Dutoit conducts the NHK Symphony
On April 15 I attended a subscription program of the NHK Symphony in NHK Hall under the baton of Charles Dutoit.
The program began with Ravel’s “Rapsodie Espagnole” one of my least favorite of Ravel’s orchestral pieces. Dutoit naturally knows his way around French music, and the orchestra responded vigorously. This was followed by Mozart’s 20th piano concerto with Piotr Anderszewski, who performed beautifully. How is it that these soloists look so young and turn out to be much older than they appear?
The second half of the program was much more interesting. Anderszweski returned to be the soloist is Szymanowski’s Symphony No. 4, in which the piano plays a concertante part. This was my kind of music – post-romantic, energetic, enigmatic, emotional, lush. An altogether satisfying performance of a piece I’d like to hear again.
The concert ended with Ravel’s “La Valse” wherein I suppose he tries to recreate the success of “Bolero”. A nice, light piece of music, again with that Frenchness that a French conductor can squeeze out of a Japanese orchestra.
All in all, this was a satisfying couple hours on a gloomy Saturday afternoon. But my last experience of Dutoit, in which he conducted a piece by Tan Dun in the same hall with the same orchestra, was one of those evenings I’ll never forget.
Anne Sofie von Otter
Another fine mezzo-soprano, Anne Sofie von Otter, gave a recital on April 11 at Suntory Hall. She was accompanied by pianist Bengt Forsberg and Nils-Erik Sparf on viola and violin. Altogether different in repertoire and style from Cecilia Bartolli a few days earlier, she presented an equally satisfying evening of well-chosen and well-sung works.
The program included two songs for alto, viola and piano by Brahms and Schumann’s “Frauenliebe und Leben.” These were elegantly sung but not my cup of tea. More satisfying to me were a series of songs by Korngold and Reynaldo Hahn, whose works were particularly elegant and satisfying.
At that point she had sung in German, English and French. She continued in French with Debussy’s “Trois Chansons de Bilitis” and Berlioz’s “Le roi de Thule”. The Debussy was magnificent; the Berlioz, as always for me, forgettable. Her program ended with a few of Canteloube’s “Songs of the Auvergne”.
Von Otter is a regal woman who sings in an expressive and elegant manner. She is a fine artist and apparently a warm-hearted soul who received the crowd’s adulation with humility touched with good humor. She responded to the usual Japanese demand for multiple encores with a couple Swedish songs. With a final number by Tom Waits, I knew it was time to call it a night.
Cecilia Bartoli and Myung-Whun Chung
On March 21 I attended a recital by Cecilia Bartoli accompanied by Myung-Whun Chung on the piano. As with any event of this nature, I speculate about the audience members who have paid $400 for the top price tickets. Who are they? Fervent music lovers? People who want to be seen at the right places? It’s hard to say, particularly when there seemed to be several young couples with two or three children in tow. I’m not sure what thrills a recital of this type holds for a six-year-old, but at least the children were unobtrusive. Perhaps the majority of the audience was like me, the recipient of a comp ticket from a student of mine who happens to be Chung’s niece. In any event, a full house multiplied by $400 a ticket – yow!
Cecilia Bartoli’s repertoire seems to end in mid-19th century, where my interests really begin. And yet, she is an artist of such finesse and sensitivity that I was captivated from the first moment through the encores. What a great, full, beautiful voice! What artistry! I kept thinking throughout how mediocre the voices I have been hearing the past few years are in comparison to a truly great voice.
The highlights of the recital included a set of songs by Bellini and Delibes’ “Les filles de Cadix”. Shading and nuance, lustrous fullness, expressivity – phrases of that sort still run through my mind as I attempt to relive a magical evening. There was a slight thinness in a couple very high notes, but her range is impressive. And my student said the next today that when she spoke to her backstage, Miss Bartoli said she hadn’t been feeling well. So, if she sings that well on an off-night, she must be magnificent when she’s really on.
I totally enjoyed the event – although on basic principles I never would have spent that amount of money. And I liked that she did a crossover tune “Non ti scordar di me” as an encore. I understand her fame.
