{"id":15053,"date":"2013-12-20T06:20:17","date_gmt":"2013-12-20T10:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicalamerica.com\/mablogs\/?p=15053"},"modified":"2014-03-15T17:43:51","modified_gmt":"2014-03-15T21:43:51","slug":"time-to-catch-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.musicalamerica.com\/mablogs\/?p=15053","title":{"rendered":"Time to Catch Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Sedgwick Clark<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Our Musical America <\/i>Awards party was on Tuesday (12\/17). As always, I got behind on my weekly blogs while preparing for the party. As always, in receiving their awards, our honorees spoke eloquently in words that left us all in awe of their commitment to their art. Susan Elliott provided a full report on our Web site the next day. For the record, the honorees were:<\/span><\/p>\n

Audra McDonald, Musician of the Year<\/span><\/p>\n

George Benjamin, Composer of the Year<\/span><\/p>\n

Pablo Heras-Casado, Conductor of the Year<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeremy Denk, Instrumentalist of the Year<\/span><\/p>\n

International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Ensemble of the Year<\/span><\/p>\n

Shostakovich at Juilliard<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

A month ago in this space I raved about a November 15th Juilliard Orchestra concert and urged readers not to miss the following Monday\u2019s concert (11\/25) of early Shostakovich works conducted by Vladimir Jurowski: selections from the composer\u2019s film score to The New Babylon <\/i>(1929), a suite from music for a 1931 variety show, Hypothetically Murdered<\/i>, and the teenage composer\u2019s First Symphony, which was unusually clear and cogent in Tully Hall\u2019s tight acoustic.<\/span><\/p>\n

A quick scan of orchestral personnel revealed this to be an entirely different, and equally musical, group of players. The concertmaster, Francesca Rose dePasquale (a Master of Music student from the great family of strings that played in the Philadelphia Orchestra and Boston Symphony), was scintillating in her many solos throughout. A distinguished career will undoubtedly be hers. <\/span><\/p>\n

I Remember Rosenkavalier<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Based on memories of past Rosenkavalier<\/i>s at the Met, I urged readers to see the current revival of the 1969 Nathaniel Merrill production before its rumored replacement. I caught it again on 12\/7, and barring a new paint job I\u2019m afraid I see the wisdom of its retirement (while quaking at the thought of what gawdawful updating a la the Met\u2019s Las Vegas Rigoletto <\/i>we might be in store for). I\u2019m sorry to report that the cast had the notes but little more and that Edward Gardner\u2019s conducting eviscerated the Met orchestra\u2019s customarily sumptuous tone from first note to last and provided scant lilt in Strauss\u2019s glorious waltzes.<\/span><\/p>\n

We all have bad nights. A constant opera goer in my apartment building saw the next performance\u2014four days later, from her usual seat in the Dress Circle, with the same cast and conductor\u2014and said that it was far better than what I describe above.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking Forward<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My week\u2019s scheduled concerts (8:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted): <\/span><\/p>\n

12\/22 Carnegie Hall at 3:00. MET Orchestra\/James Levine; Peter Mattei, baritone. Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen; Symphony No. 7. <\/span><\/p>\n

12\/27 Metropolitan Opera at 7:30. Verdi: Falstaff<\/i>. James Levine, cond. Oropesa, Meade, Blythe, Cano, Fanale, Maestri, Vassallo.<\/span><\/p>\n