Benjamin Zander and the Boston Philharmonic delivered an entertaining concert in October, weaving American (Gershwin's An American in Paris) and Russian (Stravinsky's Symphonies of Winds — a memorial tribute to Debussy) impressions of France with vraifrançais: Ravel's Piano Concerto in G (the stylish and indefatigable Stephen Drury knowing exactly how jazzy to make it) and Debussy's psychological seascape, La mer. The playing was captivating, though the rhythmically tricky and episodic Stravinsky actually seemed less episodic than the Debussy. In November, Zander switched gears to Bruckner's high serious and massive Symphony No. 8. The performance I heard at Jordan Hall started inauspiciously: the mysterious opening moments sounded too loud, and too certain. But soon everything clicked. Dynamics became more flexible, and instead of pushing, Zander seemed to allow all 84 minutes to unfold gloriously in the most natural, unforced way, from the second-movement heroics (Bruckner's spiritual version of Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries") to the anti-heroic intimacies of the huge slow movement and the triumphant finale.
Topics:
Classical
, Boston Conservatory, Classical Music, Pierre Boulez, More 
, Boston Conservatory, Classical Music, Pierre Boulez, Garrick Ohlsson, BU Symphony Orchestra, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Less 
