This year is the 75th anniversary of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO), originally known as the Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra and founded by the violinist Bronislaw Huberman. The inaugural concert was conducted by Arturo Toscanini in December 1936. The current season also celebrated the 50 year anniversary of Zubin Mehta’s first appearance with the IPO. He was appointed music director in 1977 and music director for life in 1981. To commemorate these milestones, the IPO put on special performances.
The pianist Daniel Barenboim performed all five Beethoven piano concertos in two concerts with Zubin Mehta and the IPO. In the concert that I attended, he gave a most memorable account of the second, third and fourth concertos. Barenboim’s stamina is phenomenal. How many pianists can play three concertos in one evening? The last time I heard such a tour de force was with the legendary Arthur Rubinstein with the same orchestra in Jerusalem in the early 70’s. I also once heard, Barenboim playing the two gigantic Brahms concerti in a single concert in New York.
Rehearsal time seemed to have been minimum. This showed though in the rendition of the second piano concerto where in the first movement, piano and orchestra were not always in perfect unison and some of the orchestral entrances were somewhat tentative. However everything came together in the adagio slow movement where conductor, orchestra and pianist were in perfect unison. The music just flowed and pianist and orchestra ended the third movement with a flourish. The influence of Haydn and Mozart in this concerto (which was actually Beethoven’s first piano concerto) was very evident.
Barenboim’s deeply probing account of the more mature third concerto was revelatory. Once again, he captured all the subtleties of the largo and was accompanied by very accomplished woodwind playing. There was also a well articulated powerful introspective rendering of the fourth piano concerto with beautiful nuanced playing. Again, most impressive of all was the andante con moto slow movement. His tempi and emphasis were right on the mark. Again brass, woodwinds and strings played admirably. The ebullient final movement ended with a flourish and brought the dramatic concert to a fitting end. Barenboim’s interpretation can serve as a gold standard with which one can judge future performances.
At this concert at the home base of the IPO in Tel Aviv’s Mann auditorium, there were two huge screens on either side of the stage where pianist, conductor and orchestra were projected. I have never seen this before in a concert hall although it is a well established practice in large open air performances. This is a good idea and gives the audience sitting on the right side of the hall the possibility of visualizing the pianist’s finger-work. However to be fully effective, the camera crew must have an understanding of the score. In this instance, the cameras were not always appropriately focused on the key event of the moment.
In another show stopping event, Zubin Mehta gave an incandescent rendering of Schoenberg’s Gurreliede with the IPO. In addition to his prowess as an operatic conductor, Mehta excels in the repertoire of Mahler, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School. He clearly feels a great affinity for Gurreliede which he has conducted previously with the IPO and as I recollect, it was the last work he conducted as he concluded his 13 year tenure with the New York Philharmonic.
Gurreliede is based on poems by the Danish novelist Jens Peter Jacobsen and revolves around the love of the Danish king Waldemar for his mistress Tove who was murdered by Waldemar's jealous Queen.
Schoenberg began the project in 1900 in a late-romantic style influenced by Wagner, Bruckner and Mahler. He soon abandoned it and spent most of the decade developing his atonal 12-tone music for which he is associated today. Later, he returned to the score and completed the orchestration. The work was premiered in 1913. By this time, Schoenberg had completely abandoned this romantic style.
This large scale choral work requires a huge orchestra, two choirs and five vocal soloists as well as a narrator. The IPO responded appropriately and strings, percussion, brass and woodwind played impeccably. All vocal soloists were impressive. Particularly noteworthy were soprano Jennifer Wilson as Tove and mezzo-soprano Daniela Denschlag as the Wood Dove. Tenor Daniel Kirch was an excellent Waldemar. Also making significant contributions were the Prague Philharmonic Choir and the Gary Bertini Israeli Choir. Gurreliede represented a fitting climax to a noteworthy season.
From where I was sitting in the Mann Auditorium, acoustics seemed somewhat muffled and wooden. The auditorium has been in continuous use since it opened in 1957 and is scheduled to undergo acoustic renewal and refurbishment over the next year. In the following season, concerts will be performed in other venues in the city. One hopes that these structural alterations will enhance the acoustics of this Tel Aviv landmark.
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Zubin Mehta, soloists, the IPO and choir acknowledge the frenzied applause after a riveting performance of Arnold Schoenberg’s Gurreliede.
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