Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

New York Philharmonic: Great and not great

Rhythmic intensity and lyrical insensitivity

New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic

The New York Philharmonic gave a concert at Symphony Hall on Wednesday night, May 4. It was loud.

The concert was presented by the La Jolla Music Society as a part of their Celebrity Orchestra Series.

There are a few ways to speak of the performance. One would be an experience of riveting rhythmic energy as every single nuance of Beethoven and Sibélius was emphasized and expressed.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Video:

Valse Triste

Jean Sibélius, 1980

Jean Sibélius, 1980

Another would be an experience of Beethoven and Sibélius which emphasized the rhythms to such an extent that the music was distorted and the line was nonexistent.

I oscillated between the two for the entire concert. There were sections music when maestro Alan Gilbert's approach made sense and the effect was dazzling.

There were sections when the rhythmic structure was overbearing and the effect was disappointing. It felt as though Gilbert was determined to keep any hint of sentimentality out of the music.

I'm unsure of Gilbert's intention in removing the sentiment. It could be that he is trying to create an accurate representation of the music in order to allow the composer to be preeminent.

The Beethoven segment of the concert, Egmont Overture and Symphony No. 7, were impressive, but I was unmoved. The ability of the orchestra was thrilling, but it felt as though they were attached to the rhythm of the music to the detriment of the line.

The concert was not all impressive feats of “squared-off” rhythms. The Sibélius Symphony No. 7 was a revelation. The orchestra settled down after the victorious conclusion of Beethoven’s Seventh and the glory of Sibélius’s vision was revealed. The brass, which had been aggressive if not downright arrogant in Beethoven, blunted their swords and let the golden glow of Sibélius shine on the audience.

The concert concluded with Sibélius’s Finlandia and then an encore of Sibélius’s Valse Triste.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Tyler Farr, Blue Water Film Festival, Mustache Bash

Events March 21-March 23, 2024
Next Article

Gonzo Report: Stinkfoot Orchestra conjures Zappa at Winstons

His music is a blend of technical excellence and not-so-subtle humor
New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic

The New York Philharmonic gave a concert at Symphony Hall on Wednesday night, May 4. It was loud.

The concert was presented by the La Jolla Music Society as a part of their Celebrity Orchestra Series.

There are a few ways to speak of the performance. One would be an experience of riveting rhythmic energy as every single nuance of Beethoven and Sibélius was emphasized and expressed.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Video:

Valse Triste

Jean Sibélius, 1980

Jean Sibélius, 1980

Another would be an experience of Beethoven and Sibélius which emphasized the rhythms to such an extent that the music was distorted and the line was nonexistent.

I oscillated between the two for the entire concert. There were sections music when maestro Alan Gilbert's approach made sense and the effect was dazzling.

There were sections when the rhythmic structure was overbearing and the effect was disappointing. It felt as though Gilbert was determined to keep any hint of sentimentality out of the music.

I'm unsure of Gilbert's intention in removing the sentiment. It could be that he is trying to create an accurate representation of the music in order to allow the composer to be preeminent.

The Beethoven segment of the concert, Egmont Overture and Symphony No. 7, were impressive, but I was unmoved. The ability of the orchestra was thrilling, but it felt as though they were attached to the rhythm of the music to the detriment of the line.

The concert was not all impressive feats of “squared-off” rhythms. The Sibélius Symphony No. 7 was a revelation. The orchestra settled down after the victorious conclusion of Beethoven’s Seventh and the glory of Sibélius’s vision was revealed. The brass, which had been aggressive if not downright arrogant in Beethoven, blunted their swords and let the golden glow of Sibélius shine on the audience.

The concert concluded with Sibélius’s Finlandia and then an encore of Sibélius’s Valse Triste.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Looking back at race relations in Coronado

A former football player recalls the good and the bad
Next Article

Pacific Beach – car thief's paradise

Take photos of your automobile and license plate
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.