What Might Have Been

Here's another Carnegie Hall performance review, this time by Fred Kirshnit of the New York Sun (1/26/05). Mr. Kirshnit has reviewed many of Paavo's previous performances for the online music magazine, ConcertoNet. Here he reflects upon the CSO's latest New York concert in What Might Have Been. I guess this is what they refer to as a RAVE review!

"Although the concept of the Big Five orchestras in the United States has long outlived its usefulness, many critics and their readers still assume that the hierarchy of ensembles remains virtually unchallenged. In recent years, however, three of these organizations - in New York, Philadelphia, and Cleveland - have made highly questionable choices of new music directors and one, the Chicago Symphony, now finds itself in need of a new maestro. Only in Boston did the stars align properly and the board was able to catch the brass ring in the person of James Levine.

"As if the idea of the hegemony of the old quintet needed any more evidence to prove itself to be an anachronism, consider that, with the resurgence of excellence in both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, two of these old-guard ensembles, in Philadelphia and Cleveland, are now arguably not even the best orchestras in their own home states. And the New York Philharmonic may not be the best on its own plaza.

"About three years ago, when so many ensembles were looking for new blood and at least professed to be interested in the younger generation, some of us highly recommended an extremely proficient guest conductor named Paavo Jarvi. He was soon snapped up by the excellent Cincinnati Symphony to continue the tradition of Thomas Schippers, Michael Gielen, and Jesus Lopez-Cobos. Now that he has been in harness for a couple of years, he has proven his supporters right and the big five boards wrong. Luckily for New Yorkers, he brings his troops once a year to Carnegie Hall.

"Monday evening's Scandinavian program began with the New York premiere of the Symphony No. 8 of Aulis Sallinen, whom readers might be forgiven for confusing with fellow Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen, better known in this country than his countryman because of his fine work as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. There is a tendency among reviewers to discuss the relative merits of new pieces and ignore an examination of how they were performed, so let's buck that trend this one time and concentrate on the fine interpretation by Mr. Jarvi and his forces.

"From the outset it was clear that this ensemble is at the top of its form. Breathily hollow, organ-like enunciations from the winds added a layer of mystery to the new work. The strings were lush and remarkably disciplined, the percussion - and there was a lot of work for them to do - precise and dramatic. Mr. Sallinen has embraced tonality and provided many opportunities for full-bodied romantic orchestral sound, delivered lovingly by the lower strings and supported beautifully this night by effectively resonating deep brass.

"I have heard Lars Vogt perform live many times and have never thought of him as a Grieg Piano Concerto kind of guy. After this superb performance, I still cling to this opinion in the sense that he did not deliver the big, Hollywood version of the old warhorse, providing a thoughtful and arrestingly quiet version in its stead. This kinder, gentler conception meshed perfectly with Mr. Jarvi's subtly colorful accompaniment. The piece is famous for its opening descending piano chords; in this suggestive reading, the really impressive section was the beginning of the normally neglected second movement Adagio. Seldom have I heard such gorgeous pianissimo playing by an entire entourage.

"Mr. Vogt was consistently lyrical in his traversal, as well as amazingly accurate. This type of rethinking will not cause me to run home and throw out my Michelangeli recording anytime soon, but I found its understated grace highly satisfying. And apparently so did the Carnegie audience, who refused to let Mr. Vogt leave the stage without an encore, a freshly insouciant rendition of a finale from a Haydn sonata.

"The program closed with the lovely Fifth Symphony of Sibelius. Here the Estonian Mr. Jarvi is as good as any conductor alive (including his father) and exhibits a special connection with the naturalistic side of this music. Both the beginning and ending of this great work are notorious for orchestral misconduct, but this evening the horns were simply ravishing at the start. The hair-raising conclusion - it's the one with the six dramatic pauses - was just thrilling.

"In between was more of that quiet eloquence. There is a long solo passage for bassoon in the Allegro moderato section, and not only was the principal player excellent, but the underlying string swirling was softly magnificent. The orchestra was simply superb and, at present, a definite step above many more highly touted neighboring ensembles.

"One more thing about Paavo Jarvi. He is especially impressive for what he does not do. No preening, no posing, no podium dancing, no posturing. This man simply goes about his business, extracting the finest possible playing from his eager charges. I'm guessing that they will try to keep him in Cincinnati for a very long time."