Myung-Whun Chung conducts the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in an All-Ravel Program

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Myung Whun Chung

Myung Whun Chung

Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
Davies Hall, San Francisco
Sunday, March 7, 2010

Myung-Whun Chung, Conductor
Anne Sofie von Otter, Mezzo-Soprano

All Ravel Program:
Ma Mère L’Oye (complete ballet)
Shéhérazade
Daphnis et Chloé, Suites 1 and 2
La Valse

(A video of this program, as performed in the Grand Salle du Palais de la Musique is available through the Radio France site: http://sites.radiofrance.fr/chaines/orchestres/philharmonique/concerts/concert_05012010.php)

For a good part of this reviewer’s life, it would seem, the world has been waiting for a truly great International French symphony orchestra. At mid-century, a general feeling was that the Boston Symphony under Sergei Koussevitzky and Charles Munch carried the torch for French music, ably assisted by Paul Paray in detroit, Pierre Monteux wherever he could be found, and, on disc, by L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva.

Performances from France in that era tended to come out of the conservatory orchestras or private musical societies, and their quality, both technical and musical could be iffy. Even Ansermet’s orchestra in Geneva, heard live, could sound shockingly uncollected, but there was a recognition nonetheless of an authenticity there. At its best, the Suisse Romande sonority would be seen as a smooth, clear and warm-hearted alternative to the more weighty “Wagnerian” timbre of German orchestras. Indeed, to this day, Ansermet’s manner with Beethoven and Brahms is accepted and admired.

For many decades, nonetheless, French orchestras would be criticized for sounding like drafty accordions, and the word “wheezing” would appear too often for anyone’s comfort in critical pages.  Charles Munch founded “L’Orchestre de Paris” in 1967 to combat this state of affairs. It never quite scaled the heights. But gradually, just as Czech and Russian ensembles became more international in style, while keeping some of their vivid wind sonorities, so, too did regional French groups.

L’Orchestre de Toulouse, under Michel Plasson, for instance, became a recognized mainstream orchestra in the 1980s, while maintaining a touch of its reedy shepherd-on-a-hill quality. And the Suisse Romande served as a fulcrum for modern French performance practice, when Charles Dutoit brought its light string tone to the Montreal Symphony in the 1980s.

despite these developments, France itself does not yet have an orchestra which plays consistently at the level of Berlin, Amsterdam or Vienna. But, as Sunday’s concert by the extremely able Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, under Myung-Whun Chung, amply demonstrated, aspirations of this sort are no longer unrealistic. Radio France clearly has a winner in this orchestra, just as the BBC does in Manchester with the BBC Philharmonic, and only time will demonstrate what that means.

The Ravel program which the Davies Hall audience heard on Sunday was performed with just about as much precision as one would think humanly possible. Indeed, much of Maestro Chung’s rather tight general approach reminded me of George Szell at his best. One is not accustomed to thinking of French orchestras in this way, but throughout the evening I heard not one moment of inaccurate ensemble, poor intonation or lack of focus.

From the opening moments of “Mother Goose,” it was clear that every note had been thought-through for clarity and atmosphere. Indeed, Chung managed to achieve this without any of the Boulezian “spikiness” which would detract from the music’s silky, dreamlike quality. Later, in “La Valse,” he would shame a recent SF Symphony performance by demonstrating that there is much more to be heard in its lower regions than Mère murkiness.

If one asks about the general level of the orchestra and conductor, though, a Ravel program will usually give an unsatisfactory answer. Ravel’s emotional range is fairly narrow most of the time, and his music is not given to sweeping moments for violins. Still, the exposition of “Daphnis” revealed satiny strings, perhaps only lacking ultimate velvet, and the muted sections of “Ma Mère” were otherworldly and beautiful. “The Enchanted Garden,” always a good test of the piece, was indeed enchanting, but sensuous rather than sensual. I was reminded of Toscanini’s remark about Bruno Walter: “When Walter comes to something beautiful, he melts…..I suffer!!”

Seen on the podium, Myung-Whun Chung conducts most of the time from memory, with restrained gestures and facial expressions uncannily reminiscent of Abbado. His right arm, held close to the body, often moves in circles, as Ormandy’s and Toscanini’s did. The slow rise and fall of his left hand is the uncanny thing you stare at, though. It’s steady, authoritative, slightly machine-like and impossible to resist. It’s as though Chung’s apprenticeship had been spent operating elevators in a hotel. When a fortissimo is wanted, his arms will suddenly shoot out stiffly like a stick figure. He radiates total and seemingly impassive control.

Fortunately, the music making which results is warmer than such a description would portend. Indeed, in an evening spent exploring quiet moments and perceptions, nothing could have been less chilly than Anne Sofie von Otter’s deeply felt “Shéhérazade” and its sensitive accompaniment, always best when “just under,” as Ormandy used to put it.

Sounding nearly as fresh-voiced as she did in her “Wings of Song” cd from many years ago now, Miss von Otter was both thoughtful and eager in “Asie.” You could read the meaning of the music in her facial expressions, yet she never seemed to emote solipsistically, the way Renee Fleming sometimes can. It was all about Ravel. Similarly, “La Flute Enchantée” and “L’Indifférent” balanced just the right amount of flirtatious excitement and regret for one to come away satisfied with the song cycle.

The second half of the concert was devoted to the two “Daphnis” suites played back to back, followed by “La Valse.” Over the years, I’ve noticed, conductors sometimes finish a program with “La Valse” to compensate for indifferent programming, and here was a classic example, if ever there were one. Nothing can truly follow “Daphnis” in terms of impact.

I’ve always thought the first “Daphnis” suite an oddity, not sounding really like a piece of music on its own. You keep wondering why Ravel didn’t remove the chorus from the opening music of the ballet and start there, instead of where he does. When the two suites are played back to back, you come away with the disorienting feeling of having heard the last two thirds of the ballet, minus the chorus. On its own, suite No. 2 is, of course, a beautifully crafted piece.

Sunday’s performances were totally mainstream, but tight and exciting. That allowed for a powerful but not overwhelmingly ecstatic climax at the beginning of “Daphnis,” and a propulsive and violent ending. “La Valse,” for once, came across as an intricate piece of music.

Indeed, it became clear, watching the musicians in this concert, that Ravel’s music actually means something to them, note for note. This may not have been Dudamel’s Venezuelan student ensemble twirling their double basses in Latin abandon, but American players don’t throw themselves into every note of Ravel as if it made or broke the piece. The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France played as if dancing with a favorite partner.

Magali Mosnier, Principal Flutist of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France

Magali Mosnier, Principal Flutist of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France

As the evening wore on, the audience began to take notice of Magali Mosnier, the principal flute, a pretty young woman with shiny brown bangs and an active ponytail, who swayed and nearly danced through the “Pantomime” of the Second Suite.

By the conclusion of the concert, this terribly intent orchestra, standing stiffly and a bit haughtily at the beginning, could tell that it had given a wonderful performance in a city which will never turn its back on French culture. Many curtain calls followed, and Myung-Whun Chung’s repeated gestures of hand over heart belied the seemingly cool efficiency of his approach and the initial reserve of the musicians.

As the gamine Miss Mosnier took a bow with her flute, a spontaneous phalanx of audience men broke into full-throated lusty whoops. She seemed embarrassed and a bit amused, but immensely pleased. I won’t worry about her. Nor the orchestra.

They’re French!

About the author

Steven Kruger

Steven Kruger is a former classical concert agent. For a number of years he supervised the roster of conductors at Shaw Concerts in New York City, representing such artists as Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Neville Marriner, Rafael Fruhbeck De Burgos, Jose Serebrier and Robert Shaw.

Born in New York City in 1947 to a German immigrant father and an American mother, Kruger is a descendant of 19th century Bach biographer Philipp Spitta. He was educated at Phillips Exeter and Princeton, and received his degree in Philosophy, but turned to music administration after a brief career as a military officer and as a stockbroker.

Early in his exposure to music, Kruger developed a special fondness for the British Symphonists, and as a concert agent was able to play a part in the revival of such composers as Elgar, Delius, Walton, Bax and Vaughan Williams during the late 1970s.

He continues today as an advocate for these and other 19th and 20th century neo-romantic symphonic composers, such as D’Indy, Magnard, Korngold, Schmidt and Tubin, who were at one time eclipsed by the mid-century fashion for academic music. Now living in California, Steven Kruger reviews selected concerts in Davies Hall by The San Francisco Symphony and international visiting orchestras. Since 2011, he has written program notes on demand for the Oregon Symphony, including their recent CDs, “Music for a Time of War” and “This England”. He contributes a regular CD review column to New York Arts twice a month called A Crop of Recordings and is a masthead reviewer for Fanfare, America’s most serious remaining hardcover journal devoted to recorded music.

Readers Comments (3)

  1. Huntley Dent April 4, 2010 @ 20:34

    I envy any writer who can say so many interesting things about an all-Ravel program, and one that includes the narcoleptic Ma Mere l’Oye. My limited experience with French orchestras tells me that they believe in Ravel, but that’s not a reliable bellwether, as you say. The way it works, I think, is that any French orchestra that can’t shine in Ravel is lost, but those that do shine in Ravel may be lost in other music.

    Maybe you are so relieved that a French orchestra made it through a whole concert without mishap that you overpraised this one. I sympathize. I still hold my breath when the orchestra is French. After Haitink made a good Mahler Sixth recording with the Orch. National de France, I felt like crying for them.

    Chung has recorded the most French-sounding Damnation of Faust since Markevitch, and it reminded me that I am more nostalgic for the real French sonority than I ever imagined. One last thing. Levine’s Ravel in Boston proves that the French don’t quite hold their old monopoly. But then, all French music suits Levine, who must be the best Berlioz conductor alive.
    Huntley

    • I just finished a two-week stint in Paris, during which I heard only occasional wisps of what we old-timers remember as a “French sound”. What I heard in a performance of Bruckner’s Fifth by the Orchestre de Paris under our common SF, Boston, and Tanglewood friend, Herbert Blomstedt. He was delighted that the Paris audience was beginning to show some interest in Bruckner…following one of the loudest and longest ovations I’ve witnessed!

      As for the greatest Berlioz conductor, I have to put Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Sir Colin Davis above Levine, although I was impressed and moved by Levine’s Harold back in February, which I heard in a broadcast. Levine certainly had to struggle with his Troyens, though it came through in the end:

      http://berkshirereview.net/music/berlioz_troyens.html

      http://berkshirereview.net/music/troyens.html

  2. Steven Kruger April 6, 2010 @ 13:43

    I shall not rest until the French can play Howard Hanson and Elgar as well as we and the English can play Ravel!

    Where Berlioz is concerned, let’s not forget Charles Munch! I’ve never heard a “Harold in Italy” more electrifying than the Munch, Primrose from about 1961. To use Munch’s own term, he had “the gift of fire”.

    We need more recordings of the Berlioz Overtures, though. Levine’s “Corsaire” has been unsurpassible every time I’ve heard it live. And why not a disc from MTT?

    Previn’s 1970s collection is probably the best one out there, but one never turns to Previn for sheer electricity.

    Colin Davis’ Dresden compendium is one of those typical improvisational sounding performances he gives. You feel like saying, please give us what you really think of this piece, and for heaven’s sake stop grunting!

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