That a major German orchestra would start its two performances at Carnegie Hall, under the baton of its Moscow born music director, with two staples of the French repertoire instead of, say, a little gem of a Haydn symphony, is a true sign of how much things have changed in the global musical world. Lead by Valery Gergiev, a highly versatile maestro, the members of the Munich Philharmonic were not terribly successful in their attempt. On the first of the two nights, Ravel’s La Valse sounded too heavy. On their second evening, Debussy’s Prélude à l’après midi d’un faune was less so, but neither was their rendition a truly exhilarating one, worthy of this ten minute long opus that, for many listeners, represents the departing point for modern music. Principal flute Michael Martin Kofler navigated the descending semitones of the introductory measures with clarity, the dialogue between woodwinds and strings was effective and the harp’s or horn’s interventions were always accurate. Leaving aside the exaggerated ritardandos and pauses before transitions, everything was comme il faut. But, overall, the performance lacked most of the magic and sensuality imbued in the score and the extraordinary tonal and harmonic elusiveness of the music was rarely conveyed.
Written when the composer was only 19, classical in structure and marked by Beethoven’s shadow, Schubert’s Fourth Symphony is hardly an undisputed masterpiece. But occasionally there are hints of Schubert’s special gifts in this work, premiered many years after the composer’s death. One can hear from the very beginning, in the lengthy Adagio molto introduction, the sad sweetness, the singing voices, the specific harmonic inflexions. For unknown reasons, Gergiev decided to employ a full-blown orchestra, anchored by eight double basses. As a result, the projected sound was excessive and any sense of intimacy was absent. The melancholic quality of the Andante’s music and the true Romantic harmonies of the Finale were mostly lost.