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09/17/2004 Entry: "Lucky Mayerson: Skrowaczewski"

I had the privilege of hearing Stanislaw Skrowaczewski conduct his and Berlioz's work last night:

Concerto for Orchestra
I. I'd have to hear it again
II. Anton Bruckner's Heavenly Journey (Adigo) There was a section where the strings were playing a fast, intricate motif, which was written and rehearsed so they could play it w/out much conducting and Skrowaczewski conducted the brass in the theme that brought me to tears. The music was powerful, but the intensity and passion of the orchestra was something I rarely get to see. I've seen it from orchestras conducted by Boulez, I've seen it from ensembles conducted by Lutoslawski or Knussen, but I was damned surprised to see it at the University of Spoiled Children's Orchestra.

So, if I can find a CD of this, I'm going to buy it and see if this was an isolated incident.

Symphonie Fantastic
You know, I can only enjoy this piece live. Skrowaczewski is a great conductor. His version was restrained so the orchestration and melodies could shine instead of how fast and loud the orchestra can play, which happens more than it should (no names here). I like Symphonie Fantastic because the last two movements are orchestrated arguments, so the very sections can bitch at each other. The brass never seem to be in on the joke, but they really kicked ass last night.

It's a shame there was only one performance of this program because it was obvious that they worked very hard and played well. It's amazing what good conducting can do for an orchestra, not to mention the music.

I'm glad I got to see this concert and this conductor. He's the last of the generation of Polish composer/conductors who were trained before WWII. Interesting fact: Skrowaczewski started out as a pianist, but injured his hand during the war and switched to composing. He has two hands and they did a fine job conducting last night, but pianists make different demands on their hands.

I hate young people; only the older crowd (like moi) hauled themselves up on their geriatric joints and gave the maestro and orchestra a well deserved standing ovation at the end. And it's very hard to get a standing ovation in LA for anything. I guess if you attend a concert at your university you can't stand because your peers might see you really appreciating something. Of course this kind of thing just makes me think a universal draft, starting with the louts next to me, is a good idea. They should, however, spare the Contrabass section, because they're all cute and sounded really good. The violins got a little shrieky in places, but, oh well, the Berlin Philharmonic this wasn't.

Tip for Concert-goers: In all cases, HOLD your applause until the conductor turns around for it. You, and your fellow music lovers, will be glad you did.

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