Mahler and Chopin At 1st Week of Philharmonic Season

[Ralph]

Opening night for the New York Philharmonic was last Wednesday, televised on PBS. Tonight the first subscription concert featured two rarely performed works, Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Mahler's Symphony No. 1.

Lang Lang was the pianist who gave a nuanced and excellent performance under Music Director Lorin Maazel. A very sophisticated musically friend has decried Lang Lang as "Bang Bang" but that youthful over-percussive style was definitely absent tonight.

Mahler's First Symphony was very well performed by this outstanding orchestra. Not the best "Titan" I've ever heard but certainly very good.

Avery Fisher Hall was packed.

[GK]

I recorded this performance from PBS and watched it last night. I thought this was the best performance I ever heard of the Chopin first piano concerto, with the possible exception of the Novaes recording which I haven't heard in years. I agree with Ralph that the Mahler 1 was good but not great. I was more impressed by the Masur performance of a few years ago, I'm sure Ralph agrees. I also remember a Mehta opening night Mahler 1. This work is obviously a favorite season opener for the NYPO.

[Ralph]

I recorded this performance from PBS and watched it last night. I thought this was the best performance I ever heard of the Chopin first piano concerto, with the possible exception of the Novaes recording which I haven't heard in years. I agree with Ralph that the Mahler 1 was good but not great. I was more impressed by the Masur performance of a few years ago, I'm sure Ralph agrees. I also remember a Mehta opening night Mahler 1. This work is obviously a favorite season opener for the NYPO.

*****

I suspect Mahler 1 has been performed by the NYP more than any of the composer's other symphonies. I did like the Masur performance very much.

Mehta is the only conductor, to my knowledge, to have ever performed Mahler 1 in New York with the deleted "Blumine" movement, a novelty but not an improvement.

[Library Bob]

Caught the concert on the PBS and am agreed with all the above, particularly the Chopin concerto # 1. Lang Lang has, indeed, come a long way in a few years, and, unless somebody decides to dig up Artur Rubinstein, I will never hear a better performance of the concerto than I did the other night.

[Gregg]

I attended the open rehearsal and listened to parts of the concert via my stereo.

Fascinating contrasts from a listening perspective, but that's for a different forum.

I think that the Honeymoon may be easing. In the Mahler, Maazel looked as if he was trying to pull a different type of performance from the NYP judging from his body language, particularly in the 2nd and 3rd movements.

Musically the NYP seems to streamline Mahler too much. One player I was impressed with was the flautist. Fantastic playing in the first movement.


Gregg