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Voyage Through Three Worlds New York
David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center
01/02/2025 - & January 3, 4, 7, 2025
Samy Moussa: Elysium
Hector Berlioz: Les Nuits d’été, Op. 7
Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
Isabel Leonard (Mezzo-soprano)
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Kevin John Edusei (Conductor)
I. Leonard (© Samuel A. Dog)
“Do not hold grain waiting for higher prices when people are hungry.”
Zoroaster
“Poor shadows of Elysium, hence, and rest
Upon your never-withering banks of flowers:
Be not with mortal accidents opprest;
No care of yours it is; you know ‘tis ours.”
William Shakespeare, Cymbeline
That fine young German conductor Kevin John Edusei, in his Philharmonic debut, took the orchestra through all three Greek worlds last night, Starting with a noisy over‑world in Elysium, continuing to our own earth in a summer of love and loss, in Les Nuits d’été and ended with a Persian/Nietzsche-underworld with a Hebraic prophet transformed into a German enigma.
That was a hefty voyage for any orchestra, but the ensemble handled itself with its usual competence. Granted, they had quite a few fluffs with Also sprach Zarathustra, and the long sustained chords with winds and strings were far from even.
Still, that gorgeous opening fanfare–which takes its place with Barber’s Adagio and Pachelbel’s Canon as the most overplayed music in history–was played perfectly, much to the delight of the audience which nudged each other in remembrance.
Yet it was the great mezzo‑soprano Isabel Leonard whose voice was remembered after the concert. Over 40 now, her rich, untroubled breathless voice has grown ever more assured, ever more into the Berlioz strange melodies.
I last heard her in Ravel’s Shéhérazade, where both she, Ravel and the Phil brought the mythical Middle East to a fragrant bloom. Last night, Ms. Leonard needed none of Ravel’s scents. Hector Berlioz took six of Théophile Gautier’s poems (the poet was a neighbor and good friend of the composer) and offered sheer joy in the opening “Villanelle” to the closing “Unknown Island.”
In between, though, Ms. Leonard was the operatic tragedian. She could have been Dido in Berlioz’ Trojans, for her pathos, her long languorous notes in “At the Cemetery” and swoops up to the top notes of “Spectre of the Rose.”
Summer Nights is one of those so rare song collections where the poetry was as interesting as the music. Ms. Leonard understood the poetry. Wisely, with all of Berlioz genius, Mr. Edusei kept the orchestra restrained, allowing for this so wonderful vocalism.
Montréal-born Samy Moussa gave us a mighty orchestral palette in the Elysium over‑world. Shakespeare might have been right that Elysium was populated by “shadows” (see the quote above). But Mr. Moussa gave us a tumultuous Elysium. The opening was like a discordant Zarathustra opening. He continued with an almost ceaseless orchestral background, with solos, with consorts, with virtually Brucknerian fierce sonorities.
And it worked! Methinks that Agamemnon, Hercules and Odysseus might have looked for a quieter place to talk. But for the rest us, Mr. Moussa gave an orchestral vibrancy without a single measure of bombast.
K. J. Edusei (© Simon Pauly)
After the intermission, Mr. Edusei offered Richard Strauss’ paean to Nietzsche’s paean to Zoroaster’s paean to Old Testament bromides. My problem with Also sprach Zarathustra is that the best part, the musical finale, comes at the very top. Only hints of this fanfare are heard later.
Strauss explained, with the pride and arrogance of a Heldenleben, that the piece was supposed to show man’s evolution up to the Superman. Had he introduced the final evolution (actually “Sunrise”) at the end, that would have made sense.
But no. Mr. Edusei and the Philharmonic gave us a replica of monumental music. In other words, it was good, it was polite, it was dynamic at times. The conductor knew that the grand climaxes of Heldenleben, Death and Transfiguration and Don Juan were nowhere to be found.
Still the work has it momentary glories, and Mr. Edusei was always ready extract them from Strauss’ huge orchestral score. If not quite the Ubermensch, he was ever the musical Mensch.
Harry Rolnick
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