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Classical Music
Janelle Gelfand on the classical music scene


Janelle's pen has taken her to Japan, China, Carnegie Hall, Europe (twice), East and West Coasts, and Florida. In fact, Janelle was the first Enquirer reporter to report from Europe via e-mail -- in 1995.

Janelle began writing for the Cincinnati Enquirer as a stringer in 1991 while writing a Ph.D. dissertation in musicology at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She joined the Enquirer staff in 1993.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she graduated from Stanford University, Janelle has lived in Cincinnati for more than 30 years. In her free time, this pianist plays chamber music with her circle of musical friends in Cincinnati.

She covers the Cincinnati Symphony, May Festival and Cincinnati Opera, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, chamber music ensembles, and as many recitals and events at CCM and NKU as possible.

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Thursday, November 15, 2007

The CSO's Mahler universe


Here's tonight's symphony review. Look for an interview with Ingrid Fliter in Friday's Weekend section.

Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 7 is his most misunderstood work, and a test of both orchestra and audience. On Thursday, after an absence of nearly two decades, Paavo Järvi and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra revisited this most enigmatic, quirky and ultimately, spectacular of symphonies.

Mahler's Seventh, calling for massive forces, formed the evening's second half. Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major opened the program, in a sparkling reading by Ingrid Fliter.

Mahler's symphonies all have underlying psychological meaning, and the Seventh seems to lay bare all of the composer's neuroses. Like his other symphonies, each of its five movements displays a universe of emotion in an endless quest for meaning.

Järvi and the orchestra plunged energetically into the first movement, distinctive for its haunting sound of the euphonium (Peter Norton) and its rapid mood swings. Technically, its disparate threads didn't come together until midway, when frenzied passages dissolved into an atmospheric section of distant fanfares.

Järvi's pacing was masterful and expression was red-blooded and full of bite. The contrasts of the three central scherzos were outlined in brilliant colors. "Night Music I," with its superbly-played horn calls, was hair-raising and grotesque; the second scherzo combined mystery and quirky humor.

The most famously "Mahlerian" movement was "Night Music II," a pastoral serenade calling for mandolin and guitar. Winds and strings glowed in this rare moment of serenity.

Despite its challenges, the musicians responded with exceptional playing. The finale was an exuberant display of symphonic glory, as brass and timpani unleashed their full power.

To open, the Argentine pianist Fliter made her CSO debut in Mozart's A Major Concerto. The 34-year-old pianist was relatively unknown in America until about two years ago, when she won the Gilmore Competition, a $300,000 prize awarded to an unsuspecting pianist every four years.

In a time of pianistic showmanship, it was a joy to see Mozart played with such beauty and without a trace of ego. Her touch was limpid, phrasing elegant and her phrases beautifully shaped.

The slow movement was memorable for the pianist's singing tone and poetic phrasing. Its deeply interior quality was a stark contrast to the effervescent finale. The finale's fleet tempo and scampering runs left no doubt that this was composed in the time of "Figaro."

Järvi, always with one eye on the keyboard, was at one with his soloist in this warm collaboration.

The concert repeats at 11 a.m. today and 8 p.m. Saturday in Music Hall. What did you think? Write your own review or rate this concert at cincinnati.com/entertainment.


11 Comments:

at 11/16/2007 10:07:00 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh how I miss Robin Graham...

 
at 11/16/2007 01:12:00 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Are you kidding me???

 
at 11/16/2007 05:33:00 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

There's certainly a degree of artistry missing...but she simply wasn't reliable.Also, we'll see some very good players here but in general we're not going to keep the finest.

 
at 11/17/2007 08:01:00 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Robin Graham was a fine player, but she didn't leave to play somewhere else. She had chronic lip injuries, which prevented her from performing for quite a while before she resigned. The current Principal Horn is first class. She is an amazing asset to the CSO.

 
at 11/17/2007 08:07:00 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

All orchestras like the CSO do tend to attract and keep the finest players. Jobs like the ones here are rare, and quite prestigious. We have brought in a long list of the very best talent over the years (including our Music Director). Occasionally these players win jobs in other orchestras, but not always. Let's not fall into the "grass is always greener" syndrome.

 
at 11/17/2007 10:11:00 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with the two previous posts. Robin overstayed her ability by a couple of years, fine as she was in her prime. The current principal's contribution to the Mahler were thrilling.

Less thrilling was the ringing of cell phone (twice) during the slow Movement of the Mahler. Anyone for strip searching the elderly?

 
at 11/17/2007 01:07:00 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry, I meant the slow movement of the Mozart.

 
at 11/18/2007 08:00:00 PM Blogger Janelle Gelfand said...

Which performance had the cell phone offender?

On another note, I thought that Eric Bates did a fine job on little notice in the concertmaster chair. Apparently, the top three first violins were all out sick with a virus last week.

 
at 11/18/2007 11:06:00 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

You should've heard his rock band perform Friday nite. All his tunes,plays guitar and sings---no kidding. It's a great story, Janelle.

 
at 11/18/2007 11:35:00 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

The cell phone duet was at the Friday morning concert.

 
at 11/19/2007 08:52:00 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

What an amazing performance!

I went Saturday night, and the virtuosity of everyone involved in the performance drew me in despite a rather annoying couple sitting next to me (center balcony). Fortunately, they didn't make too much distraction during the actual performances. One funny thing about them, though: the woman, a little insane, I think, shouted multiple times after that powerful Mahler 7: "Paavo! Paavo!"

 
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