Jaap van Zweden, via

The New York Philharmonic had a guest conductor on Saturday night: Jaap van Zweden, the music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. And the Hong Kong Philharmonic. In addition to being a conductor, this Dutchman is no mean violinist, having been appointed concertmaster of the Concertgebouw Orchestra when he was a teenager.

(The orchestra had not yet acquired its “Royal.”)

His program on Saturday night was Britten, Mozart, and Beethoven. The Britten was the Sinfonia da Requiem, paid for by the Japanese government in 1939. (Semi-long story.) Britten was a pacifist hero, you know. Just ask his fans.

In any case, the Sinfonia da Requiem is a fine work, and it was conducted very, very well by Van Zweden. (Or should I say “Zweden” or “van Zweden”? This is an old, sometimes contentious debate, and I’m afraid I don’t know the maestro’s preference. Or whether he has one.)

From Jaap’s baton, the Britten was precise and intense. Obviously, this was a conductor of intelligence and command. The Sinfonia da Requiem can be lifeless, limp, as other Britten works can be, poorly performed. But definitely not on this occasion. Moreover, the score was clear even when it was cacophonous.

The Philharmonic’s No. 1 trumpet, Matthew Muckey, did deft and stylish work. And the orchestra as a whole was first-class.

Let me say something else about this intensity business. By “intense,” I of course don’t mean frenetic or loud. There can be an intense quietude, for example. At any rate, Van Zweden, in his intensity, reminded me of Mariss Jansons when he conducted the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Or Osmo Vänskä when he started out with the Minnesota Orchestra.

Frankly, I don’t see how Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem could be better advocated. The music was correct and moving, done full justice.

The Mozart on the program was the Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488. Its soloist was Inon Barnatan, the Israeli. I will touch on this performance briefly, perhaps emphasizing the conducting (as this is a Jaap-centered post).

The orchestra begins the concerto, of course, and, in the opening measures, the music breathed just right. It was as though the music were continuing, rather than beginning. This can be a hard trick to pull off, but Van Zweden and the Philharmonic had no problem.

For his part, Barnatan sculpted his Mozart nicely. Beautifully.

About the second movement, Adagio, I will say this: Never have the pizzicatos toward the end been so consequential. Never have they been so “involved” in the music (overall). I may never hear this section quite the same way again—Van Zweden has spoiled me for conventional performances.

In the closing movement, Barnatan demonstrated an elegant spunkiness. And then a Mozartean gaiety. You can go a long while without hearing this popular concerto performed so well, by pianist, orchestra, and conductor.

After intermission, there was a symphony: the Fifth. Ask not by whom. It wasn’t Bruckner’s, Mahler’s, or Shostakovich’s. It was the Fifth. And let me suggest something to you: if you had to name one test piece for a conductor, you could do worse than to designate Beethoven’s Fifth.

As expected, the first movement was precise, intense, disciplined—all those Van Zwedenesque things. But it was also somewhat dry—dry of sound. This was especially true of the horns. I don’t say that this dryness was bad or wrong. I’m saying it was so.

The tempo of the second movement, Andante con moto, is hard to get right. Van Zweden got it right. He neither dawdled nor rushed. Beethoven’s phrases were sometimes more carved, or etched, than sung, but they were no worse for that. And the woodwinds were uncannily balanced. They did not stand out, as they usually do. They blended. Let me emphasize that this is very rare.

I swear, the third movement had an unusual Sorcerer’s Apprentice feel. It really did. Never mind that this was Halloween Night. The music had that unusual feel regardless.

The finale was wonderful, needless to say. A little dry. And let me register this criticism—or rather this observation: There was not a lot of spiritual glory in the finale. It was more like a slightly angry, secular hymn, if you can imagine. Did that make it wrong? No, of course not. But it was a little different.

I often quote Robert Graves, who said, “The thing about Shakespeare is that he really is good.” (I paraphrase a bit.) Well, the thing about Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is that it really is good. It will not fail to thrill, if led by such as Van Zweden.

In Dallas, he is known as a taskmaster. There is a place for such men on a podium. The New York Philharmonic will need to appoint a successor to its music director, Alan Gilbert. One could do a lot worse than Jaap van Zweden. He’s on my short list (not that anybody asked for my short list—or long list).

I will devote my next post to New York Phil. succession.

 

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