The Philharmonic’s All-Star Game

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The New York Sun

The New York Philharmonic played a big venue on Tuesday night, and played to a big crowd: This was a concert in Central Park. Apparently, there were 60,000 people there — more, as was pointed out from the stage, than those at Yankee Stadium for the All-Star Game. The two events took place at the same time. (The game lasted a lot longer.)

Before the concert, there were many preliminaries — including speeches of the “New York’s the greatest city in the world” type. Several people took credit for the beautiful weather that prevailed. The later people did not seem to realize that the earlier people had made the same joke.

The crowd heard a prerecorded announcement — at least it seemed to be prerecorded — by a Philharmonic flutist. She pointed out that the “Concerts in the Parks” T-shirts were environmentally friendly, giving details of both cloth and print. She urged us all to be “green.”

Paul Guenther, chairman of the Philharmonic board, took the microphone a couple of times. He has one of the New Yorkiest voices in town. He instructed the crowd how to vote for the evening’s encore — via their cell phones. (And you thought there was no use for cell phones at concerts?) The choice was between the “Toreador” bit from Bizet’s “Carmen” and “The Lone Ranger” — i.e., a section of the overture to Rossini’s “William Tell.”

There was also some kind of picture-taking contest, the specifics of which were murky.

Opening the concert was Lang Lang, the young Chinese phenom, hired to play Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. The evening’s conductor was Alan Gilbert. Onstage was a red piano — bright red. You may have heard of John Corigliano’s piece, “The Red Violin.” Well, there was never anything redder than that piano onstage — a Steinway, incidentally.

Lang Lang came out looking like a rocker, dressed in (virtually) all black. There is a good deal of showbiz about him. And, with that piano, this looked set to be a particularly Vegas evening — Liberace should have been there.

The young man read an announcement, saying that this piano would be auctioned off online, to benefit victims of the recent earthquake in China. (No money, apparently, to the many more victims of the Chinese government.) And then we got down to Tchaikovsky.

This performance had every reason to be a mess: a park, a wacky amplification system, a red piano … Instead, it was stupendous.

Lang Lang played Tchaik 1 to the nth degree. He gave it everything the concerto has, inherently: grandeur, flash, subtlety, wit — and incredible beauty. He was a model of relaxed athleticism and musicality. His technique was almost unbelievable, and unbelievably effortless. The sheer articulation in the fast section of the middle movement was astounding. And his octaves were Horowitzian, to put it mildly.

Was there anything at all wrong with this performance? In that middle movement, one trill was slightly harsh. And Lang Lang took some goofy liberties — rhythmic liberties — in the closing movement. But these were very short-lived.

Those 60,000 people in Central Park heard a feat of piano playing that is very rare. Lang Lang — a most uneven and unpredictable musician — has always been capable of greatness. Tuesday night, it was clear that he could become a great pianist.

Mr. Gilbert, you may recall, is set to become the next music director of the Philharmonic: He will replace Lorin Maazel in the fall of 2009. As Mr. Guenther (I believe) pointed out, Mr. Gilbert will be the first native New Yorker to lead the Philharmonic. This credential has nothing whatever to do with music, but such was the atmosphere of the occasion.

After the Tchaikovsky, Mr. Gilbert led the Philharmonic in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 in B flat. This was an excellent conventional performance — and “conventional” is no put-down here. Mr. Gilbert was sensible, solid, and secure. He indulged in nothing screwy, and yet he was never dull. Tempos were reasonable and natural. Phrasing was the same. In fact, this was an exceptionally shapely performance of the Fourth.

Particularly to be appreciated was Mr. Gilbert’s sense of rhythm — acute. Without that, Beethoven’s music loses much of its impact.

Closing the printed program was Sibelius’s “Finlandia,” which was a disappointment, because it missed its excitement. It failed to deliver its punch. For one thing, the piece was rushed — as though the performers were saying, “Might as well get this schlock over with.” “Finlandia” must be savored and grand in order to hold the attention and swell the heart.

So, what was the encore? Mr. Gilbert announced it to the audience, after making an “I love New York” speech, and waving to his mother in the orchestra. (She is a violinist.) With a 56% vote, the audience chose “William Tell” — and, from Mr. Gilbert and the Philharmonic, it was fleet, incisive, and stirring. An excellent finish, along with the fireworks that began immediately after the final note.

Music critics and other such types like to say that what the public really wants is modern music — Cage, Birtwistle, Stockhausen. None of this Classical Top 40 stuff. But this is wishful thinking, of course. If you give ’em Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and “Finlandia” — not to mention “Carmen” or “William Tell” — boy, do they come.


The New York Sun

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