Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - friday January 29, 2009 - Gil Shaham and Manfred Honeck

This show was two Fridays in a row with the PSO and next Friday will make three. I am enjoying seeing so much right together. Getting a good dose of Manfred has been great and the soloists are top notch.

This weeks top notch guy,Gil Shaham, has been doing some interesting shows this year. He has been doing two concertos per show. All of these combinations have been interesting in different ways: Mozart and Stravinsky in St. Louis in March (different eras), Prokofiev 2 and Barber last week in Kansas City (same decade, the golden age for violin concertos, the 1930's) and here Haydn 2 and Mozart 2. While dating pieces from those days can be vague, these were likely written only ten years apart, Haydn in the 1760's and Mozart in 1775. The Haydn was written first and played first at this show. While Haydn is played regularly, this concerto is not. I don't have a copy of it in my rather large collection of Violin Concertos and Arkiv Music doesn't have one available. Gil Shaham played this piece with great restraint and beauty. I am not sure if restraint is the right word, as it is trying to define the performance negatively. Shaham was elegant and paced himself well. This was especially true of the middle slow movement, reminding me that Haydn was a great writer of slow music.

The Mozart Second Violin concerto is certainly more known than Haydn's but less played and recorded than his third or fifth concertos. The contrast with these pieces was striking just in watching the orchestra change personnel for the Mozart, lose the harpsichord continuo, add some brass and winds. Again, a beautiful performance that was elegant and paced just right for me.

I wonder if the first movement of the Bach Third Partita is just what violinists do after playing Mozart. Gil Shaham's encore was the same as the one Stephan Jackiw played here in the fall after Mozart's Fifth Concerto. Gil was perhaps even more brilliant in showing off to the audience. Bravo. He certainly must be considered one of the great violinists in a time of many great ones.

The Mahler Fourth Symphony was billed as his "chamber" symphony. It is his most petite symphony, though still 50 minutes and requiring massive forces. There are many opportunities to show off individual members of the orchestra, with many solo moments for the concertmaster, and exposed parts for the horn and oboe just to name a couple. And of course, it is a Mahler piece so you get his characteristic mixing of the sublime with the ridiculous. Honeck's interpretation was not eccentric in any way. So how does a non-eccentric performance stand out amidst a crowd of conductors and orchestras performing Mahler. Well, I suppose that is about precision, nuance and brilliant playing. Bill Caballero was strong and spot on as usual, jarring at times (by design of course). Andres Cardenes reappeared after a number of guest concertmasters have sat in his chair this year. I expect that he could not resist the chance to play this piece which even required an extra violin (alternate tuning, I assume).

The soprano soloist seemed underpowered and i am not sure what else to say. Mark thought it may be related to the fact that they were recording this concert for commercial release. I had forgotten how silly the words seem in translation about frolicking in heaven and having asparagus to eat. Actually, good asparagus IS heavenly, but still. According to the liner notes, Mahler wanted this sung without irony. Gustav was a strange man, but that is probably why he wrote such strange and beautiful music.

I am looking forward to more Mahler next week and especially the Mahler Third Symphony in June. Honeck and the PSO are a great combination for this music.