Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali brings instinctive energy to NY PHILHARMONIC performances

• By drediman
• February 19, 2024
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This past weekend, Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali concluded a two-week residency leading the New York Philharmonic at David Geffen Hall. Although the second of his two programs that I attended included standard fare from the classical musical canon, there was nonetheless a sense of occasion that accompanied the introduction of a notable new talent (more on that below).

The bill commenced winningly with Farrenc’s “Overture No. 2”, an ideal, lively palette cleanser that set the stage for the main event of the concert. That would arguably be the Philharmonic debut of pianist Bruce Liu – winner of the coveted top prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2021 – in Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” (Liu’s performance comes on the heels of another anticipated Philharmonic debut, that of violinist Esther Yoo in a separate program, also conducted by Rouvali). It was a splendid performance all around. Liu lived up to the considerable hype – playing with both poetry and virtuosity, and handily traversing the work’s well-trodden peaks and valleys. The concert concluded with a beautifully shaped rendition of Dvorak’s Seventh Symphony, a performance that brought welcome gravitas to the program.

Throughout, maestro Rouvali led with his usual instinctual energy, bordering at times on a casual kind prowess that occasionally allowed some lax playing to creep in. That being said, the New York forces overall sounded alive and present, fully game to go on the journey that Rouvali had in store for them. I look forward to seeing more of Rouvali as he further develops his rapport with the Philharmonic.

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NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
Classical Music
David Geffen Hall
1 hour, 45 minutes (with one intermission)
Closed