I stated in an earlier post that there should be an organ in Tchaikovsky’s “Manfred Symphony.” And while an organ is certainly featured in many performances and recordings of the work, it turns out the composer actually called for a harmonium. Live and learn.
That said, last night’s otherwise superb performance by the Princeton Symphony Orchestra of this sublime work (in my opinion, one of Tchaikovsky’s most compelling; then again, I’m a fan of Byron’s dramatic poem, overheated film scores, and Romantic seething in general), reverted to the outmoded practice of ditching the reflective denouement (with organ/harmonium) in favor of reprising the powerfully intense coda of the work’s first movement. (Richardson Auditorium’s pipe organ, installed in 1910, has been out of commission for three quarters of a century.) No redemption for this Manfred. I’m pretty sure Tchaikovsky wouldn’t have been happy, but I loved it all the same.
I confess I also missed the fire of Jeremy Levine’s blazing timpani (Levine had the weekend off, but it turns out had to be called back in as a substitute on the cataclysmic bass drum), which would have pushed this “Manfred” as far over the top as this glorious score deserves.
At the other end of the spectrum, Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto, as immaculate as a Fabergé egg (though not at the expense of heart and humanity, especially in the Baroque arioso throwback of the work’s third movement), was more than mere icing on the cake – an apt metaphor, it turns out, for a program in celebration of music director Rossen Milanov’s 60th birthday. The soloist was Leila Josefowicz, well-toned in both senses of the word. It’s always a privilege to hear a concerto like this one in such an intimate hall.
The concert will be repeated at Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium this afternoon at 4:00. Both works are comparative rarities. As predicted, for me, this proved to be one of the highlights of the season. Miss it to your own detriment.
https://princetonsymphony.org/
PSO staff photo
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