Concert Review: Deep Space Ninth

The New York Philharmonic tours the heavens with Bruckner.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Man in motion: the conductor Christoph Eschenbach.
Photo by Chris Lee.

A good idea is a good idea. That might be the rationale between this weeks New York Philharmonic program which pairs Mozart’s charming Piano Concerto No. 22 with Anton Bruckner’s sprawling, ambitious and ultimately unfinished Symphony No. 9 under the baton of guest conductor Christopher Eschenbach. For New York’s Bruckner enthusiasts, this concert evoked memories of January 2017, when Daniel Barenboim led the Berlin Staatskapelle in a cycle of Bruckner symphonies at Carnegie Hall, pairing the shorter works with the major Mozart piano concertos. (Mr. Barenboim paired the Ninth  with Piano Concerto No. 23.)

Concert Review: The Happy Ending Machine

Christoph Eschenbach brings the Bamberg Symphony to Carnegie Hall.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

The priestly Christoph Eschenbach.
Photo by Margot Ingoldsby Schulman for the National Symphony Orchestra.

Carnegie Hall is one of the busiest venues in New York City, booking hundreds of concerts each calendar year through its in-house organization and also hosting a myriad of other performances who rent out the historic venue to play. One such concert was on Wednesday night, when the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra returned to New York under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach.

Concert Review: Hey Now, They Wear All-Stars

The National Youth Orchestra of the U.S.A. plays Carnegie Hall.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

The young artists of the National Youth Orchestra, rehearsing at SUNY Purchase.
Phoo by Chris Lee © 2016 Carnegie Hall.

Carnegie Hall is usually quiet in the summer months, its hallowed stage bereft of the pianists, orchestras and conductors that parade across its boards in the other three seasons of the year. And yet on July 14, that venue was abuzz with the activity normally associated with a big symphonic concert. The risers were installed. The instruments were arranged. The piano was brought in. The reason: the second annual appearance of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach.

Concert Review: The Celebrity Apprentice

Christoph Eschenbach conducts the New York Philharmonic.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Christoph Eschenbach. Photo © 2016 IMG Artists.

Most reviewers see concerts, and especially those by the New York Philharmonic, on opening night. But there's something to be learned from going to the Tuesday night performance of a concert program. Would the musicians, having played a piece all weekend be on orchestral autopilot? Or will they add that extra grain of inspiration in their last collaboration of the season with a well-known guest conductor.

2014 in Review: The Five Best Orchestral Concerts

Our year-end wrapup continues with the best of the concert hall.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

When Lorin Maazel (left) dropped out of a planned pair of April concerts,
two substitutes (Valery Gergiev and Fabio Luisi) were brought in.
This image was the result and it's my favorite photoshop I did this year.. Photo alteration by the author.

Here at Superconductor, we go to a lot of concerts. And these are five that stood out in 2014 as our year-end best of rolls forward. From the Civil War hymns reimagined by David Lang (and played in the bowels of an aircraft carrier)  to the symphonic weirdness of Carl Nielsen heard at Avery Fisher Hall, these are the five finest from an interesting year at the symphony. Chronological order.

Concert Review: Quantum of Sadness

The Vienna Philharmonic perform Schubert and Mahler.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Christoph Eschenbach.
Photo by Eric Brissaud © 2014 ChristophEschenbach.com

The Vienna Philharmonic returned to New York last week. But last night was the concert where the venerable orchestra, currently in the midst of Vienna: City of Dreams a three week celebration of all things Austrian at Carnegie Hall finally played at a level equal to their stellar international reputation. It might have to do with the two works programmed: Schubert's two-movement Symphony No. 8 in B minor (known popularly as the Unfinished Symphony) and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 4.

Concert Review: His Favorite Instrument

The National Symphony Orchestra closes out Spring For Music.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Dmitri Shostakovich (left) and his good friend and interpreter Mstislav Rostropovich.

The National Symphony Orchestra has called the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. home since that venue opened in 1971. In 1974, the NSO gained its most famous music director, when the Russian conductor and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich took over the position shortly after his defection from the former Soviet Union. He held that post for 23 years, stepping down in 1997 to resume an international performing career.

Concert Review: The Philosopher's Stone

Christoph Eschenbach conducts Bruch and Bruckner.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Knowing the score: conductor Christoph Eschenbach.

This week's New York Philharmonic concerts bring together the Romantic violin flourishes of Max Bruch with the staid, cathedral-like sound of Anton Bruckner. At first look, the two composers have nothing in common except for the first four letters of their last names.

It was the task of conductor Christoph Eschenbach to bridge these two very different sound-worlds. He accomplished that by juxtaposing Bruch's Violin Concerto, a stirring, Romantic favorite with the Bruckner Sixth, the shortest and least performed of the Austrian composer's mature symphonies. On Wednesday night, the two works proved to have a potent one-two punch under Mr. Eschenbach, the pianist-turned-conductor who currently heads the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C.

For the concerto, the orchestra was joined by Pinchas Zukerman. Mr. Zukerman played the solo part with rich low tones and a supple sound that swelled in volume as it rose in pitch.Mr. Eschenbach kept the concerto flowing smoothly forward from the Introduction to the central Adagio, supporting the soloist with rich color in the brass and woodwinds. The strings formed a lush support for the solo line in this slow movement, allowing Mr. Zukerman room to expand the central theme. The final Allegro dance allowed fresh opportunities for virtuoso flights and rhythmic drive as Mr. Eschenbach led the orchestra in Bruch's kinetic dance.