National Symphony and Itzhak Perlman

Just came back from hearing Itzhak Perlman conducting the National Symphony. Apparently, Perlman still has a superstar status – I had originally tried to get tickets for the Saturday show, but all the seats I was willing to pay for were sold out, so J. and I had to go tonight (with a violin concerto on the program, for once we decided not sit in the chorister). Good concert, though it wasn’t the sublime experience I had hoped it would be. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Some of the words that come to mind are “academic,” “deliberate,” or, if you want to be more pejorative, “passionless” and even “flaccid.” In spots, anyway.

First up was Bach’s A-minor violin concerto, on which Pelrman soloed while conducting from the violin. The work is a real warhorse – I’ve heard my recording of Andrew Manze with the Academy of Ancient Music so many times that I could sing most of it in my sleep (though I do not recommend being present when I do so). It’s also one of those pieces, though, that I don’t think I could ever get too much of, and with Perlman being who he is, I was really looking forward to hearing it. The orchestra, reduced to Bach-appropriate size, sounded fantastic – very polished, almost slick. The counterpoint, obviously of paramount importance to Bach, was crystal clear – I could follow individual parts note for note when I wanted to. What was missing, though, was any kind of fire. I have heard smaller groups play baroque music with so much drive and brio that they practically leaped off the stage. On period instruments, no less. The NSO, on the other hand, was cruising an auto-pilot. More or less the same goes for Perlman’s soloing. Technically flawless, or nearly so, but I just didn’t hear any real feeling. He sounded like he was doing a job, not creating art.

Next on the program was Mozart’s Symphony No. 35, the Haffner. I could not recall having heard it before, and I think there is a reason – the work is a complete snoozer. Not one of Mozart’s finer moments. According to the program notes, Mozart was busy with many other projects when he wrote it. Maybe that explains it. Anyway, I tried to focus as much as I could, but other than the minor key theme in the opening movement, which has some distinctive orchestration, there just wasn’t much to keep my interest. Perlman’s and the NSO’s approach didn’t help. It was the same tepid and uninvolved playing I heard on the Bach, minus the interest of a solo part. Surely even this mediocre (for Mozart) music could have been played with more energy, but more importantly, they could have chosen a much better Mozart.

The second half redeemed Perlman and the orchestra almost completely. It was Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, his last, usually subtitled “Pathetique.” It is a beautiful work, with an unorthodox arrangement of a slow closing movement and an essentially slow opening one (the tempo marking is Adagio – Allegro non troppo, but there is a lot more Adagio than Allegro). Here, Perlman was finally able to get the NSO cooking. Maybe late Romanticism, or the Russian symphonic tradition, or both, are closer to his heart, I don’t know. The dynamics of the opening were pretty extreme, but effective. All the winds, especially the brass, were fantastic throughout. Even the famous Allegro second movement was appealing. Hackneyed though it is, hearing it live made for a much richer sound and a better idea of everything that goes on in it, and there is quite a bit. Most people just know the main theme, but the development actually has some neat stuff going on, again mostly in the winds. The closing movement, tellingly marked Adagio lamentoso, is almost Mahlerian in weight, and essentially carries the entire symphony. The musicians outdid themselves – from the bassoon in the early bars, through the collective trombone passage, the subterranean tuba part and the gorgeous, and fiendishly long, horn solo, everyone sounded spectacular. It was great to hear the work again – my only recording is an ancient LP of Klemperer conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra, and it has been a long time since I listened to the entire thing, so it was familiar and new at the same time. Lovely way to end the evening – made me forget about the blah Bach and the mediocre Mozart very quickly.