New York Philharmonic Visiting Conductor Livens Up the Classics

The New York Philharmonic hired the music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, David Robertson, to guest conduct three diverse pieces in a series that ends tonight: Mozart’s Symphony No. 34, Bartok’s Violin Concerto No. 2—with violinist Leonidas Kavakos—and the classic Brahms Symphony No. 3.

Mozart’s Symphony No. 34 is an important, though underrated, piece of music. Just before Mozart moved from Salzburg to Vienna, he wrote this symphony while undoubtedly frustrated because of disagreements with his patron, the Archbishop of Salzburg. It is easy to hear his frustration translated into a sense of expansion and openness, and the desire to stretch beyond one’s limits and break through confines. The open key of C Major attests to this feeling of expansion, and the way Robertson highlighted the bright trumpets and underlying timpani made this symphony seem larger and more prodigious than Mozart’s earlier ones.

Robertson’s broad conducting contributed to the lively and unrestrained qualities of the piece. His sweeping motions brought out fluidity in the orchestra, and his gesticulations were sometimes so grandiose that he seemed to generate momentum, which was sensitively detected by the orchestra and used to their advantage. The first movement was bright and proud in nature, and Robertson’s active conducting made him seem as though he were not simply leading the chamber orchestra logistically, but that he was also the source of its energy and power. The last movement was vivacious—the violins singing effervescent high notes, and the oboes interjecting brightly. Most striking of all was the pervading sense of movement born of Robertson’s all-encompassing motions, which were greatly appreciated by an orchestra accustomed to more subtle direction.

To play the second Bartok Violin Concerto is a feat in itself. But to play it with the clear, crystalline quality demonstrated by Leonidas Kavakos is downright virtuosic. The concerto is dominated by extremely fast passages and littered with chromatics and quarter tones, reminiscent of Schoenberg but more clearly utilizing old folk tunes. The speeding thirty-second note passages are extremely susceptible to sounding muddy and unimportant, like simple filigree leading up to a long note or cadenza, but Kavakos played the entire piece as though it was a Bach fugue—every note with definite purpose, direction, and meaning, albeit at lightning speed. The pristine quality of the chromatics and the conviction in pitch during the quarter tone passages demonstrated Kavakos’ deep understanding and confidence in this concerto, and while some parts may have sounded incomprehensible at first, Kavakos’ virtuosity imparted the sincerity with which this concerto must be taken. The orchestra did a wonderful job of complimenting Kavakos, embracing unsettling meter changes and counterintuitive chords.

Last was the passionate Brahms Third Symphony. The moderate tempo was refreshing—too often conductors attempt to impart musical sophistication by speeding up the tempo, causing the heart-throbbing moments of a piece to whiz by. Beethoven’s influence is evident in this piece, especially in the heroic quality of the first movement, which is often compared to his Third Symphony, “Eroica.” Tranquility and peace pervaded the second movement, which brought to mind an impressionistic painting of nature as the sparkling woodwinds dribbled descending notes in canon led by the principal flautist. Continuously Robertson had to hush the strings in order to bring out the woodwinds in their intertwining variations of the theme. The third movement is the highlight of the piece, due in great part to its melancholy. The celli passionately introduced the theme, and Robertson all but let them take over the woeful moment in an act of trust. The movement was dominated by a far-reaching and soulful horn solo by associate principal Erik Ralske, and created a sense of yearning and desire in the recapitulation of the exposition in a different key. The brass led this movement with their omnipotent, rich sounds and fanfare-like interjections.

Robertson’s explosive gestures drew out a more reckless sound from the orchestra, which was a nice change from their rather orthodox renditions of classic pieces like Brahms symphonies—though he may have occasionally let his excitement get the best of him, with the result that certain full section entrances sounded ambiguous. Despite this, the event of a visiting conductor of such high caliber and emphatic musicality is always an exciting one for the New York Philharmonic.

The Philharmonic will be performing this program with David Robertson through today, Oct. 28.