Mercoledi Musciale

This past Saturday was the first of our season's concerts at the Accademia and it was nice to exchange greetings with a few of the regulars who we recognize from past seasons including the rather courtly gentleman who sits to our left. However we noticed that the pleasant couple who always sit in front of us weren't there - I know they had a full concert series (26 concerts) last year maybe like us they decided to only do one of the half series.

Our series got of to a good start with Antonio Pappano conducting the first in a string of all Russian concerts under the umbrella title Passione Russa.

The evening began a trifle slowly with Anatoli Lyadov's The Enchanged Lake - a morose little tone poem that set both Laurent and our friend to the left into the land of Nod. There didn't seem to be much passion - Russian or Italian in either Lyadov's composing or Pappano's reading though the strings had their accustomed shimmering tone.

The last item on the programme was the Tchaikovsky - I love the Italian spelling Čajkovskij with a little moon over the C - Symphony n. 4. If the programme notes are correct this was the 82nd time the orchestra had tackled the work since they first performed it in 1910. It was their second time under Pappano the first being in 2006. I often find Pappano's conducting a bit over the top - too much molto forte, to much pianissimo, not much in between - and this was again the case. But he coaxed a wonderful reading of the pizzicato Scherzo movement from the players. I had never been more aware of the humour in the extended section for plucked strings. It was almost tongue-in-cheek in its light-heartiness. After such a subtle reading of that movement it was rather jarring to hear Pappano's bombastic treatment of the Finale. A good performance that could have - had the other three movements been as brilliant as the Scherzo - verged on great.

Sandwich between was the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 4 performed with the Norwegian pianist Lief Ove Andsnes. Even though Rachmaninoff is not to my taste - I find his music often seems too "Hollywood" - Andsnes gave amble proof as to why he is considered one of today's top young pianists.

Here he is playing the Greig Piano Concerto No. 1 with the BBC Symphony at one of the Proms concerts.



Granted Slatkin isn't really a conductor that sets the world on fire - he could use a bit of Pappano's bombast - and there are times when the balance needed between orchestra and piano for a concerto are missing but damn Andsnes is one fine pianist. And sort of cute looking too!

04 november - San Carlo Booromeo

The Traditions of Christmas - The Nutcracker II

In his preface to a 1984 translation by Ralph Manhem of E. T. A. Hoffmann's The Nutcracker illustrator Maurice Sendak, who had based his drawings on set and costumes he created for Pacific Northwest Ballet production of the Christmas favorite, comments:

Tchaikovsky, understandably disappointed in the scenario, proceeded to compose a score that in overtone and erotic suggestion is happily closer to Hoffman than Dumas. His music, bristling with implied action, has a subtext alive with wild child cries and belly noises. It is rare and genuine and does justice to the private world of children. One can, after all, count on the instincts of a genius.

I saw my first Nutcracker in 1952 at the age of six in a very traditional production by the National Ballet of Canada. They followed the story that Ivan Vsevolojsky had created from an Alexandre Dumas-père version of E.T.A. Hoffmann's novella: Clara is given a Nutcracker, Christmas Eve the Nutcracker with her help defeats the Mouse King, The Nutcracker turns into a Prince and takes her through the Land of the Snow to the Kingdom of Sweets, she wakes up and it was all a dream. Not very exciting as stories go and certainly no where near the complexity or drama of Hoffmann's original and certainly no equal for that score. Since that first production in 1891 many great choreographers - Balanchine, Cranko, Nureyev, Bourne, Bèjart, Petit - have adapted, changed or completely thrown over Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa's original dances and Vsevolojsky bland scenario in attempts to match Tchaikovsky's ravishing music.

I'm struck by the phrase "erotic suggestion" that Sendak uses - I have always thought that the two great pas de deux are amongst the most erotic and sexual music every written.



The first act transformation of the Nutcracker into the handsome prince of Clara's dreams throbs with sexual awakening - and nowhere is that more apparent than in this performance by Merle Park and Rudolf Nureyev. Later dancers may perform Nureyev's choreography with more grace but few have the same raw passion.



Equally the music for the Act II Grand Pas de Deux has a startling sexuality for a dance between a spun sugar fairy and her cavalier. When I listen to it I hear two people making love; it builds from gentle foreplay to climax - listen to those almost out of control flutes - to the final shudders of after play. Even in this beautiful but slightly aloof performance by Miyako Oshia and Jonathan Cope I find the eroticism of two bodies in tune with each other and the music highly sexual.

Tchaikovsky may have been writing to an insipid scenario but Sendak is right about "the instincts of genius."

23 decembre - IVa domenica di avvento