This morning I attended a rehearsal at which Ivan Fischer led the Munich
Philharmonic susperbly through a diffcult concert of Bartok and Stravinsky.
Played were Bartok's Transylvanian Dances, Rummanian Folk Dances, and the
Second Violing Concerto, as soloed by Thomas Zehetmair; Stravinsky: Ode,
and Rite of Spring. It was my first live experience of Fischer. He comes
across as amiable but purposeful. Before launching into the music he
explained the selection of the program to those attending the rehearsal.
He said it represented a sort of smorgasbord of Bartok, with a side serving
of Stravinsky. It would show how the pieces of different genres compared
and contrasted in terms of rhythm, color and construction. As the
rehearsal then progressed, he and the orchestra got several very cordial
rounds of applause, notably when Thomas Zehetmair brought off a virtuoso
performance with a sure touch that never left him for even a beat. (Nb,
applause is unusual at MPO rehearsals and actually discouraged.) This was
of some significance, as the audience was numerous (1,000+), mature (large
contingent of retired folk), and conservatively-Munich. Still, the music
got to them. It got to me, too, espcially those dances, but also the
Bartok concerto, which I never cared for in recorded form. But here, with
Zehetmair at the fiddle, it sang for me. I wasn't surprised, because I've
experiennced his magic before--but in the future I'm definitely going to be
paying more attention to Fischer.Among the younger top-rankers that I've
experienced, he's one of the most impressive. He went well with Zehetmair.
Denis Fodor Internet:[log in to unmask]
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