NY Philharmony, R.Muti & M.Uchida(pf)

Rccardo Mutiは，前にNew York Philharmonic の音楽監督を辞退したことがあり，アメリカのいわゆるビッグ5 の間では，それぞれの音楽監督は他のビッグ5は振らないという一種の慣習があります．　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　しかし，Muti のChicago Symphonyの任期は2010年から5年とされていますから，Mutiは未だフリーな訳で，4月15日，水曜日にNY Philharmonic を振って，たいへん好評を博したようです．このコンサートに内田光子がソリストとして招かれていたので，興味を持って TheNewYorkTimesの音楽評を読んだので，ご紹介します．

なお，Muti が，1980～1992年のPhiladelphia管に次いで，ビッグ5の2つ目の音楽監督を引き受けたのは，ロリン・マゼールがクリーブランド管からNY Philharmonic に移ったのに次いで，2人目ということですから，ビッグ5の微妙な関係がお分かりいただけるでしょう．

当日のAvery Fisher Hall でのプログラムは，次の2曲だったようです．　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ラヴェル：　　　　ピアノ協奏曲inG　　　　　ソリスト；　内田光子　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　シューベルト：　 交響曲第9番inC ”The Great”

ラヴェルは，Mitsuko Uchida, who percolated through the first movement at a breezy clip.In Mr. Muti’s exacting hands the accompaniment was deftly balanced and elegantly shaded, with splendid contributions on flute, bassoon and harp.とあります．　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Ravel’s piano writing in the central Adagio is simplicity itself, as direct as a Mozart slow movement and no less affecting. Ms. Uchida played with a mesmerizing beauty, perfectly matched by the orchestral players as they insinuated themselves behind her. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　The account was capped with a bright, exuberant finale.とsoloistとorchestra をたいそう誉めています．

シュウベルトは，The performance was almost surprisingly propulsive; jollity outweighed pensiveness by a considerable margin. After the choralelike sobriety of the opening Andante, the crisp, sprightly Allegro set the tone for much of what followed in the bubbly Scherzo and jubilant finale.とあります．　　　　続けて，certainly the Andante con moto movement was shaded with authentic Schubertian angst. Rather, his grasp of Schubert’s architecture was so absolute that his efforts registered as naturalness and ease. His vaunted precision in matters of balance and articulation resulted in a lively, vigorous account, and the musicians rose to the occasion with polished, responsive playing.

このように，2曲とも，たいへん高い評価に終止しています．

 

Music Review | New York Philharmonic

Muti and the Philharmonic Revive Their Harmonic Friendship

Erin Baiano for The New York Times

Riccardo Muti conducted the Philharmonic on Wednesday.

By STEVE SMITH　　　　Published: April 16, 2009

Few conductors draw more consistently powerful, polished performances from the New York Philharmonic than Riccardo Muti, the raven-haired Italian maestro who turned down at least one overture from the orchestra to become its music director. Mr. Muti’s touch is not infallible; when he was last in New York in January one of his programs paired curiously pedestrian Haydn with a memorably luxurious Brahms serenade.

But his effect on these players is no fiction: under his direction, they regularly achieve the exceptional, regardless of repertory. It happened again on Wednesday night at Avery Fisher Hall in a program that included two familiar pieces, Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G and Schubert’s Symphony in C, known as the “Great” for more than just its imposing length.

The Ravel concerto featured an estimable soloist in Mitsuko Uchida, who percolated through the first movement at a breezy clip. In Mr. Muti’s exacting hands the accompaniment was deftly balanced and elegantly shaded, with splendid contributions on flute, bassoon and harp. Bluesy bends were rowdy in precisely the right measure for a work still defined by Gallic urbanity.

Ravel’s piano writing in the central Adagio is simplicity itself, as direct as a Mozart slow movement and no less affecting. Ms. Uchida played with a mesmerizing beauty, perfectly matched by the orchestral players as they insinuated themselves behind her. The account was capped with a bright, exuberant finale.

Mr. Muti’s conception of Schubert’s Ninth Symphony was grand but never ponderous or overinflated. The performance was almost surprisingly propulsive; jollity outweighed pensiveness by a considerable margin. After the choralelike sobriety of the opening Andante, the crisp, sprightly Allegro set the tone for much of what followed in the bubbly Scherzo and jubilant finale.

This is not meant to imply that Mr. Muti’s view of the work lacked gravity; certainly the Andante con moto movement was shaded with authentic Schubertian angst. Rather, his grasp of Schubert’s architecture was so absolute that his efforts registered as naturalness and ease. His vaunted precision in matters of balance and articulation resulted in a lively, vigorous account, and the musicians rose to the occasion with polished, responsive playing.