Dark sound, light subtext in Shostakovich Fifth at Carnegie Hall

By David Wolfson, 27 October 2019

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Reviewed at Carnegie Hall: Stern Auditorium, New York City on 26 October 2019

Widmann, Con Brio, concert overture for orchestra

Brahms, Violin Concerto in D major, Op.77

Shostakovich, Symphony no. 5 in D minor, Op.47

Leonidas Kavakos, Violin

Valery Gergiev, Director, Conductor

Munich Philharmonic Orchestra

At home in Hamburg: Munich Philharmonic at the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 6th February

Lahav Shani offers fresh perspectives on Debussy, Mozart and Schoenberg, favouring structural clarity and youthful energy over traditional late-Romantic weight and atmospheric suggestion.

***11

Zubin Mehta brings the Munich Philharmonic to Carnegie Hall for Brahms

Edward Sava-Segal, 3rd February

Yefim Bronfman reunites with his old collaborator for Brahms' First Piano Concerto, reinforcing the qualities that exemplify him as a great chamber music player.

****1

A proficient but flawed opening at Dvořák’s Prague

Frank Kuznik, 8th September

Myung-whun Chung and Pablo Ferrández shine separately, but never quite get on the same page.

***11

Child's play: Crumb and Strauss make unconventional bedfellows

Matthew Rye, 12th November

Zubin Mehta brought together works by George Crumb and Richard Strauss in his latest concert as the Munich Philharmonic's honorary conductor.

****1

Grand Romantic statements from Gergiev at the Enescu Festival

Edward Sava-Segal, 6th September

Two giants of the Romantic repertoire that were met with disdain by Eduard Hanslick at their premieres are given persuasive readings in Bucharest.

****1

Technicolor Shostakovich and Brahms from the Munich Philharmonic

Laurence Vittes, 3rd September

A full frontal assault by Valery Gergiev on Brahms' First Symphony and Shostakovich's First Cello Concerto in explosive performances.

****1

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David Wolfson

David Wolfson holds a PhD in composition from Rutgers University, and has taught at Rutgers University, Montclair State University and Hunter College. He is enjoying an eclectic career, having composed opera, musical theatre, touring children’s musicals, and incidental music for plays; choral music, band music, orchestral music, chamber music, art songs, and music for solo piano; comedy songs, cabaret songs and one memorable score for an amusement park big-headed-costumed-character show. You can find more information here.