{"id":1201,"date":"2011-05-19T20:31:40","date_gmt":"2011-05-20T00:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicalamerica.com\/mablogs\/?p=1201"},"modified":"2011-10-11T00:46:41","modified_gmt":"2011-10-11T04:46:41","slug":"an-ode-to-audra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.musicalamerica.com\/mablogs\/?p=1201","title":{"rendered":"An Ode to Audra"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Sedgwick Clark<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carnegie Hall celebrated its 120th birthday party on May 5. Some thought it could have waited five years, but I would welcome a Carnegie f\u00eate every night if Audra McDonald were singing. On this evening she sang four Duke Ellington songs with the New York Philharmonic and once again revealed that her emotional truth in any music she sings is blinding. Her four-year gig on TV\u2019s Private Practice<\/em> ends this season, and her manager reports \u201ca bunch of concerts scheduled between now and Thanksgiving.\u201d This includes a Carnegie concert all her own on October 22, which is as great a cause for rejoicing as any I know. If there is a more entrancing singer in the world, I\u2019m not aware of her (or him).<\/p>\n

This was one of Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert\u2019s best nights.<\/p>\n

His well-judged celebratory program began with a rousing Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Carnival Overture<\/em> and continued with a downright bubbly Beethoven Triple Concerto, garnished with an unbeatable trio of cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Gil Shaham, and pianist Emanuel Ax. His Ellington accompaniments had just the right elegant swing. I couldn\u2019t stay for Gershwin\u2019s An American in Paris<\/em>, but I\u2019m told I shouldn\u2019t miss the PBS broadcast on May 31. You shouldn\u2019t either.<\/p>\n

Dutoit\u2019s All-Stravinsky<\/strong>
\nTwo nights before, the Philadelphia Orchestra\u2019s first Carnegie Hall concert since its board filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (April 27 blog) was an all-Stravinsky program conducted by Charles Dutoit. There were bravos amidst the applause as concertmaster David Kim walked onstage, and some members of the audience stood, to the evident pleasure of the musicians. The performances, however, were mixed. Dutoit\u2019s devitalized Apollo<\/em> sorely lacked balletic verve; moreover, except for Kim\u2019s bewitching violin solos, the string ensemble sounded unaccountably coarse and monochromatic. Things improved immeasurably in the opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex<\/em>, which was conducted with a taut sense of drama, played with power and rhythmic acuity, and sung effectively by Paul Groves (Oedipus) and Petra Lang (Jocasta), in particular, and the Men of the Philadelphia Singers Chorale. David Howey was the appropriately haughty narrator.<\/p>\n

Curse of the Proofreader<\/strong>
\nPoor Igor. In recent years his last name has become one of classical music\u2019s most frequent typos. The Times <\/em>review head of the Philly concert shouted out in 26-pt. boldface type: \u201cA Stravinksy Program With Ancient Inspiration<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have any commentators pointed out that the license plate of The Royal Newlyweds\u2019 car did not<\/em> read \u201cJUST WED,\u201d but \u201cJU5T WED\u201d? One hopes it\u2019s not a harbinger of thrings to come.<\/p>\n

And then there was the \u201cbeautification\u201d of Pope John II on the TV. Good lord.<\/p>\n