Not much joy at NY Philharmonic Messiah

Not much joy at NY Philharmonic Messiah

Orchestras

norman lebrecht

December 14, 2023

In today’s mailbag from a disgruntled concertgoer.

I am writing anonymously because I am a major donor at the NY Philharmonic and got exited not long ago from the performance of Messiah this evening.

The guest conductor Fabio Biondi they hired was a mess. Two different numbers collapsed because he was flailing around like a lunatic the whole night. I am no professional but I have sang in choirs most of my life and he must be an amateur conductor regardless of how lovely his violin playing might be. I would bet that there were at least a dozen church choir directors in the audience tonight who could have conducted it better than “Maestro” Biondi.

He also added random timpani rolls all over the place, jumped up and down or kneeled under the music stand, and saluted to show how loud or soft the orchestra should be. I am pretty sure I saw some of them laughing at him.

The only thing orchestras respond to in this town seems to be your site, so I hope this helps us never have to deal with this again.

Sincerely,

Anonymous Donor

We have asked the NY Phil for a comment.

UPDATE: Here‘s a review with a different view.

Comments

  • Bulgakov says:

    Granted, it’s not a piece you’d expect Biondi to conduct convincingly, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad concert from him.

  • just saying says:

    lol it’s the Messiah, nobody reviews a performance like that anyway, it’s more just about the obligatory holiday gig than a serious orchestral performance anyway. Believe me, the NY Phil dials it in quite a bit throughout the year anyway, so why should a Messiah be any different.

    • Don Ciccio says:

      I have heard some wonderful performances of Messiah from the NY Philharmonic throughout the years. Not every one of them, obviously.

  • Lepanto says:

    I was sitting behind the chorus and Maestro Biondi is certainly extroverted in his gestures, but I could rattle off a list of other conductors who are more extravagant. It did feel like two concerts though. The first half felt tentative, as if performers and conductor were finding their way together. I mentioned to my wife that it felt under-rehearsed. The second half was terrific with everything clicking. The “random timpani rolls all over the place” were not. There was one timpani entrance at the start of the “Worthy is the Lamb” chorus. Unconventional and dramatically convincing, but not all over the place. Orchestra members laughing at Biondi might be a case of the donor wishing it were so. If nothing else, here’s a case of Rashomon-style critical perspective. The audience was ecstatic, and the other review cited here praiseworthy. Can’t help but think the donor had something of an axe to grind.

  • freddynyc says:

    Sounds personal – perhaps at one point the maestro looked at him the wrong way…..?

  • Shirley Katz says:

    From Bachtrack today – “Biondi’s work with the orchestra was immaculate. Articulations were crisp, phrasing was vivid and dynamics, while occasionally suspiciously fluid for Baroque music, were well-chosen and exciting.”

    Sorry, how baseless has this site become when you publish a letter from a self-confessed non-musician who didn’t enjoy a performance and present it as news. A two minute Google and search on Twitter brings up positive reviews and audience feedback from the night, which could have easily verified that your anonymous emailer is talking out of his (probably) backside…

    • freddynyc says:

      “Sorry, how baseless has this site become when you publish a letter from a self-confessed non-musician who didn’t enjoy a performance and present it as news.”

      Hasn’t stopped the founder of this website from making a profitable career out of it……

      • Rachel says:

        He’s just a gossip queen at this point. Leave it to this paper’s publisher to do subpar screening and research before putting it out for everyone to read. Did you even hear the concert Norm? Biondi isn’t perfect but the audience loved the concert, especially the soprano.

  • kaa says:

    I am planning to go and despite the comments from a “major donor” I will still go because I trust the NY Classical review. They seem to me to be the best place for an informed critique of NY performances. We have been really hearing too much these days from major donors. Enough Already as they say.

  • Ken says:

    “Anonymous Donor” seems to have some issues with the English language.

  • John Dalkas says:

    Agreed. AKA “All the news that’s not fit to print,” to parody the “parish” newspaper Norman loves to diss.

  • Rob says:

    Judging from the headline, I thought John Mark Rozendaal and Extinction Rebellion had tried to shut down yet another concert.

  • Dragonfly says:

    So respectable music critics have been displaced by disgruntled concertgoers as a source of information on this site…is anyone surprised?

  • Dragonfly says:

    According to a long time friend of mine from the NYPO, they liked Mr.Biondi very much…And the timpanist added only two rolls in the piece.

  • puhleeze says:

    Veteran orchestral professional here – “Anonymous donor” is spot-on right from start to finish, and the bloggers are easily misled. I mean, I’m glad they enjoyed the show, but….

  • Willym says:

    Am I the only one confused by that first paragraph?

  • Brandon says:

    Wikipedia states that Biondi is “a specialist in Baroque and early music.” One would think him a shoo-in to direct Handel’s Messiah. It’s unfortunate that this improtant donor, an accomplished amateur musician, was unmoved by this performance. New York is a tough crowd. The Philharmonic’s audience invariably includes an outsized contingent of professional and accomplished amateur musicians, many of whom harbor strong opinions regarding the ideal interpretation of the music being performed. It isn’t unusual to see audience members following along with the music, score in-hand. The fun of live music is that anything can happen… no matter the caliber of the Ensemble, rough moments can occur. An artful recovery or deftly-handled error is sometimes more exciting than a perfect execution. Hopefully, this uninspiring experience doesn’t impede this patron’s enjoyment of future performances.

  • Enrique Sanchez says:

    Donor – It’s: I have SUNG! Sheesh!

  • Martin Ritchie says:

    Bizarre experience – part one as though it wasn’t rehearsed and unmoving despite the potentially breathless and dramatic words and music. After interval as if everyone had woken up, or as if all Biondi’s ideas were there. Some great moments throughout but more like episodes, some of which worked and done didn’t, and the intensity of drama was lost by the “stand alone” feeling about each. Overall, not really a sense of commitment to the narrative drive that Jennens and Handel created. Quite disappointed! Perhaps I’m spoiled by the likes of Dunedin Consort and Les Arts Florissants who seem to “get it”. Ah well, you win some, you lose some!

  • Jack Taggart says:

    The reviewer sounds like he is describing Leonard Bernstein who had a habit of flailing his arms completely out of harmony with the music.

  • Zandonai says:

    I am a Handel fanboy but only of his operas and a few oratorios…. NOT the Messiah. I would much rather hear Berlioz’s L’Enfant du Christ.
    And my favorite holiday opera is the Cunning Little Vixen.

    As for Fabio Biondi, he’s no Harry Bicket…

  • Anonymous that doesn't donate but your acting like a baby says:

    Pity on them for never enjoying the love of music maybe they should stay home next time it’s Christmas act like it.

  • Nova Pilbeam says:

    After reading “got exited” and “I have sang in choirs” I think the writers claims of being a “major donor” should not be taken seriously.

  • Mr. Ron says:

    Fabio Biondi is a great conductor.

  • .jpg says:

    A new yorker with a strong negative opinion about a recent performance… Hot take.

  • Gavin Elster says:

    Most of the “major donors” I have come in contact with, would be more than happy to complain out LOUD and proud, and Identify themselves. Call it a minor “naming opportunity?”

  • Andrew B says:

    I took part in a series of Messiah performances with Maestro Biondi and his ensemble a few years ago. I have relistened to a live recording and his reading of the oratorio had a lot of musical allure which is what I felt during those performances. At that time his concept seemed to be rather of Messiah as a baroque musical feast for singers , orchestra and audience, with less emphasis on the in depth spiritual aspect of the text.
    It was a different approach and he was charming to work with.

  • Garry Humphreys says:

    It’s the subject rather than the music that is sacred in this ‘sacred oratorio’. Handel had only recently stopped writing Italian operas in favour of English oratorios; his soloists were opera singers, for whom he wrote appropriately operatic music. So an ‘extrovert’ performance is probably what he would have expected and approved of.

  • Oratorio baby says:

    I was there last night and don’t really understand what this “donor” is talking about. For the most part, Biondi kept it fairly light and breezy, and the embellishments were generally restrained. A snare drum at two unusual points really shouldn’t cause that much consternation. I rather enjoyed his work. Seemed he wasn’t too concerned with creating a narrative arc (this isn’t a Passion oratorio to me so this makes sense), so the numbers felt like numbers. I enjoyed the soprano soloist Hera Hyesang Park very much, and the tenor has some lovely moments too.

  • Jack says:

    “I have sang in choirs . . . ”

    Norman, I think you’ve been scammed.

  • Jeremy says:

    Nah, this performance actually was pretty bad. Biondi didn’t let the piece breathe at all. Sapped all the drama from it trying to rush the orchestra through it. It was bizarre and bloodless. Zachary Woolfe also reviewed it poorly in the Times a few days later (he had a multiple messiah review). The handel and Hayden society’s choir is too talented for it be a complete disaster, but it really was the worst messiah I’ve seen. I’ll cop to bring spoiled by formerly living
    in Toronto and seeing Tafelmusik’s spectacular production regularly, but still I expect better from the Phil.

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