Memorable Dvořák and mixed Mahler from the Czech Philharmonic
Along with the major anniversaries of births and deaths of important composers, 2024 is a Year of Czech Music, a decennial celebration of the classical music traditions from this key Central European country.
The presence of Czech music is fundamental as regards the compositions of Antonin Dvořák alone. But there is the further and in some ways more pervasive influence of a style of instrumental playing that is a specific Czech tradition. This is probably best known through the great Czech string quartets of the 20th and 21st centuries, but extends to a specific orchestral sound as well.
That sound was one of the substantial pleasures of the Czech Philharmonic’s concert Wednesday night at Carnegie Hall—Gil Shaham playing Dvořák’s Violin Concerto and the Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler.
Under chief conductor and music director Semyon Bychkov, the Czech Philharmonic is one of the few orchestras that still holds on to a distinctive regional quality. Where the New York Philharmonic and others fit together brilliant individual ensembles, each sharply defined and precisely balanced, the Czech group has a holistic sound across the spectrum, like a fabric full of subtle shades and details—analog rather then digital. It’s warm and rich, with all the colors passed through a honey-shaded filter.
This was one of the more sonically gorgeous performances one has heard for many years. String playing was full of graceful, expressive inflections, the brass had an excellent mellow blend, and winds were an idiosyncratic mix of rustic oboes and steely flutes. It was full of character, the orchestra coming together with palpable personality in the manner of a singer.
That made Shaham, one of the most characterful and personable violinists on the scene, an excellent partner in the concerto. This was immediately clear, his response to the opening fanfares a kind of stimulating argumentative statement, as if the orchestra was asking him to play and he was first feeling querulous about it.
Shaham’s playing was remarkable in a subtle way. His expressive attitude developed from that opening gnarliness into a fascinating musical journey through moods. And his own warm sound was such a perfect match for the orchestra that he could have been playing in, and disappearing into, the violin section. Yet the feeling of size in his playing, the dimensions of the feelings he was channeling through the instrument, always projected outward.
This was also a measure of how fine the orchestral accompaniment was, not just the matching of tone and mood but the feeling that the Czech Philharmonic was playing chamber music. Dynamics were superb in that they were never aggressively loud, while always creating a sound with presence. The middle Adagio was gorgeous, perfectly centered, not just Shaham but every musician in the orchestra playing with the feeling that there were things they loved in the music. The final movement had a light, springy touch, the baroque roots showing through with the sensation of an outdoor village dance.
For an encore Shaham played the crowd-pleasure Gavotte from Bach’s Solo Violin Partita No. 3, which was terrific, but one still felt the impact of the concerto.
While Mahler was known as Austro-Hungarian due to the politics of the 19th century, he was born in Bohemia. The sense of landscape in his music is a companion to that in Dvořák and Smetana, and it’s wonderful to hear his symphonies channeled through an authentically Czech orchestral sound.
There were many wonderful moments in this performance, but also some disappointing ones. In every Mahler symphony, there’s a point—if not the entirety—that is about life or death, where everything is on the line. In Mahler’s Fifth this is primarily in the first part, which is in two sections. Here things did not completely come alive. The playing was sophisticated and thoughtful, but it took a while for the orchestra to generate the kind of tension and energy at the core of this piece.
The opening trumpet solo was brilliant, with an insistent feeling to the eighth notes and a darker, richer sound than one usually hears in contemporary playing. Bychkov’s funeral march tempo was on the slow side but didn’t drag. There was inexorable forward movement in the playing, but it didn’t quite feel weighty enough.
That energy came in the tumultuous passages, but then Bychkov made a crucial mistake by taking a pause between the first two sections. They should be played with a quick segue, and this performance showed why, as the reset evaporated all the force that had been built. It took time to regain it.
The rest was superb, though. The Scherzo was excellent, with pace and passion, and again a unique timbre from the horns, full of vibrato and multiple hues. The Adagietto was a flowing, moving nine minutes with a wonderful, expressive shape. Bychkov put the harp in the front middle of the orchestra, between the second violins and cellos, which gave a unique and beguiling heft to this music. The finale was also terrific, a sense of achievement and meaning running through all the modulations from one major key to another.
The Czech Philharmonic with conductor Semyon Bychkov and pianist Daniil Trifonov play Dvořák’s Piano Concerto and Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass 8 p.m. Thursday. carnegiehall.org
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