The Montreal Symphony under Charles Dutoit performed here the other
night and on the whole was better received by the audience than by the
Sueddeutsche's reviewer, Clemens Prokop.  He remarked on Dutoit's cool,
undemonstrative manner on the podium and though admiring of it in general
felt it worked badly as the orchestra attempted Beethoven's Third Piano
Concerto.

"...It helps not that Rene Duchabale is an astounding pianist...The great
strenghths of the Montreal orchestra are at the same the great weaknesses
of Dutoit.  He wishes to do right by Beethoven by palaying him with formal
rigor and with a paucity of sound.  With that the orchestra loses its
fascination.  The Third Piano Concerto as ap[layed by Dutoit becomes
music...that must not prove itself, must not struggle...Anyone wanting
to experience the impressive qualities of these Canadians must wait for
encore.  Debussy's L'apres-midi d'un faune twinkles with color...." (I
myself thought the Beethoven was quite good, though a bit noncomittal.)

Elsewhere in Munich the 48th annual music competition of the ARD, one of
the two main public-ownership broadcasting networks in Germany, wound up
with not a one of the some 200 competitors being awarded a first prize.
There were only seconds and thirds for this year's players.  Violins,
horns, pianos and organs were up for contest.  (I didn't have time to
attend much of the competition, but was impressed by the playing of an
Italian competitor who in his evening job plays in the brass section of
the La Scala orchestra.  Anyway, with that kind of talent around, I don't
understand why the jury was so exceptionally picky this year.  It must have
had reasons--or is that a new trend?)

Denis Fodor                             Internet:[log in to unmask]