greg@olivee.UUCP (Greg Paley) (09/30/85)
My wife and I saw and heard an exceptional San Francisco Symphony performancd last Friday night. M.T.Thomas conducted the Beethoven 4th Symphony and Janacek's Slavonic Mass. Local critics have been (with positive intentions) comparing Thomas with the young Leonard Bernstein. I feel this is basically inaccurate and unfair to Thomas. Although there may be some superficial similarity in the occasional flamboyance of gesture, the actual music-making did not strike me as reminiscent of Bernstein at all. If I were to try to make comparisons, which I think can cause you to fall into traps more often than it really yields insights, I'd be more inclined to think of Guido Cantelli. Although I've heard great performances from Bernstein, my general impression is of an artist overflowing with prodigious gifts but without the taste and discipline to govern their use that would turn flashy, exaggerated performances into powerful, well-shaped ones. I hear that taste and discipline in Thomas' work. The orchestra, for one thing, played beautifully and like a genuine ensemble. Too often, this same orchestra has sounded to me like a collection of soloists of varying quality. I attribute this sense of unanimity to the conductor. The Beethoven, often downplayed as a "gentle sister" between the 3rd and 5th symphonies, was strong, virile, and invigorating. The slow movement was not rushed, but also not allowed to droop into sentimentality. The scherzo had a wonderful lightness and bounce, so that the listener was constantly pulled along. For those who don't know it, the Janacek Mass is a very unusual and beautiful work. It requires four soloists, the soprano and tenor parts being extremely dramatic and difficult, a large orchestra, full chorus and organ. Harsh dissonant passages that sound savage and primitive are contrasted with hauntingly lovely ones. What struck me immediately was, again, the unanimity and precision with which these forces were joined. Tempi tended to be brisk and textures clear, even in the most complex passages. Except for a rather tense, hoarse-sounding bass, the soloists were excellent. Linda Kelm's voice might sound unpleasantly edgy in other music, but in this context I liked the brilliance of her sound and the ease and power of her top register. The tenor, Jon Frederick West, was phenomenal - brilliant, trumpeting top notes (the tenor's first entry starts with a high B-flat!) and ample reserves for the climaxes, beautiful color and legato in the more restrained sections. The Mass was sung in the old Slavonic, and although consonants got lost once in a while, the chorus was right on top of things. In all, one of the most satisfying symphony performances I've heard. It will be broadcast in the S.F. Bay Area Tuesday, Oct. 1, and may pop up on other PBS FM stations around the country. It will be interesting to see if this hall, mike setup, and recording engineer are more successful at capturing the sonorites of the performance than was the case with the S.F. Opera Ring Cycle across the street. - Greg Paley