Berlioz and Mahler:
Cynthia Phelps, viola, New York Philharmonic, Lorin
Maazel, conductor, Avery Fisher Hall, New York City, 28.05.2006
(BH)
Berlioz: Harold in Italy, Symphony in Four Parts for
Orchestra with Solo Viola, after Byron, Op. 16 (1834)
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major (1888; rev. 1893-1906)
Given the forest of microphones hanging above the heads
of the musicians and scattered among them onstage, perhaps
a recording is in the cards of Lorin Maazel’s spectacularly
conceived Mahler First Symphony. I hope so, since
it is worth archiving. (Editor’s note: this
concert will be available on DG Concerts and be available
on iTunes.) Whatever one might think of Maazel’s
Mahler – and I know plenty of listeners (not me)
whose reactions range from disinterest to skepticism to
outright contempt – he has a keen empathy for this
particular piece. Never using a score, he must have thousands
of details committed to memory, all of which add up to
something ravishing, dramatic, sublime. I’ve already
raved on and on about it when it was presented as the
season opener last September
and this third hearing only reconfirmed those impressions.
It continues to be heartening to hear the Philharmonic
sounding magnificent, even nearing the end of the season
when fatigue can test even the finest players. Let’s
mention the entire horn section, beginning with principal
Philip Myers, and including Jerome Ashby, L. William Kuyper,
R. Allen Spanjer, Erik Ralske, and Howard Wall. They created
their own marketing team in the final bars, when Maazel
had them stand as they belted out the final triumphant
theme like war veterans receiving medals. The friend with
me, loathe to stand up indiscriminately at concerts, was
on his feet after the crashing conclusion, cheering as
loudly as the rest of the crowd. (This bracing performance
did much to compensate for the loss of the previously
scheduled world premiere of a new piece by Peter Lieberson,
with vocalists Gerald Finley and Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson,
now planned for a future season.)
Berlioz’s Harold in Italy predates the Mahler
by fifty years, yet there is much of the latter’s
unconventional orchestration, not to mention a bit of
oddball structure. The piece was commissioned by Niccolo
Paganini, who was disappointed in the result since the
viola has a somewhat less blazing role than it might in
a conventional concerto. Indeed, often the viola is almost
a bystander, raising its hand to be heard above the orchestral
din, but not insisting if Berlioz has other ideas.
In the opening “Harold in the Mountains,”
Cynthia Phelps’ gorgeous sound seemed a bit muted,
but again, the viola here isn’t intended to preen
a lá Tchaikovsky. The second movement, “Procession
of pilgrims chanting the evening prayer,” showed
off the rest of the strings, while Phelps offered a pleasantly
briny effect for the striking arpeggios that threaten
to outstay their welcome. (To be fair, some might say
they actually do.) The third movement, “Serenade
of an Abruzzi highlander to his mistress,” was notable
for Phelps’ velvety mute in the final few measures.
In the final “Brigands’ orgy,” the orchestra
raged on and on, playing with heartfelt abandon under
Maazel’s taut direction. Only in the last five minutes
does the viola squeeze in a few measures. Thanks to private
donors, Ms. Phelps’ position as principal has been
named the “Mr. and Mrs. Frederick P. Rose Chair”
and seeing her standing there ever-so-patiently I couldn’t
help but chuckle, “Well, couldn’t they have
given her one?”
Bruce Hodges
