Anthony Tommasini is surprised that Fabio Luisi can conduct American music well:
But on Sunday afternoon Mr. Luisi, conducting the Met Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, revealed another dimension to his artistry. Who would have expected this Italian maestro to be so at home conducting Copland’s jazzy Clarinet Concerto, let alone an aria from “Wuthering Heights,” the only opera by Bernard Herrmann, of “Psycho” fame?
Let's take that paragraph and sub in another name or two:
But on Sunday afternoon Mr. Levine, conducting the Met Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, revealed another dimension to his artistry. Who would have expected this midwestern American maestro to be so at home conducting Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, let alone exceprts from Goetterdaemmerung?
Or how about this?
But on Sunday afternoon Mr. Oazawa, conducting the Met Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, revealed another dimension to his artistry. Who would have expected this Japanese maestro to be so at home conducting Debussy's La Mer, let alone choruses from Saint Francois d'Assis, the only opera by Olivier Messiaen?
I know AT is a punching bag in the US opera blogosphere, but he's still better than Mark Swed. Which is my way of saying: I agree with your headline. I wish the NYT would promote Steve Smith to the head critic job, but alas.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty bad. I heard Luisi conduct Lulu at the Met the year before last and it was masterful.
ReplyDeleteSteve is freelance, so....not happening.
ReplyDeleteAT is at his best reviewing new music. I wish he'd turn all of his opera reviews over the Zachary Woolfe.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteMr. Lebrecht weighs in:
http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2012/01/criticising-the-critics-lets-start-at-the-top.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+artsjournal%2FbQrW+%28Slipped+disc%29
Different review from the one I'm talking about, of course, but he certainly nails some features of AT's style.
ReplyDelete