The concert of the Metropolitan Orchestra, resumed this Saturday evening at the Maison de la culture Mercier, features on the podium Andreas Ottensamer, principal clarinetist of the Berlin Philharmonic who has slowly been reconverting to conducting since the pandemic. Ironically, his soloist is a fellow clarinetist: the Frenchman Pierre Génisson, future new star of the Warner catalog, who somewhat steals the show.
Even though Andreas Ottensamer works in Berlin, he is a Viennese, descendant and parent of a long line of Viennese musicians. His brother, Daniel, is the star clarinetist of the Vienna Philharmonic, a position previously held by their father, Ernst. Andreas Ottensamer is therefore the second Viennese instrumentalist to convert to conducting who comes to the Métropolitain after Christoph Koncz, leader of the Second Violins in 2019.
Ironically both musicians chose to conduct Schumann and Brahms. Koncz had six years of experience, Ottensamer has about two, but with the Metropolitan he gave us a Symphony “Spring” by Schumann of unstoppable logic and great driving force, even a certain exaltation at the end. Ottensamer had fun giving the double basses a beautiful role of emphasis and foundation. The horns and flutes were in good shape, the trombones didn’t overdo it.
All this was quite traditional (Alexander Shelley in his recent performance in Ottawa had induced an interesting differentiation between the two trios of the 3rd movement) but in very good taste and with a performance that did not really suggest theTragic opening by Brahms, more labile in maintaining tension, perhaps parasitized by gestures of unnecessary magnitude (Ottensamer tends to make big windmills when he gets carried away).
Brahms and klezmer
We will thank the chef for having led at the start of the second part Night and love by Augusta Holmes, a touching work, which sounds a bit like an opera interlude from the end of the 19th century. We think of Offenbach from Hoffmann’s Tales (1881) in what is actually a symphonic interlude composed in 1888.
Before the concert, Schumann’s symphony had been announced as the highlight of the show, the highlight. This was without taking into account the soloist Pierre Génisson in the skillful arrangement for clarinet and strings by Darko Butorac of the Sonata for clarinet and piano op. 120 No. 1 by Brahms.
The clarinetist who has just been hired by Warner Classics, and will publish his first disc “Mozart 1791” on November 3, appeared as a sort of András Schiff of the clarinet, that is to say a musician capable of abolish time (2nd movement) and transport us to another world through incredible nuances.
The beauty of the attacks, the strong never forced, the finesse of the transitions, all that is one thing. But the instrumentalist also seemed to really take the measure of the Maison symphonique and realize the breadth of the palette of nuances that he could allow around the pianissimo. The room, exemplary, seemed to hold its breath and Ottensamer and OM provided excellent support during this unforgettable performance.
As an encore, Génisson performed an orchestral version of Sholem-Alekem, rov Feidman! by Hungarian clarinetist Béla Kovàcs, a tribute to klezmer that stirred the crowd. The title combines the allusion to Shalom Aleichem (“Peace be with you”) and its dedication to the great master (rov) of klezmer, Giora Feidman for whom Kovàcs intended this touching and captivating composition which revealed to us other facets of Génission.