Wednesday, March 4, 1998
Young conductor performs works with renowned concert pianist
MUSIC: L.A. Philharmonic provides fantastic show, debuts of
Levin, Harding
By Ai Goldsmith
Daily Bruin contributor
Last Friday, the Los Angeles Philharmonic gave an energetic
performance, featuring 22-year-old British conductor Daniel Harding
and renowned Mozart specialist Robert Levin. The performance, which
featured works by Bruckner, Mozart and Bartok, marked Harding and
Levin’s debut at the Music Center.
This was also the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s first performance
of Bruckner’s String Quintet in F major in a version for string
orchestra. This unusual performance of the quintet gave the piece a
rich, full sound, perhaps bigger and better than when played one
per part. After hearing this performance, one may never be
satisfied with the quintet when played as written. Since the string
orchestra version magnifies the sound and makes the music more
dramatic, the symphonic quality of the piece begins to emerge.
Following Bruckner’s String Quintet in F major, Robert Levin
performed the Piano Concerto No. 27 by Mozart. Although feelings of
hopelessness and resignation reverberate throughout the piece,
Levin’s energetic performance brought out the beauty and delight of
Mozart’s work. True to his fame for improvisation, Levin’s
improvised cadenza was impressive and captured the Mozartian
spirit.
Levin’s much-applauded performance by no means stole the
spotlight. Harding’s expressive conducting left the audience in
awe.
Harding, who became the principal conductor of the Trondheim
Symphony Orchestra this season, has already built a name for
himself as an accomplished conductor. His conducting, characterized
by sweeping, graceful motion, is amazingly polished.
But while Harding’s conducting was wonderfully sensitive and
expressive, at times it seemed too grandiose, especially during the
slow, quiet movements within the Bruckner Quintet. During these
movements, Harding’s romantic, rather than military, style of
conducting overwhelmed the mood of the piece and the size of the
ensemble. This made Harding appear as if he were following the
music in his mind rather than what the ensemble played.
It was not until the Mozart Piano Concerto or Bartok’s The
Miraculous Mandarin that his conducting truly suited the music.
Since Harding’s conducting seems to suit large, symphonic works,
one looks forward to seeing him conduct large-scale symphonies by
composers such as Brahms and Beethoven.
The evening, which began peacefully with Bruckner, ended
dramatically with a suite from Bartok’s ballet, The Miraculous
Mandarin. Based on Menyhert Lengyel’s story "A csodalatos mandarin"
(The Miraculous Mandarin), a "pantomime grotesque," as he called
it, the music illustrates a story about the will to live,
fulfillment of desire and death.
This piece, formed by an imagination affected by war, premiered
in 1926 in Cologne, Germany. Although the original performance was
greeted with moral outrage, the performance by the Los Angeles
Philharmonic closed with a standing ovation.