New York Classical Review

Music for a party is a low-stakes/high-key affair, even for the radical house band in the 1960s. And even at a place like Carnegie Hall, like Tuesday night’s gala opening concert for the new season. Not that the music was frivolous or disposable, but the occasion was all about celebration and good times.

That was the right way to enjoy the performance of the NYO-USA All-Stars orchestra, pianist Yuja Wang, and conductor Daniel Harding. There were stars all around, with lively, public-spirited playing of excerpts from Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and The Firebird Suite by Stravinsky.

The NYO-USA All-Stars are young alums of the National Youth Orchestras of the United States of America—all now either playing professionally or in undergrad and graduate conservatories. This is a large orchestra, and loaded with talent. The sheer size almost made up for the lack of the deepest and most subtle ensemble cohesion, understandable for what is an occasional pickup group without consistent experience and relationships with each other and a regular conductor.

For the West Side Story dances, that meant robust playing that was strongest in the Scherzo and concluding “Mambo,” complete with the orchestra shouting out the title and the bass players spinning their instruments. The rhythms weren’t absolutely snappy, and the opening “Somewhere” was unexpectedly subdued for the occasion and a little wan. But the Bernstein got the orchestra and audience warmed up for what was to come.

That was Wang, her spectacular pianism and star power. She was the soloist in the Tchaikovsky concerto, and also directed the orchestra from the keyboard. She’s been doing this more frequently lately, with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and earlier this year at the New York Philharmonic, and it’s still in process and progress.

Tackling this big, crowd-pleasing work from the piano was quite a challenge, and the first movement showed why. It’s a bear, with multiple sections that really need a conductor to shape into a connected large scale form, and from the piano there were few moments to guide the orchestra. Even without a conductor, the accompaniment was well-balanced and precise, even if at times it felt parallel to Wang

The spirit and chops were there, with a crisp horn fanfare and Wang’s power exploding off the keys, her hands a blur in the rapid runs of chords while every single note rang out with exact articulation. But the feeling was episodic, even choppy. There was little connection between themes and the transitional passages themselves felt as prominent as the central parts, which felt confusing to one familiar with the how the music goes. Wang’s cadenza was dazzling, though, with a unique sense of mystery.

The Andantino and Allegro con fuoco moments were better, mostly because the material is more concise and single-minded. Wang and the orchestra carved their way through the music with a smooth, light touch and a nice feeling of velocity. Tempos were quick and exciting, and while pianist and musicians were coordinated in time, there were stretches that needed conducting, with rhythmic accents at odds, while Wang was busy thrilling the listener.

The Firebird Suite was the finest moment of the concert, strong, purposeful, and thought-through without any concession to the occasion. This is music that young players know well, and the performance had the deepest connection between them and Harding. He held the tempos back slightly and built real atmosphere, with sharp and impressive contrasts between the opening mood, Kaschei’s dance, and the exquisite Berceuse. Skillful and winning, it was a good way to end the party.

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Pinchas Zuckerman, and conductor Lahav Shani play Prokofiev, Ben-Haim, and Tchaikovsky, 8 p.m. October 15.  carnegiehall.org