“My new solar system” is how Danish composer Carl Nielsen described his concert overture Helios, which is also an apt description of conductor Alan Gilbert’s debut appearance with the Czech Philharmonic. A devotee of Nielsen’s music, Gilbert brought impressive insight and expertise to performances of Helios and Nielsen’s Symphony no. 5. And working closely with soloist Kirill Gerstein, he led a masterful treatment of Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor that sounded as fresh and invigorating as Nielsen’s avant-garde excursions.
Composed under a blazing hot sun in Greece, Helios traces its daily arc across the sky and some of the bustling human activity on the ground. Starting with barely perceptible bass rumblings, Gilbert eased into a bright, crisp sunrise from the horns that opened into colorful woodwinds and satin-smooth strings. The piece builds to full symphonic dimensions that he imbued with a buoyant spirit, giving the music both grandeur and intimacy, nature on magnificent display and warm against the skin. The tactile feel is Nielsen’s but the brilliance in the sound was all Gilbert, who has a gift for making music come alive.
The Mozart concerto was in some ways an exercise in restraint, and better for it. Gilbert set a measured pace that let the music breathe, and Gerstein used a light touch, more lyrical than his usual style, particularly in the famous melody that opens the second movement. He turned intense in the solos, though without ever losing the elegant burnish that Gilbert matched in the orchestra. Tracking each other closely, the two artists maintained a steady and compelling dialogue throughout, blending seamless handoffs and matching tones and moods like mirrors, of one mind in their interpretation. This was not everyone’s idea of Mozart, especially in Central Europe – a bit dry, and rather formal. But it was handsomely done, showing great care and respect for the music while giving it an air of dignity and weight of gravity usually lost in uptempo, high-spirited performances. In short, a new look and a class act.
Gilbert brought much the same approach to Nielsen’s Fifth Symphony, letting the music speak for itself. It has a lot to say, blithely mixing 20th-century dissonances into a traditional form. Gilbert gave the clashing tones, percussive clatter and pounding rhythms an organic core with expert control of the unorthodox orchestration, no small achievement in a piece that is almost schizophrenic in its changes of color and character. He rode the romantic waves of the past with the highest volume of the night, dropping suddenly to fine, atonal noises without missing a beat. It can be difficult to hold an audience with music this complex, especially from a composer they rarely hear. But Gilbert showed absolute command on both sides of the podium, in particular at the end of the first movement, when he had the entire hall holding its breath. After a ringing finale, he generously had every section of the orchestra stand for curtain calls, Still, there was no mistaking Gilbert’s signature on an adventurous performance.
Debuts in Prague can be hazardous, with Czech musicians trained to play in a specific style and audiences who expect to hear it. It’s a high bar that newcomers can’t always meet. Gilbert and Gerstein, consummate professionals and creative collaborators, showed that there are always new and interesting places to go.
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