Philharmonic serves up feast for the ears

By Howard Ho
Daily Bruin Reporter

The idea that the sound of concerts mimics the sound of
recordings was very real at the Los Angeles Philharmonic concert
last Sunday afternoon. Giving the audience a kind of smorgasbord,
the show hoped to satisfy the tastes of everyone in the audience
just as the popular classical samplers (Andrea Bocelli, Charlotte
Church) do. Though it could have fallen to mere pandering, the
strategy succeeded because of brilliant performances.

The smorgasbord strategy involved three distinct music styles
that needed fulfillment: the crazy modern piece that almost no one
likes, the oldie but goodie classical piece, and the middle ground
where both progressives and classicists can be appeased.

Fulfilling the “crazy modern” prerequisite was Kaija
Saariaho’s “Du Cristal,” a piece for large
orchestra including a piano, lots of bells and even a synthesizer.
The sound of the piece was a mix of the intro hum of THX’s
“The Audience is Listening,” horror film dramatics, and
non-functional melodies mostly heard in the bells and timpani.
Finnish composer Saariaho’s piece certainly created an
interesting sound with pitches quavering through semitones and
orchestration that gives a collage-like effect. Indeed, one
suspects this is a product of her electronic training from the
Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique, the
Parisian conservatory known for its experimental approach.

Filling the spot of the conservative classical piece was
Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D major. This offered a stark
contrast from Saariaho’s piece. Where she had a large
orchestra, Haydn had a small one. Where she had sound masses
without harmony and melody, one mainly listened to Haydn for
harmony and melody. One could sense guest conductor Austrian Franz
Welser-Möst programming the piece to calm people after the
worrisome first piece.

In such a context, Haydn became not just a contrast, but also
refreshing and brilliant. Whereas hearing Haydn usually brings
about a certain cynicism in the listener (“His stuff is so
simplistic and unchallenging”), coming out of
Saariaho’s chaos made it seem enjoyable and relaxing. And
Haydn’s challenging moments, which indeed were there, fell on
receptive ears and open hearts.

Cellist Andrew Shulman flew around with grace while the sound of
his playing probably suffered from poor acoustics. Unlike a violin
solo that sticks out, the cello typically sinks and becomes barely
audible, especially when the orchestra loudly plays along.
Nevertheless, his performance avoided failure with his passionate
gestures to aid the largely unpassionate music.

The final act was Sibelius’ First Symphony. Composed in
1899, the piece hugs the end of the Romantic era while also showing
modern influences. In other words, it was the bridge in the program
to satiate conservatives and progressives alike, creating a
balanced concert.

In the first two pieces conductor Welser-Möst did not seem
to be very pivotal, yet in this final piece, he was the main guy,
giving tricky cues left and right for music that was as lush as it
was naked, a strange duality that Sibelius thrived at. Indeed, the
unique orchestral timbres, most notably the use of the winds,
prompted creative energy and interpretation on
Welser-Möst’s part. His inordinately long standing
ovation, very much deserved, gave him time to thankfully shake
orchestra members’ hands as well as single out the talented
wind players for their own deserved applause.

The concert’s smorgasbord triumvirate policy worked,
because no one was offended and no one felt left out. Certainly,
the guest conductor had some pressure to perform “easy”
and “difficult” pieces to win audiences and critics
over, respectively, but the potential pandering turned into a
revelation.

Just as a buffet must have variety in order to be compelling, so
too are L.A. Philharmonic concerts becoming more diverse in hopes
of satisfying everyone’s tastes. So, when the L.A. Phil holds
the U.S. premiere of Salonen’s new piece next month,
don’t be shocked when Tchaikovsky rounds off the second half
of that concert.