The OSM concert on Thursday evening marked the 60th anniversary of Place des Arts. The occasion was celebrated with an evening of very high musical standard in many respects, from the orchestra and its guest soloist.
In March 2022, the OSM experienced the worst media fiasco in its history by removing the young pianist Alexander Malofeev from its programming, under pressure from activists from the Ukrainian community, at a time when, like inquisitors in their Western comfort , some demanded that any Russian artist “position himself” independently of the risks he would run or pose for his family while remaining in the country.
The young artist who had sensitively written a few days earlier “honestly, the only thing I can do right now is pray and cry” (among other words of rare intelligence, including this one: “spread the “hate will not improve the situation, but only cause more suffering”) had been a scapegoat. The entire musical and media world on the planet attacked the OSM for having sacrificed it.
The tightrope walker
The least we can say is that Malofeev does not hold grudges. Because here he is, 18 months later on the stage of the Maison symphonique with our musical director. And his presence has not gone unnoticed. THE 3rd Concerto of Prokofiev that he gave us was unlike any other. It was the craziest, most risky thing we had heard from Béroff, Ashkenazy and Argerich in the 70s to Lanag Lang and Trifonov, marked by insane tempos in movements I and III, perfectly assumed and relayed with gluttony by Rafael Payare.
Malofeev does not have the sonic massiveness of Béroff, Matsuev, Bronfman or Toradze, but he compensates with his eel-like responsiveness, with exhilaration and finesse. The intoxication of the tempos, as we have said, and the finesse, in the dynamic calibration of the more meditative episodes. This 3rd Concerto of tightrope walker, who at times left one speechless, even exceeded the prowess, however impressive, of Trifonov-Nagano. Among the alternative visions, there remains the unique style of Argerich and the more thunderous versions, like Matsuev.
The concert began with a huge surprise: Icarus by Lera Auerbach composed in 2006 and premiered in 2011. This 12-minute tripartite symphonic poem is a pure masterpiece of contemporary creation, an observation that we are led to write quite rarely. Icarus is extraordinarily efficient (rhythm, themes) and perfect management of effects (orchestration). Thus in the 2nd section an ascent is made with a lightening of the colors (we approach the sun). Furthermore, light and darkness oppose each other while in the last part it occurs like a diffraction of particles. All this is admirable and Icarus is, in our opinion, one of the eminent scores of the last decade.
Mahler, the sequel
In the second part, Rafael Payare continued his Mahler cycle. There were microphones. For a discographic recording? It would then be necessary to say it clearly and renew the announcement, made at the beginning, after the break, because a certain part of the public relaxes and gives in to their heart’s content with coughs in a symphony of millimeter nuances which cannot stand its extraneous noise.
Rafael Payare gives us an excellent Titan, embellished by the extraordinary success of the exalted last 3 minutes. But, really, do we think we’re at the level of a record? At the level of the Fifth ? Not yet. In the first movement there are countless and subtle dynamic bellows whose scrupulous respect gives a sensation of “sounds of nature” that we do not quite perceive.
Moreover, Thursday’s execution was burdened with quite a few instrumental incidents. It would therefore take several miracles during the restart on Saturday afternoon. What is admirable, apart from the coda, is the 2nd movement, very well maintained, and the 3rd whose grating and parodic side is very well highlighted. Payare succeeds in having both a coherent orchestra and sound individualities that exist and emerge.
The biggest interpretative question is a string passage from Final (number 16 for close friends!) noted “ sehr gesangsvoll » (very melodious) and which the conductor conducts with an astonishing expressive reserve, unexpected on his part. Let’s wait and see what this “recording” was, but let’s hope we don’t put the cart before the horse.
To continue the cycle at the level where it began, it would be better to break in a work, for example in summer, then resume it a few months later, in season, and “fix” it at that time.