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After the hype: a candid look at Sir Simon Rattle

After you've climbed the summit and received immense critical accolades, what's next? It's Sir Simon Rattle's dilemma, one that certainly haunts him even as the British press is infatuated with him during his London residency. His career has been on a strong upward note, as he has gone from the charming Liverpool kid to the most powerful position in the musical world as director of the Berlin Philharmonic. It hasn't all been smooth sailing. Rattle's decision to leave Berlin in 2018 could be taken as a sign of defeat. During his tenure, critics have complained about deficits in his conducting, pointing to fussiness and over-refinement as his besetting faults. Maybe Rattle is exhausted, tired of the mindless adulation of the British press while being equally irked by the overly analytical critiques that detractors have waiting for him behind every corner.

 

Claudio Abbado seemed to escape much of the lambasting that super-star conductors usually endure. When he left the Berlin Philharmonic for health reasons in 2002, he was a musical hero. When we lost him last year, the sense of loss was tangible, as critics rushed to acknowledge his induction into the pantheon of greats. Maybe Abbado's modesty and frail health saved him from critical attack? But Herbert von Karajan was subjected to the most piercing scrutiny, and when he left the Berliners in 1989, there were suppressed cheers in various musical circles. Musical power brings with it expectation. 

 

★★★★★ Jansons continues his sudden rise to greatness, this time in Strauss

Strauss: Don Juan & Ein Heldenleben

What has happened to Mariss Jansons? For years, I had a lukewarm opinion about the Latvian conductor, despite his international renown and the prominence of his positions at the Royal Concertgebouw and Bavarian Radio Symphony. But he's been a new conductor lately, with originality and insight that has shocked me. Frankly, I now watch him with more expectation than any other conductor on the scene.

After such a laudatory prelude, how is his Strauss? We hear a good sampling in the Don Juan that starts out the program. Jansons' approach is refined and inward-looking, not out for display but almost indifferent to it, actually. For some it will be too low key, since this is far from a lurid, go-for-broke type of interpretation. But the inner meaning is gripping, and the virtuosity is natural and beyond words. I appreciate Karajan for lyric intensity, Tennstedt for fervent romanticism, Haitink for youthful infectiousness, and Abbado for exuberant virtuosity, but there's something here that screams for attention. If I enjoyed Dudamel's recent reading with the Berlin Phil, Jansons is a step higher.

Alan Gilbert's tenure with the New York Philharmonic will end in 2017

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Yet another major orchestra is losing their principal conductor. Alan Gilbert has been principal conductor of the New York Philharmonic since 2009, but he will be leaving in 2017, the New York Times reports. Critical opinion has been mixed on Gilbert, with detractors citing a lack of charisma, but Gilbert has been experimental with programming and seems to have a good relationship with the orchestra. Gilbert says he wants to give a new director an opportunity to build a relationship with the orchestra during the time their Avery Fischer Hall is renovated. 2021 is the soonest the renovation is expected to be completed, and Gilbert says he simply doesn't want to stick around that long. This announcement leaves yet another opening in the conducting world. Who is line to take the orchestra?

Rattle and the LSO?

Is Sir Simon Rattle about to head to London? British newspapers are obsessed with the idea, and it's no wonder. Rattle will only be 63 when he leaves the Berlin Philharmonic in 2018, so his career likely has many years still coming. And no British conductor has nearly the international reputation that Rattle has garnered. Why not welcome him home to Britain with an appointment to the LSO? His London residency with the Berlin Philharmonic is only heightening the talk and hype.

On the other hand, is Daniel Harding in line to take the LSO? He too is British and a rising young star who is surely due for a promotion. For now, we'll just have to sit back and watch this game of musical chairs unfold. The speculation is irresistible though, admittedly.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin extends contract with the Philadelphia Orchestra

The Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin has extended his contract with the Philadelphia Orchestra until 2022. This move most likely means he is ruling out the possibility of an appointment to the Berlin Philharmonic in 2018, where many considered him a candidate.

New Italian programming director for the Chicago Symphony

Italian Riccardo Muti is the music director of the Chicago Symphony and now another Italian is joining the orchestra as programming director. Cristina Rocca will fill a slot as Vice President of Artistic Planning, succeeding Martha Gilmer. Read more here.

★★★★★ Nelsons strikes a win with his first release with the Boston Symphony

Andris Nelsons Wagner and Sibelius

I anticipated this first release of Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony with high hopes. I've become a great fan of his, and his career has been on a fast upward note. His blessed lack of superficiality is his greatest strength, especially when coupled with his enthusiasm. My only worry with him as a musician is that he would seem susceptible to relying on natural instinct, missing potential for drama. But my concerns have usually been unwarranted.

Starting with Wagner's Tannhaauser Overture, Nelsons stands out for his natural poise and spontaneity. Nelsons is more concerned about freedom of expression than overwhelming power, and he doesn't seek achieve maximum control. Nonetheless, there is an efficacy in the fluidity of his interpretation that enables the lyricism to soar. His feeling of breadth is unmissable. Certainly this is Wagner with a greater emphasis on inner emotion than grandeur. If Nelsons isn't as persuasive as past rivals, this is still an encouraging reading.

My pledge to fairness on The Classical Commentator

My blog has received a massive influx of hits in the past several days due to my post responding to Norman Lebrecht's lambasting of the Vienna Philharmonic. During the online debate that has transpired, many comments on the Slipped Disc have been removed. Despite his claim that he looks at both sides of the story, Mr. Lebrecht has a hard time handling criticism of his own criticism.

It's a travesty that has been hard for me to watch. A man with prominence in the musical world makes a radical claim against an orchestra, music lovers point out flaws in his logic, and he swiftly removes their comment. Why? It seems Mr. Lebrecht is more concerned about his own fading reputation than tangible things like logic and truth.

Candid confessions of an avid critic, Part One

I'm only an amateur critic, starting my blog here at The Classical Commentator after years of writing reviews on Amazon. I starting writing for the thrill of it; after hearing inspiring music, it's only natural to want to share your experience with others. So I was slowly pulled into the art. I'm still too young to be critic, really; how many twenty-year-olds own over a thousand Classical CDs and have over 400 reviews posted online?

But the joy is so fulfilling. After years of intense piano practice, I slowly came to feel that I understood music in a special way. When I starting reviewing, I didn't have anything insightful to say at all. I think I was fifteen when I started. But after years of listening to an increasingly wider variety of both compositions and interpretations, I felt things started to click.

In defense of the Vienna Philharmonic: a response to Norman Lebrecht

How many articles does Norman Lebrecht need to post against the Vienna Philharmonic? Since the start of the year, he has made three separate posts against the orchestra on his blog, Slipped Disc. He has asked conductors to refuse to conduct the orchestra until they hire more women. His articles have received a mixed, if predominately negative reception. No doubt he feels irked, because his latest article makes sharp jabs at his critics, who he calls "tunnel-visioned respondents". The article suggests that those who disagree with him favor discriminating.

I've taken issue with his articles from the beginning, and now that he has resorted to name-calling, I've decided to respond. Really, I'm most disappointed by his choice to assume that those who disagree with him favor discrimination. I, for one, most assuredly do not. I believe that all musicians should be judged by their merit, not by their gender or skin color. I will say up front that if the Vienna Philharmonic expands the number of women in its ranks, I will be happy for the fortunate new members.

★★★★★ Faust and Harding unite for a deeply touching Bartok Second Violin Concerto

Bartok: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Sometimes a recording moves the listener in a personal way, making it difficult to translate the impact into words. I feel that way about this Bartok Second Violin Concerto from Isabelle Faust with Daniel Harding and the Swedish Radio Symphony. My love for this concerto is limitless, and to hear interpreters capturing its meaning with such inspiration has left me on the verge of tears, no, actually wiping them.

The disc starts out with the First Violin Concerto, which isn't nearly as successful as Bartok's following masterpiece. I own a splendid version of the concerto from Gidon Kremer with Pierre Boulez and the Berlin Philharmonic, a recording the maximizes the depth and sonority of the Berliners. Here the mood is lighter and more austere, without the dark plunges. It's subdued, so the sound world of the piece comes across very gently.The mood is almost too withdrawn. Harding's accompaniment is backseat, reducing the intensity. It doesn't hurt to take your time in this music, though, and the sensitivity and nuance are striking. I certainly prefer Kremer, but there's a rustic feel here that will keep me returning on occasion.