Original image by There Stands the Glass.
The aspiring conductor seated next to me at Helzberg Hall on Sunday, September 15, assessed Matthias Pintscher’s approach during intermission by suggesting “he lets the orchestra play”. The absence of self-aggrandizing posturing was a refreshing change for The Kansas City Symphony.
I invested $37 to join an attentive audience of about 1,000 in the last of three concerts of Pintscher’s first weekend as the ensemble’s conductor and musical director. Pintscher’s humble demeanor aside, it’s too soon to assess if or how the quality of the Symphony has changed.
I consider the opening selection a promising signal. The mild dissonance of Unsuk Chin’s “subito con forza” is not dissimilar to Pintscher’s exciting original compositions. Here’s hoping for more like this.
There’s no getting around the fact that the featured piece, Antonín Dvořák’s “Concerto in B Minor,” is a drag. Not even the presence of star cellist Alisa Weilerstein could make the composition interesting.
A reading of Igor Stravinsky’s stupendous “The Firebird” more than compensated for the dullness of Dvořák. Like the characters in the corresponding ballet, I was entirely enchanted. As for Pintscher, the verdict is still out.