By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News
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Los Angeles Philharmonic; Charles Dutoit, conductor; Jean-Yves Thibadeut, pianist
Ravel: Ma méyre l’oye (Mother Goose) Suite; Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor; Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78 (Organ)
Thursday, April 17, 2008 • Walt Disney Concert Hall
Other performances: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
Info: www.laphil.com
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In his 16-year tenure as its music director, Esa-Pekka Salonen has built the Los Angeles Philharmonic into the world's most adventurous orchestra and also one of its finest. Along the way, he has taken concertgoers on a wild ride through classical music's 20th and 21st centuries: from Igor Stravinsky to Witold Lutoslawski, from John Adams to his own compositions, from Concrete Frequency to Minimalist Jukebox, with healthy doses of Mahler, Bartok and Shostakovich thrown in for good measure.
Once in a while, however, even the most curious music lover needs a dose of old-fashioned romanticism: music with sweeping melodies, a concerto that shows off a flamboyant protagonist, an evening where rafter-shaking power is king. That's what we're getting this weekend at Walt Disney Concert Hall, with veteran Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit firmly in control and pianist Jean-Yves Thibadeut riding the music of Edward Grieg to flights of fancy.
The 71-year-old Dutoit is now chief conductor and artistic advisor of the Philadelphia Orchestra (a.k.a., music director minus administrative details) but he is best known for his 25-year tenure heading L'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, a period when he and that ensemble developed a unique sound that worked wonders in French repertoire.
So it was no surprise that Dutoit came to L.A. conducting French music; that's one of the advantages of being a famous guest conductor. He also rearranged the orchestra with cellos and basses on his right, violas in the middle and all the violins on his left; whether it was the revamped look or an actual sonic difference, the orchestra's strings seemed to produce a skosh leaner sound than we normally hear, the sort of sound that Dutoit promulgated in Montreal.
On an oddly constructed program (the first half was 20 minutes longer than the second) when power might have ridden roughshod over everything, it was the gentle, lyrical moments that made the deepest impression last night.
Knowing what was to come power-wise, Dutoit opened with a gentle, exquisite reading of Ravel's Mother Goose Suite that was highlighted by superb solo work from the wind principals: Michelle Zukovsky, clarinet; Catherine Ransom Karoly, flute; Marion Arthus Kuszyk, oboe; and David Breidenthal, bassoon. Although Dutoit had a score in front of him, he never turned a page; in fact, it turned out to be the score for the next piece. Instead, he used conducting gestures that were almost minimalist and let the music speak for itself.
Dutoit was far more animated during the performance of Grieg's Piano Concerto in A. He and the soloist, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, often seemed to be on different planets in their concept of this familiar concerto, which lurched from quirky to thrilling and back.
Thibaudet raced through the many virtuosic passages (which seemed not quite as note-perfect as he usually delivers) but he employed a wide range of dynamics and was particularly impressive in the quiet moments. The orchestra did its best to follow the strange meanderings of both conductor and soloist, and while it may not seem so from my comments, there were far more satisfying moments than problematic ones.
After intermission, Dutoit and the Phil essayed Saint-Saens' Symphony No. 3 (Organ), a piece that hasn't been played in Disney Hall since the hall's mighty pipe organ was dedicated four years ago (L.A. Phil Music Director has no use for organ music, to judge by his programming).
The Montreal Symphony's concert hall, Place des Arts, doesn't have a pipe organ (in 1982, the orchestra recorded the piece and melded it a different recording of a basilica organ), so conducting the symphony in a hall with the sort of instrument ensconced in Disney must have seemed like heaven to Dutoit. He made the most of it.
As is the case in that 1982 recording, Dutoit kept urging this piece forward last night, emphasizing dynamic shadings throughout much of its 32 minutes. The orchestra's principal keyboard player, Joanne Pearce Martin, was on the organ bench, melding nicely with the orchestra in the second section, providing a pleasingly bright registration for the crashing C major chord that opens the fourth section, and then nearly drowning out the full orchestra in the final measures.
If you've never heard this piece played with a real pipe organ, this is your weekend. The program repeats tonight and Saturday night at 8 and Sunday afternoon at 2.
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(c) Copyright 2008, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.
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