Just to give you an idea how the other fraction lives, here's what the
Munich Philharmonic  performed in May: Something called _Implosion_ by
someone called Joerg Widman; _Areal_, a "landscape" for piano and
orchestra  (world premiere)by Christoph Staude;  _Black Penininsulas_ for
orchestra and tape by York Hoeller, all these conducted by one George
Schmoehe. New program: _Pohjolas' Daughter_ by Sibelius; 8th Symphony by
Einojuhani Rautavaara;  First Piano Concerto, Brahms, Radu Luou, conductor
for these, Osmo Vanska.

Once a month I simply have to go, so having skipped the above two programs
what I got to experience last night was: _Dithyrambe_, concerto for
quartet (Arditti) and orchestra, by Wolfgang Rihm; and 9th Symphony,
Mahler, conductor Lothar Zagrosek.

I'd experienced Rihm before in a festival at Lucerne that focused on
his work.  Last night was as puzlling as Lucerne had been.  The piece
is a 35-minute rumble--, think a bubbling musical cauldron-- that
geyser-like, from time to time, spews forth a chordal surge that blasts
across the orchestra and ends, perhaps, in the twang of two harps.  Or,
mayalsobe, with the resonant klunk of some wooden percussive thingie,.
The noise goes on and on with about as much accentuation to it asspoken
French language.  And, like it, it' s pointed up, now and then, by a rise
in volume, or a sputter, or a shriek, or a tintinabulation,or a percussive
BOP.  For all this the forces and conductor Zagrosek were rewarded by
three curtain calls and quite a lot of booing.  Poor Zagrosek, a poppinjay
gymnast of a conductor, deserved neither: he just beat time.  But he did
indicate that he knew the score by showing impressive agitation before some
high point, such as it was, in the score.  Trouble was, the piece he had
been conducting clearly needed firm and canny management to make those
swoops, and POPS, and sweeps work.  Last night they sadly did not--at least
not for me.  His Mahler 9 was better--yet with a second movement and final
movement of such splendor he couldn't really miss.The accomplishment
did,however, take him 105 minutes.

Denis Fodor