(photo by Hiroyuki Ito, New York Times)
Now that Esa-Pekka Salonen no longer has a full-time conducting gig (he's still the Principal Conductor of London's Philharmonia Orchestra, basically a part-time job,) he presumably has plenty of free time to pursue what he calls his primary passion: composing. Which was precisely the reason he gave for leaving the LA Phil last spring after 17 seasons as Music Director. But Salonen seems to be having a hard time weaning himself off the podium, with a full plate of guest conducting engagements lined up this season, including last month's acclaimed production of Janáček's From The House of the Dead at the Met.
After Dead closed last week, Salonen stuck around NYC, making his way across the plaza to conduct the NY Phil in a subscription series. Thanks to a friend with a last-minute ticket, I made it to the final concert of the run on Tuesday, which was also my first visit to Avery Fisher this season and the first time I've seen the Phil since Alan Gilbert took over as Music Director in September. No noticeable changes to report, yet.
Salonen's program of 20th century chestnuts seemed to play to the orchestra's strengths. Bartòk's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (1936) showed off the orchestra's bad-ass percussion section (Chris Lamb, Daniel Druckman, Markus Rhoten) – particularly in the raw, primordial 3rd movement, with its tam-tams and timpani bends. Ravel's Piano Concerto felt light in touch, which allowed French newcomer David Fray to shine without showiness. And Debussy's La Mer - probably the most subtle and interesting of all orchestral warhorses – filled up the house will the full sound of the 140-member Philharmonic.
But the real star was Salonen: a commanding presence who, through three decades of conducting, has somehow learned to project his dynamic energy onto an orchestra without drawing unnecessary attention to himself. It's hard to say how much influence a guest conductor can have on any group of players (especially this hidebound bunch) but Salonen's contribution to the whole – visual and aural – is unmistakable. I'm sure I'm not the only one who hopes he doesn't end up burrowing away in his writing den.
(P.S. Walking the halls during intermission, I unexpectedly bumped into a couple of Salonen's close friends: the Phil's new composer-in-residence (and fellow Finn) Magnus Lindberg, and John Adams, who's in town to conduct his own El Niño at Carnegie on Sunday. (I'll be there.) Funny, I never realized Tuesday was composer night at AFH…)