Music Chronicle

Hudson Review, The, Spring 2004 by Dhuga, U S

A similarly expressive evening was had at Carnegie Hall on 21 November, the second of two nights at Carnegie Hall offered by the Orchestre de Paris, led by Christoph Eschenbach-himself a virtuoso pianist of intense emotionalism who turned his attention toward conducting in the early 1980s. Americans should be pleased to know that Eschenbach will be the next conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra-yet another indication that philharmonic culture in America is thriving despite the apocalyptic prognoses of musical quidnuncs. Violist Tabea Zimmermann would be the highlight of the evening-and she heralded as much when she took to the stage for Hector Berlioz's Harold en Italie, Op. 16 (1834) with the poise of a singer about to launch into song. Eschenbach brought out an exactitude in the strings' phrasing which was met and indeed elevated by Zimmerman's technical bravura. Reminiscences, however improbable, of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704)-particularly of his Passacaglia for solo violin-could be heard in the poignant, slow, repeated drawing of the bow full across the viola's strings. But the third movement, the "Orgy of the Brigands"-however irresistible its title-is one which I have always found far too gimmicky, as two violinists and a cellist leave the stage (much to the audience's suspense), perch themselves on the mezzanine (much to the audience's consternation), and eventually join the orchestra for several supercilious flourishes intended to produce I know not what effect. But that nuisance, unavoidable for the Orchestre insofar as Berlioz himself designed it, was one which I managed to avoid by concentrating on the lovely movements and gestures of the lyrical violist Zimmermann: to borrow the words of poet Richard Lovelace, "So did she move; so did she sing."

1 Available on Volume Two of the BBC's compact disc series, "Britten: the performer" (BBCB 8002-2).

2 Available on EMI Classics' "Debut" series (5 72271 2).

3 http://www.npg.org.uk. One can search through this wonderful (and free) resource by painter, sitter, date, medium, etc.

4 Available on the Opus 111 label (OPS 30-84).