Last night Roberto Abbado almost certainly killed his chances for a
position with the Philadelphia Orchestra, perhaps even its directorship,
with the performance of the Brahms 2nd Symphony that managed both to lack
overall vision and to pay attention to details.  Especially in the face of
an extraordinary performance of the Beethoven Concerto by Kennedy in the
concert's first half, Abbado was a huge disappointment.

Leading a work that has been one of Wolfgang Sawallisch's hallmarks here
would certainly be challenge for any conductor.  Abbado's direction was
muddled, drawing shaky ensemble and weak intonation, with little evident
grasp of the work's overall line.  Movements did not develop with any sense
of organicism.  The crowd, wowed by his podium theatrics, went nuts at the
end.  The musicians, who reportedly had been divided about Abbado earlier,
however now looked visibly upset with a fair amount of unanimity.

His direction was much better in the Beethoven, but there Kennedy was the
focus, with a rendition marked by a heightened sense of spontaneity and
joy.  Far from a self-indulgent reading one might expect, Kennedy took
chances AND was clearly paying great attention to the other members of the
orchestra.  He then improvised a Bach-based jazz duo with a member of the
Bass section!

If only the concert has ended then!

I hope Sawallisch's health holds.  The search for his successor moves from
one disappointment to another.

Robin Mitchell-Boyask
Temple University
Philadelphia PA 19122