It’s been a busy time for conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. They played in Santa Barbara last Sunday and are playing in San Francisco this upcoming weekend. If that, on top of their Los Angeles engagements, wasn’t enough to deal with, the awesome pianist Yefim Bronfman cancelled his performances with them due to a fractured finger. It was our loss to miss “Fima” playing Bartók Piano Concerto No. 3, but certainly our gain to hear Dudamel’s sublime performance of Maurice Ravel that replaced it last Saturday night.
While the L.A. audience is usually very receptive to newer music, some had a tough time with Claude Vivier’s “Orion,” which opened the concert. Dudamel, using a score, dutifully cued and kept time for this difficult composition, which uses a bevy of percussionists on exotic instruments. One could hear the influence of a trip Vivier took across Asia three years prior to writing the piece, as it creates an eerie and foreign ambience. The orchestra delivered beautiful washes of discordant sound, but at times one had to wonder if a lack of precision detracted from the intended textures. They didn’t own the piece and may have been happy to get through it in order to play the more familiar Ravel.
Extracted from a 50-minute ballet that was never successful as such, some of Ravel’s best music is contained in his two suites from Daphnis et Chloé. Playing “Suite No. 2,” Dudamel and the Philharmonic demonstrated why this is his most popular work, as well as some of the best orchestral writing of the 20th century. It was a ravishing performance that accentuated the elegance and complexity of the piece. The audience was embraced by the lush sound of the strings; they played with fervor and executed wonderful control over the demanding dynamics. Rich, balanced brass and winds complemented the overall picture that gave the listener no doubt as to how this colorful piece should sound. The ovation was well-warranted.
The main course of the evening was served up in comfort food fashion with Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 5.” This is a musical battle with fate and the saber-rattling Dudamel was content to lead the cavalry charge, perhaps at the expense of some insight into the dense orchestration. The audience was fine with that, as the orchestra gave a warm, rock-solid performance. Few can achieve the dark hue or frenzy that some Russian orchestras perform this piece with, but Dudamel brought his brand of intensity to the stormy passages, as well as great sensitivity to the second movement, featuring its famous theme. I was a little shocked that he did not lift his baton for about five minutes of the third movement, choosing to conduct with playful head nods and his signature facial expressions. It was a cocky display, but I suppose it’s the kind of enthusiasm that made this piece and the evening a raucous success.