Kirill Petrenko in Israel: an indelible experience
mainMusicians and critics are outdoing one another in superlatives over the Berlin conductor’s performances this week with the Israel Phil.
Amir Mandel, in Haaretz, calls it ‘a musical event that is engraved in memory‘.
The terms ‘riveting’, ‘once in a lifetime’, ‘genius’ and ‘wow’ pop up in other posts.
The programme was Strauss Till Eulenspiegel, Mozart C minor concerto with Tamara Stefanovich and Brahms’ 3rd symphony.
‘One of the most stunning concerts I have heard,’ writes the composer Oded Zehavi.
Stefanovich played Ligeti as an encore.
Eat that, Carnegie Hall.
The piano playing was absolutely catastrophic.
If so, it was an off night for her, to judge by her recordings and the one concert I have heard on BBC.
Till Eulenspiegel was an incredible performance, like a huge orchestral “chamber music”. The Brahms was a very lyric view of the piece, close to Bruno Walter famous 1960th recording; again, wonderful pianissimi in the second and third movements. Stefanovich divided opinions.
This is expected after decades of having to endure the unmusical and dull Zubin.
Dull, is it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5mxU_7BTRA
As an accompanist, Zubin Mehta was (before his health problems of last few years) probably the best conductor I have ever worked with.
Mozart C minor concerto with Tamara Stefanovich was also a kind of once in a lifetime and i hope that this will be my last experience with this piano player.a disaster
What is the relevance of “eat that Carnegie Hall?” CH doesn’t have a resident orchestra – it PRESENTS orchestras. The next time the BPO appears here, Petrenko will most likely be conducting.
…………and I can’t wait………..
Another Mozart concerto?
Stefanovich presented a dull piano playing, hardly impressive with tiny coulerless sound. On top of this she played a cadence, probably by her own, juxtaposing all sorts of snippets in C minor from Mozart to Berg including Schubert’s Der Leiermann. “That’s the way she feels Mozart” said a highly regarded musician, “Mozart for modern times” said another. Oh well.
Pitziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
“Eat that, Carnegie Hall.”
Indelible and edible? Nice!
Worth noting too that Petrenko will be back, with his own band (as in, the Berliners), early next year.
==Stefanovich played Ligeti as an encore.
Her husband, Pierre Laurent Aimard once played, as an encore to NYPO Emperor Concerto – the Stockhausen Klavierstuck VIII
I miss the elegance of Herbert von Karajan, not least to say…Claudio Abbado. I miss their elegance wearing their Penguin -like attire….the Frock.
If I were in the right spot at the right time, I would prefer a more ‘adventurous’ program than “Till”, Brahms 3 and a Mozart concerto. However, few bands on earth will play those pieces as well or better.
I confess that, still after four concerts, I am a partial Petrenko skeptic. Very good but, apart of the visual excitement of his conducting style, I have not HEARD anything yet deserving of superlatives. I hope that I am wrong and that he will do great things with and for the BSO.
Conclusion after reading all these comments : K. Petrenko is a musically-correct Дирижёр not worth much listening to – and Tamara Stefanovich is an interesting artist worth listening to.