Alan Gilbert & The New York Philharmonic
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Winter 2010 - Vol. 17 No. 1
Includes Classical Concert
Reviews of the following...

Continuum
Nadejda Vlaeva, piano
Manhattan Chamber Orchestra
Ensemble du Monde
Cornerstone Chorale and Brass
Park Avenue Chamber Symphony
Mendelssohn's 200th Gala
Proteus Ensemble/Hai-Ting Chinn
La Follia Barocca
Ilya Kazantsev, piano
Ilya Yakushev, piano
Mai Kagaya, piano
Theo Lebow, tenor
Alexander Beridze, piano
Minsoo Sohn, piano
Stanislav Khristenko, piano
Orrett Rhoden, piano
Spencer Myer, piano
Thomas Schultz, piano
Mareda Gaither-Graves, soprano
Warren George Wilson, piano
Rira Lim, piano
Aglaia Koras, piano
Orlay Alonso, piano
Yoko Suzuki, piano
Michail Lifits, piano
Xiayin Wang, piano

"Houston, We Have a Problem"
By Anthony Aibel
January 28, 2010 at Carnegie Hall

If any orchestra should tour with Holst’s “The Planets”, the Houston Symphony should—due to its relationship with NASA and the Johnson Space Center. But a film experiment directed by Duncan Copp called “The Planets: an HD Odyssey” didn’t work: the space images and video, though extraordinarily clear and beautiful, were too generic for Holst’s mythical descriptions of the planets and our own imaginations that inevitably follow. It was like experiencing an orchestra play James Horner’s riveting music to the film “Titanic” while watching real under-water pictures of the sunken ship. One is reality; the other delves into story-telling.

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In addition to our regular printed issues, we are excited to finally be online, as many of you requested. There is no charge for this issue’s first online version of New York Concert Review, Inc.. For future online issues, there will be a small charge of $2.95. For a year’s subscription, it will be $5.95, or approximately $2.00 an issue. There will be additional content; more reviews, interesting articles, and access to back issues.

 - Howard Aibel, Publisher

James Levine’s New Baton Technique…
and Superhero Status
By Edith Eisler
January 24th, 2010 at Carnegie Hall

James Levine, who just recovered from spinal surgery, has returned to the Metropolitan Opera pit and the concert stage in fine fettle. At his January 24th Carnegie Hall appearance with the MET Orchestra – their second this season – his high-voltage energy, fiery temperament, exuberance, and emotional—as well as mental—concentration were totally unimpaired. However, his conducting technique seemed to have undergone a startling change. Since the musicians, after many years of collaboration, are so attuned to him that they respond to the merest lift of his eyebrows, his motions used to be “close to the vest” and so small as to be invisible to the audience. His rapport with the orchestra is still palpable, but his gestures have now become big and sweeping: he waves his arms in all directions, turning and swaying from side to side. It was very exciting. The program was framed by two of the repertoire’s most popular symphonies: Schubert’s “Unfinished” and Beethoven’s Fifth. Levine seems to have succumbed to the current penchant for extreme dynamic contrasts, from the softest murmur of whispering strings to the most thunderous use of timpani. The opening of the Schubert was nearly inaudible, but otherwise, it was beautifully lyrical and introspective. The Beethoven was extremely dramatic, and the orchestra played splendidly, as always. Levine, in addition to conducting four operas at the Met, is returning to Carnegie Hall for two concerts with the Boston Symphony, plus directing Met Chamber Ensemble Concerts and master classes. The audience gave this intrepid musical superman a hero’s welcome and rewarded him with standing ovations.

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