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Vigil New York
Carnegie Hall
05/23/2004 -
Alban Berg: Violin Concerto
Gustav Mahler: Symphony # 9
Christian Tetzlaff (violin)
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
James Levine (conductor) In our own little netherworld of New York musical life, it used to be taboo to speak of James Levine’s rather obvious ill health, but lately tabloid-envy has extended even to the most sacred of cows. Musicians and critics are now complaining publicly about what audiences have been noticing for some years, that a lack of physical energy is often translated into an enervation, or, at the very least, a retardation from the podium. One could easily paint Mr. Levine as a stalwart victim of downward spiraling circumstances, as plain as the redness on his face. As if to add to the general concern, now Jimmy is throwing all dedicated Levine watchers a rather meaty bone. It has become standard practice for conductors to program the Symphony # 9 of Gustav Mahler as a valedictory, since the composer wrote the work as his farewell to this mortal coil. Masur, von Dohnanyi and Ozawa have all performed it in recent years here as a way of saying goodbye. Bearing in mind that the MET orchestra only plays three concerts a year at Carnegie Hall, can it be simply a gigantic coincidence that Levine has chosen the 9th yet again, having just offered it three years ago? Not only are there nine other Mahler symphonies, but what about the broader, indeed vast, orchestral repertoire from which to choose? Perhaps, like Mahler himself, Levine was surprised and sobered that he survived the 9th. And just in case one doesn’t get the thanatological message clearly enough, the other piece on today’s program is the Berg Violin Concerto!
Speaking of which, this reviewer had to wait until the very last afternoon of the season to hear a decent performance, having been profoundly disappointed recently by both Pinchas Zukerman and Gil Shaham. Christian Tetzlaff, on the other hand, delivered a sensitive reading, a bit mannered perhaps, but solid in both technique and emotional shaping. Recently in these pages, I complained that it has been a very long time since anyone of the Philharmonic was sufficiently conversant with the unique language of the second Viennese school. No worries at the other end of the plaza, however, as Levine has established himself as the premiere Wozzeck and Lulu conductor of our age. His accompaniment to Mr. Tetzlaff was interpretively flawless, although there were several botched entrances among the troops, most notably the very first chord of the electrifying second movement. Tetzlaff impressed with his understanding of the stages of grief, traveling on his own journey from stiff to relaxed articulation signifying the difficult human process described so poetically by Berg. The shared conception of soloist and conductor that the piece should begin almost imperceptibly and end this way as well was both revelatory and profoundly moving.
Both the Berg and the Mahler 9 were given their New York and Carnegie debuts by the Boston Symphony under Koussevitzsky and are remarkably similar works beyond the obvious subject matter. Had Maestro Levine traveled the road not taken, say with the Chicago Symphony (a distinct possibility in his younger years), he would undoubtedly today be considered the foremost Mahler conductor of our era as well. Today’s performance was extraordinary, and decidedly better rehearsed than the Berg. Luxuriating in string sound, the outer movements were first rate, the tempi inexorably slow (my friend timed this entire realization at 96 minutes!), the opening knitting and the closing raveling twin peaks of genuine emotion. The second movement was a bit disappointing, the clog dancing clumsiness superb, but not especially well contrasted to the more lilting portamento dance music. The Rondo-Burleske was also up and down: although there was a palpable lack of energy in its midsection, the beginning was splendid and the ending spectacular (no living leader has the measure of this particular legato versus staccato conclusion like Levine). Discussing this fine effort after the fact with other listeners, we all agreed that it was a solid A Minus, that elusive top grade unwarranted because of small patches of orchestral misconduct and, the ultimate litmus test, no tears at the conclusion. But this is about as good as it gets in 21st century America.
So the 2003-2004 season ends with a disturbing finality. And yet Mahler himself recovered sufficiently to complete at least one incredibly emotive movement of another projected symphony. After a short break, summer will come marching in as it does triumphantly in the same composer’s Symphony # 3, soon to be followed in the parade, rather more slowly, by Maestro Levine wearing a new cap reading Boston rather than New York.
Frederick L. Kirshnit
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