A Rachmaninoff Week-end by Curtis Rittenhouse

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Rachmaninoff and Ormandy in Philadelphia

Last week-end I had the opportunity of hearing three major works of Serge Rachmaninoff back-to-back. The week-end started in New York at Avery Fisher Hall where Juraj Valcuha was making his Philharmonic debut. I had heard Valcuha, a young Slovakian conductor very much on the rise, conducting three Russian works very impressively with the Philharmonia in London at Festival Hall. At that time he was a completely unknown name, but his mastery of these very familiar works (Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition and the Khovanshchina Overture with the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with Sergey Khachatryan) impressed greatly .

Valcuha seen up close has a very formal and serious podium demeanor. There is no jumping and dancing around. There are not a lot of happy faces and winks. Music-making seem to be a very serious business. But, again he impressed with his to-the-point mastery of works ranging from Weber’s Oberon Overture through Rachmaninoff to two Operatic suites by Richard Strauss, the rarely heard one from Die Frau Ohne Schatten and the familiar one from Der Rosenkavelier. For Rachmaninoff Valcuha was paired with the popular veteran Andre Watts celebrating his fiftieth year anniversary before the New York Philharmonic. Watts a popular favorite in any American concert hall waded in Rachmaninoff’s second piano concerto fearlessly, producing a huge tone that at the start threatened to drown out the orchestra. No need to worry. By the end, there were no interpretative surprises or hiccups just plenty of the lush romantic moments receiving a full-throated interpretation. Everyone involved seemed to have this piece in their blood. After the interval, Valcuha returned with disciplined but colorful versions of the Strauss suites, the Rosenkavelier in particular getting an all-stops-pulled out rendition. No doubt, we shall be seeing Valcuha again.

Then on to Philadelphia during the Nezet-Seguin inaugural season to an all-Rachmaninoff concert, very much in the Philadelphia tradition. Popular guest conductor Gianandrea Noseda was on the podium with Siberian pianist Denis Matsuev at the piano for the even-more challenging Third Piano Concerto followed by the Second Symphony. Matsuev a relatively recent find has been making his rounds with this concerto which he tosses off with aplomb. Noseda proved a very capable conductor, his podium deportment the polar opposite of Valcuha on the stand, all sunny energetics and baton diplomacy, responding warmly to both orchestra and audience and also getting results.

Both pieces were expertly done, brooding and plaintiff at one moment, galloping off confidently the next. Many consider Ormandy with the Philadelphia the yardstick for Rachmaninoff performance and Noseda was clearly in that league in these two works. Nothing was taken for granted. The Philadelphia sound was there. The orchestra played splendidly and enthusiastically.

Rachmaninoff used to be treated as a romantic throwback and audience panderer sadly out of step with the mainstream of modern music. Now he is seen as a man stubbornly writing in his own style late in the Romantic cycle who connects with audiences and performers and has long out-lasted many more celebrated contemporaries. Indeed I would not be surprised to learn that performances of Rachmaninoff outnumber those of Stravinsky in 2012. Stravinsky in his life time was celebrated as the greatest living composer, a master of many styles who kept abreast of every trend while he lived and excelled at them all.

The moral of this story is stick to what you do well and time will reward you. I was certainly well-rewarded on this Rachmaninoff week-end on the East Coast. I am a good listener.

Curtis Rittenhouse

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