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Last Night's Concert: Mutter, Muti, Tchaikovsky and broken things.
Topic Started: Sep 27 2017, 04:47 AM (69 Views)
George K
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Finally
Last night’s season opener for the Chicago Symphony was an interesting event. Riccardo Muti led the orchestra through an interesting program. I was able to get a good seat that’s not on my subscription for only $35. I sat in the lower balcony, 5th row, to the left, about a third of the way from center stage. It was a great seat to watch the fireworks.

Muti opened the concert with Penderecki’s “The Awakening of Jacob.” This piece was used by Stanley Kubrick in “The Shining.” I know little of Penderecki’s music, other than it tends to be atonal, difficult and, in my opinion unlikeable. I tried to listen to this a few times in the last week, but just couldn’t wrap my head around it. Perhaps it was because I didn’t really *listen* as much as have it playing while doing something else. Well, sitting in Orchestra Hall, makes you listen to it. I was surprised.

The music starts out with a growling from the basses and brass, and it’s accompanied by an other-worldly sound of rushing wind. I had to look to see what that sound was - it was the entire woodwind section playing ocarinas! Much 20th century music gives me the sense that it’s not “going anywhere,” that it’s just a collection of a-melodic sounds. I didn’t get that feeling at all with this relatively short piece (about 8 minutes), and I actually looked forward to where it was going to take me next. No, it has no “tune” - it sort of reminds me of Ligeti’s “Atmospheres,” but with more of a drive.

The CSO, of course, was wonderful in its musicianship, and I’ll be revisiting this piece again.

The highlight of the evening was Anne Sophie Mutter. She hasn’t been to Chicago in over 20 years, and I was thrilled that I got a chance to see her perform. On the program was the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. Putting the music aside for a second, Mutter made quite the entrance in a long, flowing bright yellow bare-shoulder gown. For a woman in her mid-50s, she can still wear that kind of stuff. She walked out with Muti, and she placed a handkerchief onto Muti’s music desk, which he discreetly placed, behind the score, a corner of it peeking out so she could retrieve it later. I found it interesting how she stood to Muti’s left, like most soloists, but interestingly, she also stood back, at a 45 degree angle to the podium. I think it was a deliberate move to allow her to communicate with Muti better, because each performer was always in the other’s sight.

On to the music…

My understanding is that Mutter plays a Stradivarius, and my poor ears could never appreciate the subtle differences that one violin has from another. I was amazed, however, at the sounds she was able to get out of this thing. From the opening lyrical bars, which seemed to rise out of nowhere to the growling double-stops, her instrument had versatility that I hadn’t, in the past appreciated. Sitting where I was, looking straight down at her, I could see how fiendishly difficult a concerto this is. Just before the cadenza, during a long break in the soloists section, she took the handkerchief and placed it on her left shoulder. She worked and she worked hard. The cadenza was breathtaking, and Mutter was able to evoke the themes that were buried in it so you could say “Yeah, I’ve heard that before” while not losing it in a dazzling display of virtuosity. The virtuosity was there, in spades, but I never lost sense of the music during the cadenza. The moment when the cadenza comes to a close, and the orchestra returns with the triumphant theme for the coda was wonderful.

(please no applause between movements) After the first movement, everyone was so dazzled that many (and I mean at least half the audience) broke into applause. This wasn’t the usual “rube concert-goer” applause, but a genuine amazement of how good it really was.

The second movement was a welcome respite from the fire and fury of the first, and Mutter’s Strad was up to the softness that Tchaikovsky wrote for this movement. It proceeded, subito, into the finale rondo. Once again, the Strad was up to the task. Mutter was able to take the Russian-sounding rondo theme and make it real dance music. I could imagine high-kicking Cossacks dancing to this music. My only criticism was that a couple of times, at the return of the rondo theme (which starts slowly) seemed to be a bit rushed to get up to tempo before getting into the variations. The finale didn’t have the power and fire of the first movement, but it had all the virtuosity. It was a fun finish to a remarkable performance.

At the finish, everyone leapt to their feet, me included. As I looked around, during curtain call after curtain call, everyone in the audience was standing (I could see well from my seat, even into the upper balcony). It was amazing. After the fourth curtain call, Mutter did an encore (I think it was a gigue from one of Bach’s solo partitas, but don’t hold me to that). She was rewarded with a fifth curtain call after that. I don’t think I’ve *ever* seen that at the CSO.

After intermission, Muti conducted the CSO in a performance of the Schumann 2nd symphony. I’m not a huge fan of Schumann’s symphonies (the 1st and 3rd are probably my favorites, and I haven’t heard the 2nd in a long time). I was surprised at the size of the ensemble that was there for this piece. I expected a more “Beethoven size” orchestra. Perhaps this was a conscious decision by Muti. There were 8 double basses, probably a total of 30-40 violins.

Once the music started, I started to understand the size of the orchestra. The first movement, to me at least, is boring. It has some ascending passages that are mirrored with a descent, and I got the feeling that Schumann was trying to emulate Beethoven in his use of a dotted figure that recurs throughout the movement. Up and down, over and over. However, Muti’s approach struck me as definitely Romantic in its nature. He was fluid with tempi and dynamics, occasionally almost kneeling to get softness out of various sections. It worked pretty well. Had Muti not done so, this movement would have come off as a bunch of Teutonic twaddle (and it came perilously close to that).

The second movement Scherzo is my favorite, with a catchy theme and a light nature. The trio section of it always seemed a bit awkward, just thrown in for the sake of form.

Then, something surprising happened. After the Scherzo, the second viola handed his instrument back to the violist behind him, who, in turn handed back to the violist sitting behind her. Apparently, he had broken a string, and he commandeered the viola of the fellow three rows back. During the Adagio, this poor fellow struggled to repair the instrument, and he was able to get it working by the time of the finale. The Adagio itself is another confusing movement. It has a sad, though not mournful, theme in c-minor that is interrupted, about half way through, by a short fugue (also played adagio). It’s as though Schumann said, “Hey, I should tip the had to Bach. Let me throw in a fugue.”

After the exchange of violas was completed, the finale was played with the Romantic tone that Muti showed in the first movement. It has its share of rousing themes, and a long, long coda to bring it to a close.

Various sections were pointed out by Muti during his curtain calls (especially the principal oboe, who was great). On his third curtain call, Muti walked over to the 2nd viola and gave him a rousing pat on the shoulder for braving through a non-functional instrument exchange. If it had been me, I would have congratulated the guy who *fixed* the instrument. Nevertheless there were lots of smiles at that point. Muti left the stage, smiling at the audience (which he *never* does) and waved “bye-bye” much as a three-year-old would, opening and closing his fingers at the audience.

It was a fun evening. The highlight was, of course, Mutter, and I’m thrilled that I had the opportunity to see her. I was also please that the Penderecki encouraged me to explore more of his music.
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Klaus
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HOLY CARP!!!
Thanks for the interesting report.

$35 is really cheap. I once tried to get last-minute tickets to a concert involving Mutter in Cologne, and even the cheapest ones were much more expensive. From what I heard, she's a rather "difficult" person.

I'm not a big fan of the Schumann symphonies either, but I'd have liked to listen to the Tchaik VC a lot.
Trifonov Fleisher Klaus Sokolov Zimmerman
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George K
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The CSO has "specials" about 4 times a year. Any seat that's not sold as part of the subscription series is offered at a ridiculously low price. They are advertised via email and their FB page. I've taken advantage of these offers 3 times. The usual price for that seat would have been about $120 or so.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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Klaus
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HOLY CARP!!!
(note to self: must visit GK and get a cheap ticket for the CSO)
Trifonov Fleisher Klaus Sokolov Zimmerman
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George K
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Klaus
Sep 27 2017, 05:51 AM
(note to self: must visit GK and get a cheap ticket for the CSO)
You can get seats for this one at $35:

https://cso.org/ticketsandevents/production-details-2017-18/chicago-symphony-orchestra/bernstein-west-side-story/?perfNo=8527&source_no=27675
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
George K
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Finally
Posted Image
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
George K
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Finally
Speaking of cheap...

Taking advantage of the (ahem) "Senior Fare" for the train downtown, it was only $4.80 to get downtown and back. The venue is about a mile from the train station - a quick walk. So, this evening only cost me about $40. No parking, no taxis, etc.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Klaus
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HOLY CARP!!!
But what about the bottle of Moët & Chandon you consumed in the break?
Trifonov Fleisher Klaus Sokolov Zimmerman
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