Brahms and Tetzlaff

Last night I attended the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concert, which had a varied program of Kagel, Etude No. 3; Brahms, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; and Berlioz, Orchestral Music from Romeo et Juliette. The Kagel was interesting, though probably too interesting for most of the attendees. The composer was successful with presenting numerous soundscapes with the orchestra, and the percussion was particularly interesting. Overall, I enjoyed the work, though I would not be clammering to hear it again anytime soon.

The Brahms deserves some special attention. Don't get me wrong, I like the work, but it has its faults. The exposition is too long, and the dramatic modulations in the first movement come across as modulations for modulation sake, or drama for drama sake. Paavo Jarvi, who did not apeear to be drunk at this performance, was able to insert some individual interpretation in the work, but not much. The same cannot be said for the soloist, Christian Tetzlaff. As far as technique and execution are concerned, Tetzlaff gave a wonderful performance. But artistically, as far as bringing his own interpretation to the work, he fell flat. But I do not place the blame squarely on Tetzlaff, but rather Brahms. Brahms composed a flashy and highly technical work that it is difficult for the soloist to bring much originality and individuality to the performance. As I sat and listened to the performance, it sounded like any recording of the work I have heard before. It sounded as if Tetzlaff arrived the night before the first performance and he and Jarvi said to the orchestra, "Okay, let's run through it." The only place where Tetzlaff was able to assert his own artistic license was the cadenza in the first movement. Though I have this beef with the Brahms, it does not take away the masterful lyricism of the second movement. Tetzlaff did perform an encore, the Andante movement from J. S. Bach's Sonata for Solo Violin, BWV 1003. This is when Tetzlaff as an independent artist truly shined.

As for the Berlioz, this is not my favorite selection from his oeuvre. It really is not a good representation of him as a composer to a concert audience, and the orchestral selections are better understood in the original context of the Dramatic Symphony. The work was performed well by the orchestra, and Maestro Jarvi's interpretation was spot on. I beleieve this is not a suitable work to conclude a concert, since much of the inner movements and the finale is at a piano level. Despite these criticisms of the works, and of Brahms, the concert as a whole was interesting, the orchestra performed well, Jarvi was sober, and Tetzlaff was masterful.

Robert Craft's Stravinsky Ballets

Last week, Naxos released The Robert Craft Edition of the complete Stravinsky ballets. Most people probably would not peg me as an admirer of Stravinsky, and they are partially right. I have not been able to get into the whole fascination and awe of Stravinsky as a composer and theorist. But his music does have a certain appeal to me, particularly because of his orchestration. Before purchasing The Robert Craft Edition, I owned five of the ballets, Pulcinella, Danses Concertantes, and the big three, The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring. So far, I have listened to the big threee from The Robert Craft Edition, and find the interpretation to be very close with that of Boulez. I am anxiously awaiting to get through all of the ballets, especially Les Noces, which I have read is a 20th-century must in the repertory. Of note is the World premiere recording of the complete 1910 version of The Firebird, the same version Pierre Boulez recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Deutsche Grammaphon. I am also looking forward to revisiting the three Greek ballets: Apollo, Agon, and Orpheus. I had the pleasure of seeing the New York City Ballet perform these ballets two Springs ago. Based on what I have heard so far, the production of the recordings is very good, the interpretation is good, and the liner notes provide good information on the works and the performers.

Pictures? Why not?

I have been blogging about music, musicology, film, television, and miscellaneous events for nearly four years now. I was disappointed not to make the top 100 music blogs this past year. Someone suggested it was because I recently moved my blog during the tallying process. I say rubbish. I existed before my move. A colleague of mine, I will call him Jason, made the list despite hardly posting, and when he does post it is not a music-related subject. So, in a vain attempt to make the list next year, I am fashioning this post after a post that probably won him his spot on the list. So, here are some pictures of azalea's I took while home in Mobile, AL. The azalea is the official flower of Mobile.