Seong-Jin Cho and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Meta, presented Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 during performances on December 7-10. Cho’s presence and a Korea Times media sponsorship likely drew an above-average number of families with young children, possibly budding piano players, to Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Both of the pieces performed underwent significant changes since their inception and marked a turning point in the composer’s career. The Schumann piano concert was originally a single movement, Phantasie, but with Clara’s encouragement, the composer revised it to be a three-movement concerto with orchestra, his first work for solo piano and orchestra. Mahler revised his first symphony several times, and the changes included removing the second movement, Blumine, altering the orchestration, and distancing the piece from their programmatic influences.
Cho’s interpretation of the Schumman was restrained and sensible, and his phrasings are eloquent, but there was almost too much control in his performance. There were opportunities to place notes just a millisecond later to create the sense of yearning or to let 16th note runs tumble along like rocks down a hill, but Cho opted for a more collected approach. In the first movement after the winds, Cho brought a celestial quality to the theme, now placed in the upper register of the piano. He was careful to be extra gentle at the peaks of phrases, which emphasized the affettuoso quality of the movement. His sensitivity shined in the most tender moments of the piece, like in the Intermezzo, where his introspective approach made the movement more poignant and melancholy. In the later recurrences of the Clara motif from the first movement, Cho brought a lighter tenderness, and the movement segued seamlessly into the spirited final movement. Cho played with an unhurried regality in the third movement, even in passages that build up to a big tutti section, but the lack of urgency took some of the momentum out of the movement. While the orchestra added to the liveliness of the movement, there could have been a bit more boldness and vivacity from Cho. Instead, he went with an elegant reading with crisp grace notes and light, shimmery arpeggiated figures.
Following a standing ovation, Cho returned onstage to play Chopin’s Polonaise in A flat major Op. 53. It was a musically thrilling, breathless ride, though perhaps at the expense of danceability.
Zubin Meta, now in his late 80s, remains a phenom in the classical music world even after retiring from his post at the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in 2019. With nearly 70 years of conducting under his belt, he uses a cane for the walk to the podium, but once he arrives there, he needs nothing but a baton for the evening’s repertoire. His interpretation of Mahler is maximalist and dynamic, brilliantly capturing the intensity, tenderness, and nuance of the work. Originally written as a symphonic tone poem but later revised to drop the prescriptive descriptions, the symphony nevertheless continues to evoke images and moods related to the original titles of the movements.
The first movement opened with a hypnotic drone of A’s and a muted trumpet fanfare from backstage, evoking birdsongs and the rustling of life in early spring. The violins and flutes seamlessly intertwined during a lyrical passage, and the brooding descending fourths became floating baubles that were tossed gently across the orchestra. Meta chose to include the discarded second movement, Blumine (Autumn Flowers), which features sonorous trumpet solos, frosty strings, and shimmery harp passages. It’s rustic, almost pastoral, and evoked a peaceful, dreamlike state. The third movement rounded out the uplifting half of the piece with a Ländler (folk dance), which Meta took at a moderate pace, emphasizing the stomping quality of the dance while keeping the vivacious, celebratory quality of the movement.
The fourth movement, inspired by a painting of forest animals feigning grief at a funeral procession, turns a children’s song, Friar Jacques, into a funeral march. Atop the ironically depressive strings playing Friar Jacques in a round, the oboe introduced a tongue-in-cheek countermelody loosely derived from the theme. This sardonic melody continued to crop up throughout the movement, and though it temporarily subsided during a peaceful interlude in the middle section, it eventually overtook the main melody in the recapitulation.
The explosive crash in the opening of the final movement took several audience members by surprise, launching listeners into the middle of a tense brawl between the piece’s protagonist (heroic motifs) and the forces of darkness (descending four-note motifs). The maximalist nature of Mahler’s music was on full display here, and under Meta’s baton, there was a seething heroism borne out of conviction and not bravado. As motifs from other works (e.g. the Dresden Amen, Liszt’s Dante Symphony) and earlier movements resurface, they are reimagined as the sounds of the protagonist defeating the inferno and rising to paradise. The ominous descending fourths in the first movement are now a triumphant fanfare, buoyed to the heavens by the Dresden Amen in the brass. It’s a gripping ride from beginning to end with a cohesive clarity, a testament to Meta’s multi-decade dedication to Mahler’s works. During the standing ovation, the orchestra demonstrated their utmost respect to Meta by refusing to stand up, allowing Meta to fully receive the well-deserved applause.
