Last series of concerts before an American mini-tour (Washington, New York) for the OSM, Jérémie Rhorer making his second appearance at the head of the orchestra, which he had not been able to materialize in the spring of 2020. The highlight of the evening was the concerto of Gershwin with Stewart Goodyear, who replaced Jean-Yves Thibaudet, initially envisaged.
Did we miss a potential musical director for not having tried Jérémie Rhorer a second time in time and place? Not really. This week’s concert, however, leaves mixed feelings.
It is actually quite difficult to assess. The orchestra included, in Petrushka of Stravinsky, young students, invited to participate in an orchestral immersion program. Is that why we had the impression, seen from the room, of attending a structured exercise that looked a bit like a conservatory management exam, so much did the conductor seem to apply himself to making the right gestures and movements at the right time.
spinning straight
We would have given a lot to be seated in the choir in front of him to see if it was a desire, by being as rhetorical as possible, to serve everyone fairly and equitably or if he himself was in the process of walk on eggshells in this complex score. In any case, Rhorer applied a principle which he used in the same way in Daphnis and Chloe : go straight. We forget the subtleties in the turns or the extinctions of phrases.
But on the contrary, when it is necessary, for the orchestra, to give voice, generosity is encouraged. As a result, the “General Dance” (started with some haste by the trumpets) accumulating an impressive kinetic energy had, in the end, quite a bit of allure. We will look elsewhere for flexibility, details or, in Petrushkacolors, atmospheres and sound theater dear to Charles Dutoit.
The concert, which began with a spectacular and very well orchestrated work by Éric Champagne, quite cinematographically post-planetsbut not very memorable, was worth especially for a piano concerto of Gershwin where Stewart Goodyear completely unleashed made forget the absence of Jean-Yves Thibaudet. The Canadian pianist has found an ideal partner in Rhorer, because “going straight” is all he needed in this case. Suddenly, this interpretation on hot coals, exalted on the piano, will remain in all memories, Goodyear propelling the speech like a madman and Rhorer having the OSM respond with generosity.
Very pleasant evening overall, because even if Stravinsky and Ravel did not attack subtleties, it is a repertoire that the OSM masters well enough to deliver a good and effective show, like its soloists, such as Paul Merkelo on trumpet, Andrew Wan on violin and Timothy Hutchins on flute.