Controversial Beethoven 3rd Concerto

[robert newman]

Working late last night I happened to turn on the radio and was lucky enough to catch most of a wonderful recorded live performance of Beethoven’s 3rd Piano concerto. It was so perfectly played and conducted (to my way of thinking anyway) that I could hardly wait to find out who was its soloist, conductor and orchestra. The broadcast was a revelation in almost every way. Full of poetry and drama.

On checking it turned out to be a live recording made last year on 29th August in London at the Royal Albert Hall. Part of the annual Promenade Concerts. The soloist was Emanuel Ax with the Visiting Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich, David Niman being the conductor.

But nothing prepared me for the shock of what I found when checking the published views of music critics on that same performance. I found that Ax had been torn to pieces by one critic and another was almost as bad.

At first I couldn’t believe it and was angry. Now it makes me laugh.

It’s quite simply the greatest performance I’ve ever heard of that work.

Well, I am to get a copy of this same performance from the BBC radio service.

What did the audience on that evening think of it ? They were ecstatic and there was huge applause.

[Gurn Blanston]

Robert,
This fits in perfectly with my philosophy of never believing a single lying word out of the mouth of a critic. In this particular case, I suspect that the target was Ax, a splendid pianist who has almost never gotten a good review, even of some brilliant work. It is as much as your life is worth to go to an open forum like rec.music.classical.recordings and post something positive about Ax.
Cheers,
Gurn

[robert newman]

Dear Gurn,

Wow - what you say is extraordinary and I'm glad you've told me. Having not looked at contemporary pianists for some years the name of Emanuel Ax was only known to me by sometimes hearing it as part of a general disucssion, but never once in complimentary terms.

I turned on the radio mid-way through the first movement and, hearing that it was Beethoven's 3rd immediately remembered that Joy (of this forum) had recently been listening to this work. But what caught me straight away was the sheer artistry of his phrasing, the clarity of the orchestra in sharing his interpretation etc - to say nothing of his formidable technique. It was a wonderful, wonderful performance.

It wasn't till the end of the first movement that coughs in the background showed it was a live performance. (His treatment of the cadenza was awesome). The slow movement breathtaking. And the third movement as close to perfect as I've ever heard. Only the very last bars of the entire piece just slightly rushed. But a staggering performance.

You mention critics. Yes. God help us if Ax is slated. He (to me anyway) is a very great artist and I will make a point of hearing more of this man.

Regards

[Rod]

Originally posted by robert newman:


But nothing prepared me for the shock of what I found when checking the published views of music critics on that same performance. I found that Ax had been torn to pieces by one critic and another was almost as bad.

What was the nature/focus of the critisism Robert?

------------------
"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[robert newman]

Hi Peter !

In answer to your request here are a few comments made on the concert as they appeared in the BBC Proms Review.


David H Spence

'Not quite a colossal failure of a Proms, but on the outside at best a qualified success of one.

After a rollicking start with Flying Dutchman Overture by Wagner, a reduced orchestra replaced the full forces of the Zurich Tonhalle for the Beethoven concerto.

Especially insightful for regular Proms patrons and listeners would have been to compare, and more contrast the Beethoven Third, as played by Ax and Zinman with the Cascioli and Metzmacher one of the Fourth several weeks ago.

A singular virtue of the entire evening was the fine clarity of the playing throughout, and no less beneficial for the Beethoven. With Cascioli and Metzmacher, you had contrasting ideas of approaching Beethoven entering the fray, so to speak, and such input frequently making something incendiary of the results, and for that a few times, even clashing with each other, and there was even some unique narrative to this performance that emerged from that. See my earlier review. For this performance of the Third, you had the perfect model of obsequiousness yet again with Emanuel Ax, playing mostly non legato, and with especially brittle tone for most of the slow movement and turning the last three notes before cadence of the theme into abbreviated triplets from what is written, shortchanging the expression there. The final episode of retransition to the Recap in the first movement clipped and bumped along way too much, flattening the climactic moment where the soloist descends into restatement of the main theme. And will the real Emanuel Ax stand up? He, on this occasion followed so closely period-by-formula David Zinman, who discovered what 'period' scholarship he may have had in his resources uncharactistically late in his career. I say period-by-formula because I have watched one or two his students work almost exactly the same way.

Was this the same Emnanuel Ax, who I heard play a positively Chopinesque account of a Mozart piano quintet with Riccardo Morales and several other Philadelphians, or much further back for 'eine kleine Karajan' gave us in Houston the Ax/Eschenbach/Karajan interpretation of the Beethoven First Piano Concerto and even applauded Eschenbach at the end?

Orchestral playing became a little more fractious, though a little more febrile than anywhere on the first half for the Strauss. Zinman gave us the feeling that the more he'd get his strings and brass especially to dig in on accents and shifts, the more impassioned the results would be, while making the strenuous effort to keep textures light. Better this than heavily quasi, queasy Teutonic letting off of gas that passses for Richard Strauss for Eschenbach, as heard on Carnegie Hall opening night, especially after the jam session Four Last Songs with Renee and the interval.

Many accents and shifts got quite risibly misplaced in this Also Sprach though, and things did not ever quite entirely pull together right until the section that precedes the Tanzlied with concertmaster solo, and some of that section as well. The closing moments of ASZ had too much bump, which Zinman, I guess, had mistaken for lilt. Healthy to hear all preconceptions of lush tonal opulence for its own sake put aside, but where this really counted for something was in the fine account of Flying Dutchman Overture that started off the program, to save the best for last, as we might have wished. The agitated sections had just the right degree of forceful drive to them, strings whizzing all about the brass, and lyrical sections reminded listeners as to how close, in the most healthy way, Wagner can be to Carl Maria von Weber. Had the rest of this program revealed the same degree of insight and resiliency, we might have a great Prom.

Mark Mortimer

I saw this prom on a late night broadcast on BBC 1.

David Zinman has worked wonders with the Zurich Tonhalle, since he assumed its directorship ten years ago. But there was little evidence of world class playing in the opening item- Wagner's Flying Dutchman Overture. The performance palled in comparison to Gergiev's Wagner with the World Orchestra for Peace a few days earlier. The string sound was paltry and Wagner's heroic spirit does not appear to sit easily with Zinman's highly disciplined, classical approach.

Better things were afloat in the opening of Beethoven's third piano concerto. Zinman is much more at home here ( as evidenced in his excellent Beethoven Symphony Cycle with the same orchestra). Emmanuel Ax's entry brought the usual fluency we take for granted with him. But Ax is a frustrating pianist. The notes are all there but where is the magic? The first movement was taken at such a lick that many of the tender episodes were merely skated over. The biggest let down was in the beautiful piano episode at the beginning of the second movement. Ax played it too loudly, too fast and without any cantabile. Luckily, Zinman was able to draw some ravishing sounds from the orchestra but Ax was not willing to partake in tender reflection. In the final movement, Ax again displayed impressive fingerwork but where was the Sturm und Drang, the excitement? This was Beethoven for the digital age, slick and emotionally subdued.

Richard Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra poses difficulties for any conductor. The principal challenge is in maintaining tension after the awesome impact of the opening. Zinman is far too cultured a musician to descend into vulgarity and he cleverly avoided the usual pitfalls of Strauss interpretation. However, there was a lack of the right kind of tension in this performance. Again, the more lyrical passages suffered from a lack of depth in the string tone, although there were outstanding solo contributions. But ultimately, the problem lay with Zinman, whose struggles in coming to terms with 'romanticism' were again evident. You really need a conductor of the stature of say Karajan or Solti to bring this music alive. Zinman is a born classicist, and to have heard him conducting a Beethoven Symphony would have been a far more enriching experience.

Rod Nathan

Flying Dutchman a little too controlled for my taste - like to feel a sense of danger that the whole thing is on the point of disintegration. Concerto was brilliant - You felt that Ax knew the reason for every note whilst the orchestra provided the perfect frame for him to work in. Loved the Strauss (apart from the man in front insisting on joining in the opening) - the performance provided real clarity of the opposing themes in amongst the pyrotechnics. Normally one would welcome the rousing lollipop we were given - however for me this did take away from the sublime moment at the end of Zarathustra when nature's theme is heard defiantlyly in the distance

Joe Wines

What a concert! Picked this one out for a couple of reasons... I'm a fan of Zinman's recordings (not just with the ZTO) but this partnership has been immensely successful and wanted to hear the RAH organ in all its glory!!

The concert began with one of my favourite Wagner overtures and it was a rousing performance. Zinman brought out all the colour of the more lyrical sections and was equally as powerful in the "Dutchman" theme. It certainly set the standard for what was to follow. Beethoven's third concerto is perhaps my personal favourite of the five and Ax certainly did it justice. The orchestra (considerably less of them!) accompanied superbly. The highlight has always been the slow movement... the solo piano at the start of it certainly captured the imagination of Bartok (3rd concerto) and Ravel, who followed suit with equally enchanting melodies. The finale was taken at an Argerich-like speed and was thrilling to the close.

However, the real gems came after the interval - I say "gems" because of the fabulous choice of the encore. The opening to Zarathustra was magnificent. I know it is one of the most often played two minutes of music but Zinman made us all hear it with fresh ears! Small details like the cymbal clashes coupled with the dynamics of the orchestra as a whole made the main crescendo absolutely overpowering, it certainly made the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention! It is such a wonderful piece, full of the most lyrical writing for the strings as a whole and individually. The captivating violin solo during the “dance” section leading up to the final big climax (with the midnight bell) was played so beautifully by the leader. The colours that Zinman and the ZTO brought to this piece were astounding. Everything was weighted perfectly and the orchestra dealt with every virtuosic challenge with ease. The final section was utterly mesmerising... to think that this orchestra had played no less than five minutes ago with such power and authority, and now they are playing even more virtuosic one might say. It was so quiet and totally spellbinding. I went straight home and put Zinman's recent recording on and listened to it all over again!

As for the encore, never before have I heard Walton's Crown Imperial as an encore and what a place to choose, the organ being present in the main theme at the end. A great end to a fantastic prom!

Rachel Sweeney

A delightful performance by the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich. Well played and with a great deal of enthusiasm. I thought Wagner and Strauss were the stronger of the pieces – nicely molding together all the parts of the orchestra – whereas the piano seemed to stand out a bit in the Beethoven. The encore was perfectly chosen giving life to the end of the performance and leaving several people of all ages singing de de de dum on the tube home!

//

[heidi]

Originally posted by robert newman:

Working late last night I happened to turn on the radio and was lucky enough to catch most of a wonderful recorded live performance of Beethoven’s 3rd Piano concerto. It was so perfectly played and conducted (to my way of thinking anyway) that I could hardly wait to find out who was its soloist, conductor and orchestra. The broadcast was a revelation in almost every way. Full of poetry and drama.

On checking it turned out to be a live recording made last year on 29th August in London at the Royal Albert Hall. Part of the annual Promenade Concerts. The soloist was Emanuel Ax with the Visiting Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich, David Niman being the conductor.

But nothing prepared me for the shock of what I found when checking the published views of music critics on that same performance. I found that Ax had been torn to pieces by one critic and another was almost as bad.

At first I couldn’t believe it and was angry. Now it makes me laugh.

It’s quite simply the greatest performance I’ve ever heard of that work.

Well, I am to get a copy of this same performance from the BBC radio service.

What did the audience on that evening think of it ? They were ecstatic and there was huge applause.

Robert,

Can you let me know if you do get a copy of this recording and how you got it. The 3rd Concerto is one of my most favorite peices. I have several recordings already (and have heard it preformed live several times) but you have really peaked my couriosity with this one, and besides I like Emmanual Ax. Thanks for any info.

Heidi

[sjwenger]

http://www.Arkivmusic.com has a 3-disk set on sale for $15.99, all five piano concertos, Emmanuel Ax, AND the choral fantasia. I've bought from Arkiv, and they're reliable.

- Susan

------------------
To learn about "The Port-Wine Sea," my parody of Patrick O'Brian's wonderful Aubrey-Maturin series, please contact me at
susanwenger@yahoo.com

To learn about "The Better Baby" book, ways to increase a baby's intelligence, health, and potentials, please use the same address.

[robert newman]

Susan, thank you for this. I will definitely get these recordings very soon.

Best regards

[robert newman]

Dear Heidi,

Yes, I will keep you posted on this. I've written to the BBC asking them (and they are usually very good about this sort of request - especially if it's addressed to the actual presenter of the show). A letter to the huge BBC sound archives would not normally have the same effect.

Here's a copy of my note -

Dear Louise Fryer,

THROUGH THE NIGHT - BEETHOVEN'S 3RD CONCERTO

Thank you for broadcasting this evening a revelatory live recording of Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto (soloist Emanuel Ax) from last year's Prom Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. It is a truly wonderful recording and I was riveted by the interpretation (not knowing at the time I was listening who was soloist and who was the orchestra/conductor).

Please can you say if I might be able to obtain a recording of this performance for myself ? It is quite simply the finest recording I've heard of this great Beethoven masterpiece.

Thank you so much for the pleasure of choosing this recording which (until now) has been completely unknown to me. It's marvellous.


Robert Newman
(address)

//

So, yes Heidi

Robert

[atserriotserri]

Robert,
I'm don't know much from Emanuel Ax, a couple of years ago he came to Barcelona for a reital and received bad critics (as it seems is usual) but tickets were sold out weeks before the concert. I listened some Chopin from him on the radio time ago and didn't find attracted, but on his website: http://www.emanuelax.com you'll find 16 to 20 pieces that you can listen in windows media format.

[LizR]

Originally posted by robert newman:

Working late last night I happened to turn on the radio and was lucky enough to catch most of a wonderful recorded live performance of Beethoven’s 3rd Piano concerto. It was so perfectly played and conducted (to my way of thinking anyway) that I could hardly wait to find out who was its soloist, conductor and orchestra. The broadcast was a revelation in almost every way. Full of poetry and drama.

On checking it turned out to be a live recording made last year on 29th August in London at the Royal Albert Hall. Part of the annual Promenade Concerts. The soloist was Emanuel Ax with the Visiting Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich, David Niman being the conductor.

But nothing prepared me for the shock of what I found when checking the published views of music critics on that same performance. I found that Ax had been torn to pieces by one critic and another was almost as bad.

At first I couldn’t believe it and was angry. Now it makes me laugh.

It’s quite simply the greatest performance I’ve ever heard of that work.

Well, I am to get a copy of this same performance from the BBC radio service.

What did the audience on that evening think of it ? They were ecstatic and there was huge applause.

Dear Robert

As you know I'm no musician but I know what I like, and Emanuel Ax can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned.

Liz.

[melvyn]

This just happens to be one of the prom concerts that was televised at the time. I recorded this onto DVD. It also included an interview about the concerto with Emanuel Ax.

If the BBC don't reply, I could send you a copy of my DVD if you contact me in private.

Please note that I only recorded the Beethoven segment of the concert.

Melvyn.

[robert newman]

Thank you Melvyn - I will wait to see if I get a reply. Again, many thanks.

Ax is truly a great musician of a very rare kind. Strange how I never heard him before. I rate him with Lipatti, Orozco etc. for his sheer artistry etc.

(Thanks Liz - we both agree completely).

[sjwenger]

I don't know how to reply to Melvyn privately, but I'd love to get this also. Please write sjwenger@mail.com to discuss how I might reimburse costs.
- Susan

------------------
To learn about "The Port-Wine Sea," my parody of Patrick O'Brian's wonderful Aubrey-Maturin series, please contact me at
susanwenger@yahoo.com

To learn about "The Better Baby" book, ways to increase a baby's intelligence, health, and potentials, please use the same address.

[robert newman]

Dear Atserriotserri,

Thanks for suggesting the Ax website. I did go there and the samples I heard there (of Chopin) are superb. Do his critics really think he's 'just another pianist' ? He's truly phenomenal.