An irresistible programme: New York Philharmonic play Bartók and Mahler at the Barbican
Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta and Mahler's Fourth Symphony
New York Philharmonic
Barbican Hall
31 March 2017
Balcony C24 £15, upgraded to Circle D17
https://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=19215
I've been trying to curb my concert-going profligacy but the New York Phil presented an irresistible programme on their short London residency (although it seems others were of stronger wills: the hall was disappointingly empty, and though we could have kept our seats in the Balcony we were encouraged to move down and fill some of the empty seats in the lower levels).
The orchestra under conductor Alan Gilbert made tidy work of Bartók's deliriously enjoyable piece, playing with superb control and accuracy. Even with an unusually large string ensemble the dynamic range was not as wide as I think it should be in this music of extremes: the cellos in particular sounded recessed, playing from behind the bank of piano and celesta. Maybe we can blame the Barbican. Still, the cello solo came singing across in full loveliness and the ensemble playing of the whole could not have been bettered, showing to great effect Bartók's ingenious orchestration.
Mahler 4 is such a beautiful work and the orchestra performed it with the utmost delicacy – indeed perhaps a little too much delicacy in the first two movements, with the sound so smooth and refined as almost to undermine the vibrant changes in colour Mahler gives us: as David said, it was verging on bland. But things became more animated in subsequent movements, with again the orchestra's supremely well-drilled ensemble a glorious tool for Gilber's rubato interpretation of Mahler's quicksilver changes of colour and mood. In turns out too that the orchestra's much-sung brass section is in no way overrated – the horns in particular achieved magical sounds. Soprano Christina Landshamer was really too quiet for the Barbican (at least from where we were), her sound often submerged even with the superbly poised accompagnato playing from the orchestra. But there's no question that she's a stylish singer, she and Gilbert seemingly perfectly attuned in their interpretation of this enchanting symphony.
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