the program were two of the “Paris symphonies” – those he wrote to be performed in that capital in the 1780s – and the concert began with the Symphony No. 83 in G minor, nicknamed “La Poule,” or “The Hen.” Why is it called that? Well, because the music, at several points, puts one in mind of that animal, charmingly.


Mr. Zacharias is lively on the podium, a bit of a dancer,a swooper-over,a leaner-in.He conducts without a baton, or at least he did so on this Classical evening. And I offer a fashion note: Mr. Zacharias wore a solid-black shirt, no jacket, as has become almost de rigueur in the music world. If (male) performers want to be different – forsaking concert tails – can’t they be different in different ways?


One had reason to worry about the Haydn symphony: Would the Philharmonic be cohesive and accurate, under this guest conductor? Without these qualities, Haydn is no good. But the orchestra and Mr. Zacharias turned in a surefooted, pleasing performance.


The first movement was well-defined, and that hen clucked nicely. The slow movement (Andante) would have benefited from greater lyricism, and a purer sound, but it had strengths: It was shrewdly calibrated by the conductor, for one thing. Best about the Menuetto was its Trio, in which the unison playing of the strings and others was excellent.The Finale (Vivace) was peppy, involving, and fun.The woodwinds, in particular, shone, with flutist Robert Langevin outstanding.


All in all, Mr. Zacharias had shown a commendable sense of the Classical style. But we hadn’t seen, or heard, anything yet.


I have never been a fan of conducting a concerto from the keyboard – I think that both the playing and the conducting suffer, making the music suffer as well. But I will save that spiel (full version) for another day. Christian Zacharias accomplished the task, or tasks, splendidly.


His concerto was Mozart’s No. 18 in B flat, K. 456. You don’t hear this work very often, but there’s nothing wrong with it: It’s a Mozart piano concerto.


In the first movement, Mr. Zacharias was elegant and full of character. He exhibited panache without abandoning Classical taste. He played evenly, Mozart’s phrases sparkling. He employed interesting dynamics – imaginative dynamics – but not intrusively showy ones. Rhythm was exact, and also fetchingly playful. He did nothing harsh, nothing cloddish.The cadenza was beautiful in its modesty, and modesty did not prevent a dash of virtuosity. There is a word that describes, better than any other, this playing: Mozartean.


The slow movement (Andante un poco sostenuto) was beautifully shaped, and it moved along: Mr. Zacharias didn’t bind the music with slowness. And the closing movement (Allegro vivace) was a complete delight: Mr. Zacharias prowled around the keyboard, showing feline grace (to succumb to a cliche). We heard Mozart’s spirit of fun, of improvisation – a composer reveling in his own talent. Mr. Zacharias reveled in it as well. And he did not slight his conducting duties, either: He managed to lead the orchestra, without harming, or even altering, as far as I could tell, his playing.


You can go for many years without hearing a better Mozart performance.The audience in Avery Fisher Hall should have stood. Hell, why am I talking about the audience? I myself should have stood.


After intermission came that second “Paris symphony,” No. 86 in D. This performance wasn’t as good as that of “The Hen” – not as cohesive, not as precise. In fact, it was just slightly ordinary.In addition to which, there had been a lot of Classical music in this program. (But there was a lot of Classical music on an evening’s program in the 1780s, wasn’t there?) In any case, that Mozart concerto had been so satisfying, anything else was strictly superfluous.


The Philharmonic will repeat this program on December 16 at 11 a.m. and on December 17 at 8 p.m.at Avery Fisher Hall (Lincoln Center, 212-875-5656).


The New York Sun

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