Admirable Mahler from Neuhold and the National Symphony

             German conductor Günter Neuhold gave a very good concert with the National Symphony (Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional) at the Blue Whale on May 13; I wrote about it in the Herald. This time, on June 15 and 17 (I attended the latter), it was even better. Neuhold is a distinguished Austrian born in 1947 who has held posts at Parma, Flanders, Karlsruhe, Bremen and Bilbao. Equally at home in opera and concert music, his excellent technique (disciple of the famous Swarowsky and Ferrara) and vast trajectory are coupled with deep stylistic study of the scores;  his presence with the NS is quite positive (he has conducted them in earlier seasons).

            There was a further reason to be optimistic: the fine curriculum of the Canadian violinist (Montreal, 1979) Alexandre Da Costa (debut). Two thousand concerts, many premières  and twenty CDs whilst still quite young speak of his capacity. He chose Max Bruch´s famous First Concerto, written in 1866; proving the lack of coordination betwen our city´s orchestras, it was also played by Xavier Inchausti (curiously, the NS´ second concertino) on June 16 at the Coliseo with the Buenos Aires Philharmonic conducted by Tolcachir.

            Bruch wrote for violin and orchestra no less than eight scores; once in a while it would be nice to vary the diet, especially with the Second Concerto. But there´s no doubt that the First Concerto rules with good reason, for it has convincing melodism, innovations in form and perfect imbrication between soloist and orchestra.

            From the start Da Costa showed four principal qualities: a terse, beautiful sound; very accurate playing in tune; precise articulation; and musical phrasing at all speeds. Just one caveat: I would have welcomed a richer, more Romantic tone (what he did was ideal for Mozart, rather). But it´s true that Neuhold gave its full due to the orchestra, as much a protagonist as the soloist (and that´s surely right).  The Concerto emerged then as a collaboration whose joins were impeccable.

            Da Costa´s encore was a surprise: a fast Jimi Hendrix piece (!) where Da Costa was accompanied by the "pizzicati" of cellist José Araujo. I liked the music and it was dazzlingly played. Valid crossover.

            I met Mahler´s First Symphony in an early batch of LPs in 1952: Mitropoulos conducting the Minneapolis Symphony. I was in the first of my teenager years and it marked my musical life ever since. From 1953 to 1970 I heard it in eight concerts,  evidence that this was the only Mahler symphony that could be considered repertoire then, and with such able conductors as Sevitzky, Van Otterloo, Frühbeck de Burgos, Moralt, L.Ludwig, Horenstein and Dixon. It has been a staple ever since, and it stands to reason: probably , along with Brahms´, they are the best First Symphonies in history.  

             Neuhold´s reading was on the highest plane, with extraordinary attention to every nuance asked by Mahler, the most obsessive of all composers concerning score indications. E.g., in the initial movements of the First movement a fanfare must be heard from afar, and it was calibrated magisterially. Or the parodic moments of that so original Funeral march on Frère Jacques, never exaggerated but making their point. (One divergence, though: the movement must begin with just one bass playing in the minor the melody, and here there were several; why? The acoustics are very clear and a single bass in pianissimo is heard).

            The careful buildup of climaxes was sensitively followed by the very attentive orchestra, and in the fourth movement the final minutes were overwhelming, but never forced: the players in topnotch condition. I was reduced to tears as also happened last year at the very end of the Second, then conducted by Diemecke.

            I mentioned Minneapolis earlier in this review: that city, capital of Minnesota, a cold Northern state, had one of the best orchestras of the USA, and recorded memorably under Ormandy, Mitropoulos and Dorati. Now they call it the Minnesota Orchestra, a bad change;  it´s still first-rate. Minneapolis and Saint Paul are divided by the Mississippi River and they are called The Twin Cities. It´s from them that come the players of the Minnesota Youth Orchestra, made up of the best high school musicians; they gave a debut concert here at the Law School (Facultad de Derecho) conducted by the experienced Mark Russell Smith.

            Their programme included two premières from the USA and a standard symphony. John Williams is famous as film composer; we heard "The Cowboys Overture", based on his music for the homonymous 1972 film. It is loud, rhythmic and melodic. "Into the Wild" was written by a Minnesota musician, Jacob Bancks, for the orchestra; in two movements (almost 19 minutes). The first is slow but has a nervous, quirky episode; the second is violent and dissonant. The Orchestra, rather big (about 80)  played with youthful enthusiasm under the very professional baton of Smith.

            Brahms´ Second Symphony is his most leisurely, and felt more so, for the conductor observed the repeat of the exposition of the first movement, thus lasting 23 minutes! It was a serious, generally well-played performance, except for some horn mistakes. Encores: the vigorous Malambo from Ginastera´s "Estancia"  and Bach´s Aria from the Third Suite, sensitively played. Of course, throughout the afternoon the resonant acoustics didn´t help.

            Curiosity: only ten days before, another Minnesota youth orchestra played here: the St. Olaf.

For Buenos Aires Herald