Kent Nagano gave Wednesday evening the first of three concerts with the Orchester symphonique de Montréal, a second appearance this season at the head of the formation he led from 2006 to 2020. An original program given without intermission which gave the opportunity for the French pianist Alexandre Kantorow to make a strong impression on the public.
The conductor emeritus unquestionably remains a “bankable” guest in Montreal, he who, on Wednesday as in November, managed to fill the Maison symphonique with a relatively sharp repertoire.
After a classic program (Mozart and the young Schubert), this time we arrived with a “Nordic” menu made up of three fairly rare scores: the recent swansong of Arvo Pärt, the Symphony noh 7 in C majoropus 105, by Sibelius, and the Piano concerto no.oh 2 in G minoropus 44, by Tchaikovsky.
We were eager to hear Alexandre Kantorow in Montreal, he who had performed last summer at the Festival de Lanaudière. In particular in one of the two concertos which allowed him, in 2019, to convince the jury of the very high Tchaikovsky competition, a work which he plays almost everywhere on the planet these days.
Listening to his interpretation of this notoriously difficult concerto, one understands why some describe Kantorow as the reincarnation of Liszt.
The 25-year-old musician laughs at the pitfalls of the score, white-hot the keyboard of the great Steinway of the Maison symphonique.
But wouldn’t that be too much? It’s obvious that Tchaikovsky wants something virtuosic, with tempos like brilliant allegro And allegro con fuoco (“with fire”). But there’s a problem when that comes at the expense of clarity of expression and text, like Wednesday.
This is the case, in particular, in the first and the last great cadence of the vast first movement, where the pianist frolics like a mad horse. The Russian composer, after all, remains closer to the great Brahmsian legato than to the Lisztian adrenaline rushes.
Is the pianist getting too drunk on his own virtuosity? A live concert in 2019 with Valery Gergiev at the Mariinsky Theater shows that he can play this concerto in the most sublime way. His magnificent complete Saint-Saëns concertos, which we praised in December, also show that the pianist can be sparkling while keeping a solid rhythmic anchor.
Because Alexandre Kantorow is quite capable of embodying slowness, as can be heard in the slower passages of the concerto – the central movement, in particular, where violinist Andrew Wan and cellist Anna Burden impress – and in the magnificent arrangement of Liszt of Litanei auf das Fest Allerseelen by Schubert, played as an encore.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Kent Nagano
Kent Nagano is equal to himself, with a chiseled interpretation, but sometimes lacking in spontaneity.
We like the simplicity of its swansonga sort of slow waltz arranged for orchestra from an earlier work for organ and choir by Pärt.
However, the chef is a little less convincing in the Symphony noh 7 by Sibelius. First with certain crescendos that are sometimes too fast, especially in the initial string range, but also with dialogues between the sections that lack fluidity and sometimes liveliness. Some faster strokes also remain too prosaic, lacking a touch of abandon. But as often with Nagano, we gladly lend an ear, because everything is done with patient care and true self-sacrifice.
The concert will be given again on February 25 and 26 at 2:30 p.m. and is offered on Medici.tv.