![\"Semyon](\"http:\/\/www.musicalamerica.com\/mablogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/christodoulouBychkov.jpg\")
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By ANDREW POWELL MUNICH \u2014 2014\u201315 has been a rough transitional season for the Munich Philharmonic<\/a>. Lorin Maazel\u2019s sudden resignation<\/a> a year ago forced its managers into much recasting, and some feeble programs. Then, midseason, came worse news. An irksome pact between Munich\u2019s B\u00fcrgermeister<\/em> Dieter Reiter<\/a> and Bavaria\u2019s Minister-Pr\u00e4sident<\/em> Horst Seehofer<\/a> nixed plans for a needed new concert hall<\/a> to replace the Gasteig<\/a> and instead envisioned a joyously slow disemboweling and inner rearrangement of that acoustically poor facility, which would leave the MPhil homeless starting in 2020. The pact sent Anne-Sophie Mutter<\/a>, Christian Gerhaher<\/a> and Mariss Jansons<\/a> into public displays of betrayal, rage and frustration, respectively. But MPhil managers could not whine so loudly because the city owns the orchestra, so, a week behind everyone else, including the testy<\/a> Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (also affected), they emitted six splendid bureaucratic paragraphs<\/a> saying absolutely nothing.<\/p>\n Somehow the musicians have ploughed through this temporum horribilis<\/em> and on Monday (June 22) managed to sound confident and poised at the Gasteig under Semyon Bychkov<\/a>. Grandly he propelled them in Brahms\u2019s Third Symphony (1883) stressing contrasts and drama with wide arm gestures. Fine wind contributions, not least from principal horn J\u00f6rg Br\u00fcckner<\/a>, flattered the score\u2019s textures, and Bychkov took a pleasingly weighty and leisurely approach to the middle movements, observing dynamic markings with care. Ravel\u2019s G-Major Piano Concerto (1931) after the break found everyone on less sure footing, however, despite this being the program\u2019s third iteration. Jean-Yves Thibaudet<\/a> gave a dull, woolly account of the solo part. Ensemble weakened. The long concert remained in French mode for its conclusion, Debussy\u2019s La Mer<\/em> (1905), but this listener had to run.<\/p>\n Tomorrow, the same partnership performs in the Pala de Andr\u00e8<\/a> as a guest of the Ravenna Festival<\/a>. MPhil 2014\u201315 closes fully with concerts here led by Kent Nagano and Krzysztof Urba\u0144ski, but in September more headaches loom when Valery Gergiev takes over<\/a> as Chefdirigent<\/em>. Systems are supposedly in place<\/a> to prevent the skimpiness of preparation<\/a> associated with the new boss. It is unclear what, if any, measures are in place to cope with the political challenge.<\/p>\n Photo \u00a9 Chris Christodoulou<\/p>\n Related posts:
Published: June 25, 2015<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nOn Wenlock Edge with MPhil<\/a>
\nMastersingers\u2019 Depression<\/a>
\nModern Treats, and Andsnes<\/a><\/p>\n