Review: Rotterdam Philharmonic and Yannick Nézet-Séguin attack Tchaikovsky. Orange County Register, Feb. 12, 2015.
Review: Rotterdam Philharmonic and Yannick Nézet-Séguin attack Tchaikovsky. Orange County Register, Feb. 12, 2015.
February 12, 2015
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Sounds awful. They’re attacking Prokofiev 5 and Ravel’s G major piano concerto tonight in San Diego. Why do touring orchestras play it safer programming-wise than local orchestras (which is saying something)? You’d think they bring a taste of their homeland’s best. In Rotterdam Phil’s case, great Dutch composers like, um …
Johan Wagenaar, Willem Pijper …
Oh yeah. Golden Earring too …
For those interested, Rotterdam as seen by San Diego’s critic: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/feb/15/tp-rotterdam-philharmonic-shines/
Somewhat odd review by Chute in San Diego, as though he might have had to think creatively to put a positive spin on why a general audience might enjoy the concert. He praises Grimaud, and yet, these are also his own words (something I felt as well, when I heard her), “…she played with such offhandedness that she might as well have been in a piano bar…” I didn’t see the San Diego concert, but I was at the OC one. (She played a different piano concerto.) She seemed a bit like a statue in her piano seat, with quite loud sounds emanating from the piano. Not bad but I was not engaged in her performance. I felt exhausted at the end.
I didn’t attend either concert but after reading Tim’s review and then Mr. Chute’s, I had the same reaction as you: the latter seemed to feel obliged to describe positively playing that in reality even he didn’t particularly admire. Curious …