Concerts with Perlman February 5, 2007
Posted by Charles Noble in : the orchestra world, 1 comment so far
photo credit: sophie yao - the oregonian
First of all, here is the nicely written review by James McQuillen of the Oregonian.
I’d say McQuillen hit the nail pretty much on the head. It would have been nice to hear more of Perlman’s playing - it really was the draw for much of the crowd. His orchestral appearances with this orchestra are rarer than hen’s teeth (he hasn’t appeared since I joined the orchestra 11 years ago), and though the Beethoven Romances are wonderful little gems, there was little for the audience to sink their teeth into (aside from music-making as only Perlman could deliver, that is).
Perlman as a conductor is an interesting animal. He is full of great ideas that he is able to convey fairly well. He’s not a virtuoso with the baton like he is with the violin - but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. He gives the orchestra a chance to breathe - to shape phrases with a common voice, but without a straightjacket.
The concerts were a measure of how much the orchestra has grown artistically over the last five years. We could never have sustained the level of rhythmic discipline with minimal direction in years past, and even when the sound was full-out in the Tchaikowsky, there was always a suppleness, depth and lack of hardness that wouldn’t have been present before.
It would be a coup if we were able to establish a continuing relationship with the maestro for future seasons - he would, I hazard a guess on behalf of the rest of the orchestra, be a welcomed presence on the podium, both from the stage and the hall. Rumor has it that he might return in the 08-09 season - this would depend upon many variables including his availability - but it is a good rumor to think about!
P.S. - as for the photo - you can see the author in the lower left-hand corner.
to clap or not to clap February 5, 2007
Posted by Charles Noble in : the orchestra world, add a commentHere’s another article about clapping between movements. I’ll give you this OSO musician’s take on it - you can clap whenever you want, just buy tickets and come to our concerts whenever you can (the full-houses for Itzhak Perlman have been wonderful for us to see, and the energy from the patrons has been awesome!).
almost the short list… February 5, 2007
Posted by Charles Noble in : the orchestra world, add a commentAn excellent article appeared in the Dallas News [here] which tells of the short list of candidates who were passed over in favor of Jaap van Zweden for Music Director of the Dallas Symphony. In the list of honorable mentions there were two that are very familiar to Portland audiences:
Et al: Among other guest conductors who might have been considered music director material, Yakov Kreizberg and Yan Pascal Tortelier conducted well-proportioned and finely finished performances, but DSO musicians complained they were hard to follow. On two different occasions, Carlos Kalmar got playing of great precision but zero sex appeal.
