The newly renovated David Geffen Hall, next to Lincoln Center in Manhattan is a feast for eyes as well as the ears. It is warm and welcoming, particularly on a freezing February evening. It has been a venue for enjoying the eclectic mix of beloved musical works of the old masters as much as the newly minted pieces of 20th and 21st Century giants. Its visual art gallery displays the same exhilarating mix of periods and styles.
The Evening
As we entered the grand and elegant concert hall, the excellent architecture and decor captivated us. It is a brilliant display of the grandeur of simplicity, The atmosphere was overwhelming. There was excitement and anticipation all around.
The accompanists trooped in on the huge stage, slowly. The violinists, the flutists, the cellists, the bassoonist, the trumpeter and so many more, each occupying their appointed stations, preparing for the performance. The strains of so many instruments floated and filled the air.
And then the lights dimmed and as the conductor took the stage, the hall fell into a hushed silence, broken only by the occasional cough or rustle of a program leaflet. Then, as the first notes of the symphony filled the air, the mood shifted to one of rapt attention and awe. The acoustics were so superior that one could hear the full range of orchestral instruments with clarity and richness.
The 110- minute performance had three distinct segments. The first one was ‘Overture for orchestra’, a 6 minute piece, followed by ‘A Concerto For Piano with Moving Image’, called ‘In Seven Days’, a musical composition in collaboration with a visual artist, lasting for 29 minutes. The performance concluded with a symphony, composed by Antonin Dvorak, ‘Symphony No. 5 in F Major,Op 76. It lasted for 37 minutes.
Ruth Reinhardt
All three pieces were conducted by Ruth Reinhardt, considered one of the most dynamic and nuanced young conductors, who has built a reputation for musical intelligence, programmatic imagination and elegant performances. Born in Germany and a violinist by training ,who later made composing and conducting symphony music her calling, she has emerged as one of the most accomplished and gifted conductor of the day and counts among the front ranking women conductors of the world. Since over a decade, she has been conducting performances for all major orchestras across Europe and US.. This season she joins the ranks of eminent conductors who have led the New York Philharmonic.
Overture
The first piece was likely warming up, preparing the audience for a rich and rewarding experience. The Overture was a composition of deep poignance created by the famous Polish musician Grażyna Bacewicz, another woman of outstanding musical talent. The piece composed in 1943, when she was somehow surviving the harrowing times in the middle of second world war in Hitler occupied Warsaw, is a testimony to human hope, force and faith. In an Allegro-Aadante-Allegro format, the Overture seems touched by Bacewicz’s war experience. A rumble of timpani that sets the piece in motion recalls artillery bombardments, followed by the cessation of conflict in a quiet moment led by woodwinds and strings, before the action heats up again in the concluding Allegro.
The ensemble consisted of two flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets and bass clarinet, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, cymbals, bass drum, snare drum, triangle, orchestra bells and strings.
In Seven Days (Concerto for Piano with Moving Images)
The next piece was an experimental creation where music and optics were brought together. The orchestral piece incorporated video projection on stage. Created by the highly talented Tal Rosner, the visuals were very responsive to the music, beating in choreographed unison as if they were an additional part of the orchestra. The images were inspired by two architectural sources, The Royal Festival Hall in London, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The visuals arguably were an exploration of these magnificent structures, their interiors and exteriors, as well as the facade and the surroundings, thus creating a new vocabulary of forms, compositions, colours, shapes and rhythms.
The musical piece was a composition by Thomas Adès, a British composer, created in 2008, when Tal Rosner was married to him. As one listens and sees, the eyes and ears together are engrossed in a process of constant growth, so much so that one hears music from the screens and see struts and striations in the orchestral sound.
The orchestral piece is dominated by Pianist Krill Gerstein, a rare pianist whose heritage combines the traditions of Russian, American and Central European music with an insatiable curiosity. His ferocious technique and discerning intelligence matched with energetic imaginative musical presence lends a character to the piece that becomes its defining feature.
The piece itself is a celebration of the seven days of Divine Creation as told in the first verses of the Book of Genesis. Each day has its own movement, in a sequence that plays without a break, conveying in different ways, the processes and energies of creation; how things come into being, with what effort, and how they change.
A fascinating concept executed with great dexterity and musicality and made so much more opulent by the kaleidoscopic images and colours.
And the synthesis was brilliant.
(To Be Concluded….)
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