Peter Jablonski Debut at Mostly Mozart Festival

Tonight I attended a Mostly Mozart Festival Concert at Lincoln Center during which Swedish-Polish pianist Peter Jablonski made his Mostly Mozart debut as soloist in the 2nd Piano Concerto by Charles Camille St.-Saens.  The precedent for making a NY debut in this concerto was set a century ago by Arthur Rubinstein, whose recordings of the piece help to set the standard.  By that standard, Jablonski stood up rather well.  My past acquaintance with his work stems from his spectacular world premiere recording of the Piano Concerto by W. Kilar, which was taken into the recording studio as part of a fine CD devoted entirely to Kilar's music on the Accord label - a CD that sadly is now unavailable.  I've also heard some of his Decca recordings.  But I had never heard him in this kind of late 19th century Romantic repertory.

He certainly has the aptitude for much of this music, especially the rhapsodic first movement and the elfin scherzo.  But I thought the finale was not quite "up his alley" - at least on this occasion.  This is a real barnstorming movement, and it can easily run out of control as the rapid triplet figures mount up.  I had that feeling of danger at several points, although in the end he triumphed.  I would have preferred a bit more rhythmic steadiness at key points.  We don't hear this concerto often enough, precisely because that last movement is such a strenuous adventure.  The youthful Mr. Jablonski looked quite exhausted at the end!  But on the whole it was a very satisfactory performance, and I doubt there are many pianists playing today who could have done as well with it.

The theme of the program assembled by Mostly Mozart Music Director and conductor Louis Langree was Paris...  He began with Mozart's "Paris" Symphony, No. 31 in D, K. 297, which was written for performance in Paris while the young Mozart was on tour there, the St.-Saens concerto was written and premiered in Paris, and in the second half, there was music from the French version of Christoph Willibald von Gluck's opera Orphee et Eurydice, the composer revising his Italian original for performance in Paris, and finally some selections for the incidental music that Georges Bizet wrote for a Paris production of the play "L'arlesienne."

It was an inspired combination of pieces. The Mozart symphony is lively, festive, inviting as a concert-opener.  The St.-Saens provided a bravura conclusion for the first half, with the composer's patented "big tunes" winning out - especially in the scherzo. After intermission the Gluck, including the incredibly moving Dance of the Blessed Spirits, with MM Flute Principal Yoobin Son offering a stellar solo performance, and finally, in the Bizet, the very impressive and emotional playing of Allen Won on the alto saxophone.

My admiration for Langree as a conductor grows and grows as he has taken command of Mostly Mozart, raised the quality of the orchestra and the variety of the programming, and shown how effective leadership from the podium can raise everybody's spirits.  From my stage seat behind the double basses, I am ideally poised to observe Mr. Langree at work close hand.  He smiles a lot.  It doesn't strike me as in any way an artificial smile.  Combined with his gestures, the smiling signals to me that he is really enjoying himself leading this very talented group of musicians in wonderful music.  He exudes joy as he conducts, and the feeling is contagious -- although these somewhat jaded New York freelance musicians rarely crack a smile themselves.  The excellence of the group is proven again and again.  Despite their small numbers, the strings have warmth and depth.  The solo wind group is outstanding, not a weak link among them.  This year's festival -- for the four concerts I've attended by the Festival Orchestra - has been played at a very high level, whether led by Langree or by the talented young guest conductors we've heard so far.

There are a few weeks of Mostly Mozart left.  Those who have stayed away are missing a treat.  There were some empty seats tonight, and there should not have been.  Next Saturday (the 21st) we will be hearing one of the bright young stars of the piano world, Stephen Hough.  The place should be sold out.

Comments

[Alan Masters]

Peter Jablonski played Chopin's 2nd Concerto with the Auckland Philharmonia a few months ago. I was worried throughout as it seemed to me he was only just hitting the notes by the skin of his teeth. Simon Trpceski dazzled us in the Saint-Saens here last year.

[Art Leonard]

That's the feeling I had in the finale of the St.-Seans, as well, to a lesser extent, in the scherzo.

One might argue that this makes the concerto even more exciting - a daredevil exhibition - but I think it is even more exciting if the pianist appears as the master of the enormous technical difficulties. As in, for example, Entremont's great old recording with Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, or Rubinstein's various recordings.