Concert Hall Pro-Am: Reprinted from April, 2004

The New York Philharmonic performed the Symphony #2 of Gustav Mahler recently under the baton of Mahler enthusiast, Gilbert Kaplan. The performance has aroused a good deal of passionate bebate amongst musicians in that orchestra and music lovers across the country. I have decided to reprint my original post from April of 2004, which I composed shortly after Mr. Kaplan’s appearance with my orchestra here in Washington, DC. David Finlayson, trombonist with the New York Philharmonic, has his own blog on this topic: http://davidfinlayson.typepad.com/fin_notes/

My original post was designed to stir up debate on my blog, which it did. I encourage even more with this posting. Still, as I re-read my own words, I see that while I take a position against Mr. Kaplan I do not go into significant detail regarding my opposition. Four years later, I feel I can safely say this:
For a man who proclaims so much love and passion for Mahler and his music, his rendition of the Symphony #2 was strangely devoid of passion for this masterpiece. Yes, he can conduct his way through the work, but there was little to no inspiration to be found when one looked up to the podium. If you are looking for a work from the late romantic repertoire which can inspire passion, certainly this symphony would be high on anyone’s list. The success of Kaplan’s Mahler 2 in Washington was truly a testament to the National Symphony Orchestra and its musicians who pulled the rabbit out of the hat for those performances.

MY ORIGINAL POST FROM APRIL, 2004

There was a time in my life when the music of Gustav Mahler was new to me. I recall that during my first few years of college, I would often get together with some friends for some informal listening sessions in one of our dorm rooms. Our musical recording libraries in those days (early 1980s) consisted primarily of LPs purchased from one of the fabulous used record stores which once flourished in Boston – perhaps they still do. At any rate, we would get our hands on some beer and listen to the symphonies of Mahler into the wee hours of the morning, discussing the compositions, the styles and interpretations of various conductors and orchestras, the fantastic use of brass by Mahler, and how we could not wait to sink our teeth into our first performance of a Mahler symphony. Those were exciting times, as we pondered the life of this madman Mahler, with his eccentricities, preoccupation with death, mammoth sized orchestras and monster brass writing.

As a grizzled veteran of symphony orchestra playing now for several years, I have performed all eight of the symphonies which Mahler composed using trombones. Nine if you include his unfinished 10th Symphony. Only his Symphony #4 is trombone-less. This week, the National Symphony Orchestra is performing Gustav Mahler’s Symphony #2, The Resurrection under the baton of Mahler scholar Gilbert Kaplan. The National Symphony has performed this symphony, or excerpts from it, three times since I have joined the orchestra; we played the finale in a memorial concert at the Kennedy Center with Leonard Slatkin shortly after the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington; a complete performance with Leonard Slatkin roughly nine years ago, and another performance with James Conlon approximately 12 years ago. I have also played this work with the Boston Symphony under Seiji Ozawa and the finale with Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood with the fellowship orchestra. I am living the dream I imagined for myself in those dorm rooms, rockin’ out to Mahler on vinyl with my friends, as I now get to play this great stuff with big time orchestras and big time conductors. Playing a Mahler symphony is a usually a cause for celebration . . . but not this week . . . .

When I was a freelancer in Boston, I played with the Boston Pops on several occasions. I recall one televised broadcast featuring Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gale as guest artists. At one point, the live broadcast had to be stopped because Ms. Lynn could not seem to come in at the appropriate time with the orchestra. I asked one of the other trombone players what the problem was, and he told me that she most likely could not read music, so we would tape it over and over until she got it right. “Happens all the time with these country singers.”  I was floored. A person whose life and livelihood revolved around music, yet she was unable to read music. That was a new one to me at that time, but I now realize how commonplace it is with many pop/rock/country artists. Well, performing music is one thing, but conducting music is another.

Any major U.S. symphony orchestra is comprised of individuals who have devoted themselves to classical music. Most have advanced degrees in music at the masters or doctoral level and most are at the pinnacle of their craft. With nearly 100 musicians on a stage, there is a vast amount of accumulated knowledge and experience set before a conductor to be used at his/her disposal. Sometimes, even the best of conductors are unable to coax a good performance out of a professional orchestra. It is often a matter of chemistry and mutual respect between the two parties that helps to create a good product. From my experience, the most successful conductors have a good combination of baton technique, charisma and passion. Leonard Bernstein had these qualities in abundance. He was the best. He had it all. Even the best of conductors these days rarely have it all, and I think it is somewhat unreasonable to expect that they do. If they have one or two strong points (pick either technique, charisma or passion) it is usually enough to succeed.

GET TO THE POINT, GUILFORD!
So, the NSO has a critically acclaimed Mahler expert conducting this week in Mahler’s Symphony #2. The review in the Washington Post is glowing. The audience loved it. There was a full house for the show and the two remaining concerts will most likely be SRO. Everybody wins, right? Ask one of the musicians and you may get a different story.

Here is my analogy: Those familiar with this blog may be aware that I love to play golf. If I have a really good day on the links, I am capable of a score in the low 80s. When I glance at the PGA Tour scores in the sports section of the newspaper, I sometimes see great golfers who, on a bad day, shoot a score in the low 80s. I say to myself, “Self, why don’t you play on the PGA tour. You love to play golf. You have the right equipment and clothing. You know the golf lingo (snowman, chili-dip, etc.). Plus, you are able to shoot the same scores as these major dudes. Go for it.” Humility and reality prevent me from pursuing this dream, because I realize that I will never compete on the same elevated level as the PGA Tour unless I devote my life to that cause, as they have done.

Remember the movie Shine, which featured Geoffrey Rush as a mentally impaired pianist savant, capable of playing the Mount Everest of piano concertos, Rachmaninov’s 3rd? In the afterglow of positive reviews and box office successes, someone thought it would be a good idea to pull this pianist out of seclusion and put him on-stage with orchestras, as a kind of reality-tv for the concert stage.

Come to find out, while it was quite impressive that a mentally impaired man had the ability to play the piano, he did not play it particularly well. That did not seem to matter to many concert goers and music reviewers who latched on to the feel-good quality of the event, proclaiming it as a boon to classical music. Meanwhile, Serge rolls over in his grave and musicians sigh.

What’s the point? I don’t know. Make a blog entry and we can discuss. I am reading Thomas Friedman’s book, From Beirut to Jerusalem now, in which there are countless tragic stories of people in war-torn lands. Just yesterday, I saw photos of the burned corpses of Americans dragged through the streets in Iraq. From that perspective, who cares if a guy likes Mahler and wants to play with the big boys. What’s the harm. It’s all good, as they say. Or is it? What do you think?