The London Philharmonic blew into San Diego on Friday, March 10, slightly in advance of the storm that brought hail, high winds and snow to parts of the county.
Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major (“Titan”) is a stormy work, vanguard of the composer’s genius; it created the perfect storm on the stage of Copley Symphony Hall, where the huge orchestra played like titans under the baton of Finnish maestro Osmo Vanska. Music director of the Minnesota Orchestra since 2003, Vanska fills in for ailing maestro Kurt Masur, reportedly for the first few dates of the philharmonic’s U.S. tour. Among future stops are Orange County, Palm Desert, New York City and Boston.
When introducing Vanska to the near-capacity audience, La Jolla Music Society’s new artistic director Christopher Beach recalled another stormy night, in New York City 62 years ago, when the New York Philharmonic’s 25-year-old assistant conductor was an 11th-hour substitute for ailing maestro Bruno Walter. The kid’s name was Leonard Bernstein.
Vanska is no kid ” he’s 53 ” and no novice. His conducting style is meticulous, spare and effective, with little of the effusive, overt and emotive gymnastics Bernstein employed; although one fully expected him to levitate at times. The extremely fit and youthful conductor brought subtlety, deeply felt emotion, a sense of joy and an obvious longing for perfection in all programmed works.
The cello section is as close to ideal as any ever experienced. Mahler’s pianissimos literally caused suspension of breath. One has never experienced such rapt silence in Copley Hall. The fourth movement (Sturmisch bewegt) climax, with eight horns on their feet, two timpanists and clashing cymbals, was cataclysmic.
Also programmed were Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony, Opus 4, and Sergei Prokoviev’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Opus 25 (“Classical”). Britten had a jolly good time composing his “Simple” work as a four-movement study overtly exemplifying various styles, boisterous, playful, sentimental and frolicsome. It makes for wonderful listening, especially the lovely sentimental sarabande. The familiar Prokofiev symphony is always a joy. It’s such a pleasure to hear this magnificent orchestra and to experience Vanska’s many wonders. The London Philharmonic is a definite spoiler.
Next up, La Jolla Music Society presents the Russians. Pianist and Russian National Orchestra founder Mikhail Pletnev plays a recital at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 21 at Sherwood Auditorium, 700 Prospect St. He conducts the Russian National Orchestra at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 23 at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St. Alexander Moglievsky is soloist in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Also programmed are Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise, Opus 34, No. 14, and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Suite No. 3 for Orchestra in G Major, Opus 55. For tickets visit www.la-jolla-music-society.com or call (858) 459-3728.
Talk about your cellos ” there were only three Sunday afternoon at Sherwood Auditorium, when the San Diego Chamber Orchestra (SDCO www.sdco.org) performed under the baton of the normally ebullient Nuvi Mehta. The program comprised Antonin Dvorak’s lovely Serenade for Strings in E Major, Opus 22 and Gioacchino Rossini’s Overture to “The Barber of Seville.” Cleveland Competition winner Chu-Gang Huang was the impressive guest soloist in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Opus 58.
Guest conductor James Paul closes the current season April 6, 9 and 11 with Rossini, Respighi, Elgar and Bizet. New artistic director Jung Ho Pak takes the reins in the fall, and not a moment too soon.
Additional musical events this week:
“¢ Violinist Min Lee is guest performer with the San Diego Symphony March 17-19 at Copley Symphony Hall. She will play Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Opus 35. The program also features Anatol Liadnov’s “Kikimora” and excerpts from Sergei Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet,” with Music Director Jahja Ling conducting.
“¢ “An Evening of Classical Jugalbandhi” will be presented on Sunday, March 19 at the Price Center Theatre at University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Featuring a musical dialogue through flute (Shashank Subramanyam) and sitar (Purbayan Chatterjee) in the classical traditions of North and South India, the concert begins at 4 p.m. Tickets ($5-$25 for reserved patron seating) are available at the UCSD Price Center Theater box office. The box office will also open one hour before the concert for ticket sales. The show is presented by Raag and Taal Academy with Udai of UCSD and Harmoni Ventures. For information visit www.raagandtaal.org.