untitled
Allan Kozzin
is a Jaded Critic; Brahms, Maazel, and the New York Philharmonic
Music Review: The New York Philharmonic, May 31, 2007
by Henry Stewart
Allan Kozinn of the Times called
Thursday's portion of the ongoing Brahms Festival "coldly unemotional",
"vulgar", "empty" and "hulking". I don't pretend to be a music
critic—just a casual fan, for once—but, sitting up
in a Third Tier box with the poor people, I can't claim to have been
equally offended. My ignorant ears even enjoyed some of it!
I have always thought that the quality of Brahms' symphonies mirrors
the character of each movement within them—that is, one and
four, whether referring to a symphony or any of the symphonies'
movements, are dynamite powerhouses, while two and three are...well,
not so special. Brahms' third movements especially—and
particularly when pitted against those of someone like Dvorak, a master
of the third movement—feel perfunctory.
And Lorin Maazel, conducting the New York Philharmonic on 31 May 2007,
did little to change my mind on Brahms' Third,
although it sounded probably as good as I've ever heard it. Though the
symphony itself has its moments, such as its plaintive opening, overall
I find it much of it to be melodically banal; the orchestra's
performance did nothing to change my impression, and I found my mind
wandering quite often.
I know only a small portion of the Romantics' repertoire, but what I am
familiar with I became so through Leonard Bernstein's classic
recordings with New York, so I always find it interesting and a bit
challenging to hear Maazel's interpretations. Against Bernstein, his
rhythms are slower, and his phrasing is more drawn out, stretching the
melodic sequences as if, because so many of them are by now so
familiar, he is holding them back for an element of surprise; comparing
the two conductors reminds me of comparing the speech rhythms of
Americans and Canadians. The latter is just a bit slower, even a bit
frustrating in its temper.
But the orchestra's performance of the Fourth was
rewarding, although I suppose any orchestra doing a competent
performance of that piece would thrill me; I'm still young and
inexperienced enough to be thrilled at hearing this gorgeous music
performed live. Kozinn said they played it like Tchaikovsky; I like
Tchaikovsky. What was remarkable for me about their performance of the Fourth
was Maazel's take on the third movement; he reinvented it for me in a
similar manner to which he had with Stravinsky's Rite of
Spring several months earlier. The Philharmonic played it
with gusto and bluster, giving it a wide dynamic range that allowed
frequent "dramatic blasts" to ring out. It was truly rousing, and the
highlight of the evening. I applauded enthusiastically though, as is my
custom, I did not stand.
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Allan Kozinn of the Times called
Thursday's portion of the ongoing Brahms Festival "coldly unemotional",
"vulgar", "empty" and "hulking". I don't pretend to be a music
critic—just a casual fan, for once—but, sitting up
in a Third Tier box with the poor people, I can't claim to have been
equally offended. My ignorant ears even enjoyed some of it!
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