San Francisco Symphony at the Proms, London, 30 and 31 August.
Michael Tilson Thomas
Marta Argerich.

Wednesday-
Ruggles: Sun-Treader
Schumann: Piano Concerto
Stravinsky: Right of Spring

Thursday-
Rimsky Korsakov: Dubinushka
Copland: Symphonic Ode
Shostakovich: Symphony # 11

Janos Gereben had written:

>If opera's rule of "the worse the dress rehearsal, the better the premiere"
>holds true for touring orchestras, the San Francisco Symphony will do very
>well in London next week.

How right that statement must be.

I have just spent a weeks worth of concert-going at the Proms in London,
including witnessing some outstanding music-making.  First two concerts
by the Berlin Philharmonic under Bernard Haitink.  Then two by the San
Francisico Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas.  Music-making at its best.

The high points were the performances of three of the great symphonies.
Berlin doing what they do best, Bruckner (the 7th) and Beethoven (also
the 7th).  The Berliners and Haitink turned in exceptional performances
of these well known and popular symphonies.  Readings to be remembered and
cherished.  Then San Francisco and MTT delivered IMHO the best Shostakovich
11th I have heard.

>Tonight's performance in Davies Hall, dubbed a "bon voyage concert," was
>a kind of public rehearsal before Michael Tilson Thomas and the orchestra
>leave on a two-week tour of Europe.  By and large, it was awful, the part
>I heard simply the worst in the five years of MTT's otherwise glorious
>reign.

The San Francisico Symphony and MTT must have rehearsed on the plane.  It
all worked so very well.

>Chances are, however, that the Copland on the tour schedule will not
>improve;

It did!

>"Symphonic Ode" is half genius, half schlock, with a circus finale of
>overwhelming clusters of absolutely meaningless sound.  MTT brings
>something special to Copland (and the rest of 20th century music), but
>this work isn't a "real" Copland.

This music is more difficult and different than Copland's later works, but
it is Copland to the core.

>Next came the Schumann Piano Concerto, with Helene Grimaud.  On the tour,
>she will alternate with Martha Argerich ...may not know is how poorly
>Grimaud performed tonight.

We had Argerich.  She is the consummate pianist.  Her presence
helped deliver a full house, filled to the rafters (which is always an
accomplishment in the Royal Albert Hall with seating and standing room
for 6000).  Big expectations which were delivered.  Yet it was not all
perfection.  The flaw lay in that Argerich and MTT did not come eye-to-eye
on tempi.  Especially toward the end, Argerich raced through her part,
leaving the orchestra behind and unable to catch up.  Her technical prowess
may come at a price.  Displaying her technical mastery, she loses touch
with the soul of the music.  It ultimately leaves you gasping for air.

>....  The orchestra went on automatic pilot, the musicians trying not to
>look at the soloist.

not to mention the conductor...possibly due to the realisation that
anticipating the soloists intentions is impossible when Argerich is
playing..

>Even the "The Rite of Spring" which closed the concert didn't quite live
>up to the high standard of the dozen occasions when I marveled at the MTT
>interpretation before.

This was the one work where I felt a bit let down.  Whilst it was a good,
workable performance, it was not up to the standard of the other music the
SFS and MTT played.

The other music played consisted of Carl Ruggles Sun-Treader, a particular
favorite of mine with Wednesday's performance being fully up to the high
expectations I had of MTT, and Rimsky Korsakov's Dubinushka (Op.  62, from
1905), a short work, unknown to me and played for the first time at the
Proms.  It opened Thursday's concert, having been added to the program at
the last moment ostensibly as it was composed to commemorate the same event
as Shostakovich' 11th.  My thought, on hearing the piece, was that it had
been decided to play the encore first and get that over with.  This was
borne out when at the end of the concert MTT, responding to the audience's
insistence for an encore, flapped his arms indicating a plane to catch
(besides, the hall had to be emptied for another Prom concert to follow
within the hour).  In any case, after the searing performance of the
Shostakovich, any encore would have been inappropriate.  Music as
substantial and well played as this cannot be followed by anything else.
The only encore I would have wanted would have been the entire symphony
played again.

Janos, you can rest assured that the SFS European tour will be a success.

Philip Jongeneel
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