The Schwanengesang evening by Matthias Goerne & Christoph Eschenbach in Salle Pleyel was the last of 3 concerts dedicated to Schubert’s lied cycles.

Since the early retirement of Thomas Quasthoff a few months ago, Goerne is without doubt the most accomplished lied baritone singer of our time. Eschenbach – today mainly active as a noted conductor – remains an excellent pianist. His career as a pianist was always shared between “standard” repertoire and lied accompaniment: his recording of Schumann’s Dichterliebe with the legendary Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is among the very finest. I also keep in mind the Schöne Müllerin concert in Pleyel 2 decades ago – a memorable evening, fortunately available on DVD. Fischer-Dieskau, who taught both Goerne & Quasthoff, has died just a few days after this concert and 10 days short of his 87th birthday and will be sadly missed by all opera, religious music and lied lovers.

Matthias Goerne & Christoph Eschenbach

Goerne had decided to sing the group of Rellstab songs – adding Herbst – followed by the Heine songs, without Seidl’s Taubenpost, whose light atmosphere has nothing to do with the Heine lieder. A clever choice.

The interpretation was clever indeed, beautiful and moving. I was particularly touched and impressed by Kriegers Ahnung, Frühlingssehnsucht, Aufenthalt and In der Ferne (Rellstab songs), Der Atlas, Ihr Bild, Die Stadt, Am Meer and the closing Der Doppelgänger (Heine songs). The Rellstab songs had the necessary tension and vigour, the Heine the characteristic nudity, asceticism of Schubert’s last lieder: feeling like an acrobat on a  tightrope with abysses below.

The 2 musicians were back for an encore, which was naturally Die Taubenpost!

Matthias Goerne & Christoph Eschenbach

The Schwanengesang is about 1 hour long. Though it is commonly accepted that Schubert song cycle concerts last 1h to 1h20 – the Winterreise being longer – and do not include any other work, Christoph Eschenbach was back after an intermission to play Schubert’s last sonata. This famous work starts with a long Molto moderato followed by a wonderful Andante sostenuto. Both movements were beautifully played at a rather slow pace – as written! – with many splendid moments. I was less keen on the Scherzo, but the concluding Allegro ma non troppo was another high point of the evening.

Michel

Links:
Matthias Goerne
Christoph Eschenbach

But his collection - and the exhibition – goes well beyond these 2 masters and includes works by Maurice de Vlaminck, André Derain, and artists who made up the Paris School: Maurice Utrillo (there are also paintings by his mother Suzanne Valadon),  Moise Kisling, Pinchus Krémègne, Michel Kikoine, and less famous artists.

In my humble opinion, there are some extraordinary paintings, others less remarkable. My attention was first drawn by several views by Utrillo (Porte Saint-Martin, Rue Muller à Montmartre, Square de Messine, Rue Marcadet, Église de Sermaize, Montmagny…) & some landscapes by Valadon (Église de Neyron, Vue de Corte, Sous-Bois) with lovely  colours.

In the next room, the works by Modigliani (a dozen) steal the show: Fillette en bleu, Fillette en robe jaune, Elvire au col blanc, portraits de Jeanne Hébuterne, de Soutine, de Zborowski, de Lepoutre! All these portraits are wonderful, capture the true personality of the model: look at/in the eyes of Jeanne’s portrait - I was simply captivated. In a corner, a rare double-sided painting by Jeanne Hébuterne.

Modigliani: Elvire au col blanc

Modigliani: Portrait de Zborowski

Modigliani: Portrait de Jeanne Hébuterne

Are also worth a careful look Derain’s Nu debout, a still-life and La femme au pull-over rouge by Kisling, a wonderful display of colour.

In the rooms after the few stairs, a discovery with the delicate Femme aux vases de fleurs by Adolphe Feder, 2 wonderful works by Vlaminck – Bord de Rivière, Bouquet de fleurs – several paintings by Kikoine (Anémones, Rue arborée) and landscapes by Krémègne (Céret).

Vlaminck: Bouquet de fleurs

Vlaminck: Bord de Rivière

Soutine’s works are the other highpoint of the exhibition: Portrait d’homme, Les Maisons rouges, Les Poissons, Autoportrait au rideau, L’Escalier rouge à Cagnes, La Folle, La Femme en vert, L’Homme au chapeau, les Arbres à Céret, La Fillette à la robe rose, Le Lièvre pendu…

Soutine: Autoportrait au rideau

Soutine: Le Lièvre pendu

Soutine: L’Homme au chapeau

The last rooms include some interesting works by Marcel Gaillard, René Durey, Celso Lagar-Arroyo, Aron Dejez.

Michel

Links:
La Pinacothèque de Paris

It is present through an alternate version from the master’s studio, but it is Leonardo’s master-work The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne which is the centerpiece of this exhibition. Da Vinci started working on it in 1501 and left it unfinished upon his death 18 years later. After long years of restoration works, it is finally possible to see this large painting on display with all surviving related works: sketches, preparatory drawings, alternate versions, including the famous Burlington House cartoon.

Leonardo: Burlington House cartoon (National Gallery, London)

The exhibition also includes German & Flemish religious art (Joos van Cleve, Quentin Matsys…), Michelangelo, Raphael and Bernardino Luini to name but a few, and 2 other major works from Leonardo: the Virgin of the Rocks, Saint John the Baptist.

Many studies and sketches – Saint Anne, the Virgin, the Child but also landscape details – make the visit worthwhile, but I was particularly moved and impressed by the Florence studio version, with wonderful colours and details, the Burlington House cartoon, and the Saint Anne itself, whose colours, transparency is a pure delight.

Leonardo studio: Saint Anne (Uffizi, Firenze)

Leonardo: Saint Anne (Louvre, Paris)

It is not surprising that the work strongly influenced Leonardo’s contemporaries and followers, in Italy and abroad (see the Matsys painting), and also painters in later periods – see the Degas.

Michel

Links:
Le Louvre

The Orchestre de Paris, one of France leading orchestras – which I had the chance to admire under conductors such as Carlo Maria Giulini, Georg Solti, Kurt Sanderling, Pierre Boulez or Daniel Barenboim to name but a few – organized a Mozart chamber music weekend in the elegant hall of the Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique. They invited legendary pianist Menahem Pressler, the co-founder of the Beaux-Arts Trio who played during all its 53 years of existence, who remains as active as ever in his 88th year!

The opening programme started with the Divertimento for strings K.138, that Mozart wrote  at the age of 15. I enjoyed the central Andante and the closing Presto more than the initial Allegro.

Roland Daugareil, Menahem Pressler, Eric Picard & David Gaillard

The second work, the 2nd Piano Quartet, is much more familiar. Roland Daugareil (orchestra Leader), Éric Picard (Principal Cello), David Gaillard (Principal Viola) and Menahem Pressler made it very visible that they were enjoying making music together and playing this beautiful piece. The introductory Allegro – as the whole composition – is a constant dialogue between the 4 instruments (which could be clearly seen in the attitude of the players, carefully listening to each other and often looking at one another), the Larghetto is rich in emotion, the concluding Allegretto is full of surprises and vigour, in the spirit of Haydn.

Eric Picard, David Gaillard, Roland Daugareil & Menahem Pressler

After a moment of hesitation, Menahem Pressler finally sat at the piano to play a wonderful encore, Chopin’s Nocturne in C# minor Op. posth., a delight of delicacy.

The concert was ending with a well-known work but in a very unusual form: the anonymous transcription for string sextet of the Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra. Once you accept the idea and the obvious change of scale, much of the beauty and greatness of the work is still present. The audience apparently enjoyed the music as much as the musicians themselves, who were all smiles.

D Gaillard, AE Trémoulet, R Daugareil, E Picard, E Villotte & F Michel

Too bad the weather was not in harmony when we left the concert hall!

Michel

Links:
Orchestre de Paris
Menahem Pressler

Prominent French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez had imagined 2 programmes with the London Symphony Orchestra around works from the 1st half of the 20th century from Claude Debussy, Karol Szymanowski, Alexander Scriabin and Béla Bartók.

Due to a recommendation from his oculist, he had to step down for both evenings and chose Peter Eötvös to replace him. The 2 men know each other well, and the Hungarian conductor is also a recognized composer.

The 1st evening in Salle Pleyel started with Debussy’s Nocturnes, a 3 part work, with a sumptuous orchestra – plus a chorus for the last piece – prefiguring La Mer. A beautiful opening which allowed enjoying the quality of the LSO instrumentalists.

Christian Tetzlaff & Peter Eötvös

The second work was Szymanowski’s 1st Violin Concerto, a magnificent and underrated piece. Christian Tetzlaff, one of the most remarkable violinists of our time, showed a deep understanding of the music on top of an exceptional technique.

The audience did not want to let him go, and he was happy to play a long encore, the Melodia from Bartók‘s incredibly difficult Violin Sonata, composed for Yehudi Menuhin. Talking of great violinists, I ran into Ivry Gitlis in the hall during the interval!

After the intermission, Peter Eötvös conducted Scriabin’s Poem of Ecstasy, whose musical world is as personal as Szymanowski’s or Bartok’s, making the orchestra almost incandescent.

The 2nd evening was dedicated to Hungarian and Polish music. Peter Eötvös and the LSO played Bartók’s extraordinary Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. If the introductory Andante tranquillo - definitely the most beautiful orchestral fugue written since 1900 – did not swell from near silence to its incredible climax (as when played by some other conductors) the climax itself and the waning, as well as the rest of the work were a joy to the ear, the heart and the brain, underlining the brilliant structure of the piece, the variety of moods and effects, the beauty of melodies and the importance of rhythm.

Nikolaj Znaider & Peter Eötvös

The second work was Bartók’s 2nd Violin Concerto, another masterpiece, another chance for the orchestra to shine, along with the soloist. Nikolaj Znaider tone seemed probably a little tense in the very first bars, but he quickly showed all his musical and technical skills.

The concerto is based on the idea of variations, the central slow movement being in the form of variations on a theme, and the 3rd movement being a variation of the 1st! Again a joy to the ear, the heart and the brain.

Nikolaj Znaider gave a superb and moving encore, Bach‘s Sarabande from the Second Violin Partita.

The concert ended with Szymanowski’s 3rd Symphony “Song of the Night”, which is extremely rarely played – or even recorded, Pierre Boulez recent and excellent CD being a notable exception! The symphony is a strange but powerful work, with a tenor (here Steve Davislim) and chorus, on an old Persian poem. The performance of Eötvös at the head of the LSO and Chorus was excellent.

Michel

Links:
Peter Eötvös
London Symphony Orchestra
Christian Tetzlaff
Nikolaj Znaider 

I thought I would start this blog with a word on these 2 maestros who graced Paris concert halls this week.

Both conductors share a remarkable insight on music (Plasson obviously for French music, but not exclusively, Masur for German & Russian music among others, due to his youth in Eastern Germany), both have what I would call a “classical” approach – which to me is clearly a compliment – and are loved by the musicians for their humanism.

Michel Plasson

Michel Plasson was conducting the Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Paris in Opéra Bastille. As one of the best specialists of French music with Georges Prêtre and Serge Baudo, he had chosen an all French program: Maurice Ravel’s Valses Nobles & Sentimentales, Albert Roussel’s Bacchus & Ariane Second Suite, and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique.

Ravel pieces, which offer a lot of different moods, were played con gusto and exquisite balance, with a special mention for the second one. Even though waltz is the dance I like less, I enjoyed every second of this interpretation.

I must admit I do not know Roussel’s music that well, but the Suite Bacchus & Ariane was an excellent surprise. The dark moments were really powerful, and the ending Bacchanale was fiercely energetic.

But the main reason for my attendance was Berlioz master piece: despite 1 or 2 hitches in the wood section, the result was simply brilliant, with a special mention for Scène aux champs and Marche au supplice. Not forgetting the powerful final, one of the most incredible things you could hear, written only 40 years after Mozart’s death!

Michel Plasson then talked to the audience and said a couple of very nice words to thank the orchestra and to dedicate the encore to Maurice André, the great trumpet player who died several weeks ago.

While leaving the podium, Michel Plasson stumbled but managed to keep his balance with the assistance of 2 of the musicians.

Kurt Masur

Unfortunately, the very next day, Kurt Masur was not so lucky: his musicians from the Orchestre National de France could not catch him as he fell from the podium down onto the area in front of the first row. Falling backwards from a 1m50 height is scary for anyone, but even more for someone well over 80. The concert was naturally interrupted, the musicians and audience appalled. News about maestro Masur’s health have since been rather reassuring, and I send him my best wishes for a full & complete recovery.

Prior to his fall, Kurt Masur conducted Shostakovich 1st Symphony, which is rarely played in France. The work is full of ideas, written by a very young composer (19), even though some traits are already typical of his music. The interpretation was at the same level as the work itself, splendid and very much alive. After almost each movement, Kurt Masur sent a kiss to his musicians, who adore him.

After the intermission, was to come Tchaikovsky’s Pathetic Symphony. The first movement had all the power & vision requested, the second this perfect strange waltz flow, and the third was rising to a climax when the maestro fell. One minute before, I was thinking of the last movement that was about to come, the slow Lamentoso, and had imagined the exceptional moment we were to experience…

The parallels between the maestros and the concerts also include the 2 majors works played: the shock of these 2 symphonies at the time of their creation, and still to the new listener today, the fact that they share several points, like the strange waltz, the highly energetic and dark episodes, and their autobiographical origin.

A big thank you to both orchestras and conductors, and again best wishes to Kurt Masur, hoping to see him very soon again.

Michel

Links:
Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Paris
Orchestre National de France
Kurt Masur