Striking Spark From ‘Pathétique’
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Discounting the appellation “Pathétique,” an invention of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s brother and not sanctioned by the composer, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 is filled with allusions to death and the helplessness of a mere human caught in the inexorable dilemma of fatalism. The piece made its premiere just nine days before the composer’s demise, and it was performed Tuesday evening at Avery Fisher Hall by the New York Philharmonic.
In the first movement, the trombones intone the Russian hymn for the dead; in the second, imaginary couples waltz their totentanz precariously on the head of a pin in dizzying 5/4 time; in the third movement, Tchaikovsky seems to be saying goodbye to the rough and tumble world with one last celebratory quickstep (the movement “to my Apollonian brothers” in Mahler’s rumination on his own impending death, the Ninth Symphony), and, if that finale isn’t a suicide note, then garc¸on, water for everyone!
Guest conductor Ludovic Morlot led a rather pedestrian version of what should be a highly emotive piece. There were problems right from the beginning. Unfocused entrances by the solo winds quickly characterized this rendition as tentative, with a palpably unrehearsed feel. Considering that the Philharmonic had performed this same work under Mr. Morlot this summer in Vail, Colo., this insecure opening was a bit mysterious.
Harshness also plagued the opening movement, with the trumpets producing an unpleasant sound in their louder passages. Pacing was fine — in fact, rather interesting in its variety of tempi — until that very famous Romantic theme emerged. There is certainly a tendencyformanyleaderstoschmaltz here — Leonard Bernstein himself was a shameless milker of this music — but Mr. Morlot presented it in much too straightforward a manner, even attempting a little Maazelism by altering the rhythm of the well-known phrases just enough to avoid cliché. What was actually avoided was depth of feeling.
Jazz fans will remember that old Dave Brubeck classic “Take Five.” The inventive Allegro con grazia of the “Pathétique” is composed in the same exotic, five-beat time signature, except that Tchaikovsky quite deftly turns this device on its ear, creating a waltzing smoothness. Mr. Morlot worked hard to achieve a seamless flow — too hard, as it turned out, as this entire movement seemed forced and artificial.
The Allegro molto vivace has been a favorite in television commercials for many years, from the marching cigarettes of the bad old days to a recent mini-drama concerning a trumpeter with a cracked lip. Everyone knows and loves this catchy tune and the composer makes certain that the crowd will erupt in spontaneous applause at the movement’s rousing conclusion. This presents a problem for modern conductors, who abhor any mid-symphony applause. Some will even attempt to jump without pause into the final Adagio, but this only creates muddle and brings out the wrath of the shushers.
Mr. Morlot employed a brilliant strategy. His reading was so flabby that no one clapped. No one.
This newly found sophistication of the Philharmonic audience must have also engendered some dissatisfaction with the finale, which was presented with its emotions too firmly in check, practically repressed. Please Mr. Morlot, take a risk once in a while. Sometimes you have to let your hair down.