Identity is an elusive quality among today’s symphony orchestras. Whereas orchestras were once home-grown, populated by players largely from within their own borders, today they have become global ensembles, drawing the best players from around the world in a never-ending quest for perfection, prestige – or just a paycheck.
To be sure, the quality of musicianship within orchestras has never been higher. But, in the pursuit of that musical ideal, something has been lost: the rough edges have been smoothed out, the idiosyncrasies washed away. Everyone has ended up sounding like everyone else: technically perfect, but indistinct. Even the vaunted Vienna Philharmonic, famed for its custom instruments and relaxed rhythms, has lost some of its uniqueness in the two+ decades since I’ve been attending their concerts.
In their 2017 obituary of the celebrated Czech conductor Jiří Bělohlávek, the NY Times observed: “In an era of globalized music-making, the ensemble has distinguished itself by retaining much of the bright, tangy sound and infectious intensity of its historical heyday.” They happened to be speaking about the Czech Philharmonic, the Czech Republic’s national orchestra, which Bělohlávek led during two separate runs as music director (1990–92, 2012–17).
But, the same could be said of the Prague Philharmonia, which Bělohlávek founded after leaving the Czech Philharmonic in 1994 and led until 2005, retaining the title of Conductor Laureate until his death. Originally founded as a chamber orchestra specializing in classical repertoire – Mozart, Beethoven, etc. – the ensemble has evolved over its history to take on larger and more contemporary works. But it has retained its chamber-like profile, priding itself on its flexibility and intimate collaboration between players. The orchestra also promotes its regional identity as being particularly suited to the music of Czech composers; it didn’t escape my notice that the vast majority of the orchestra personnel listed in the program have Czech surnames.
All of the above was on offer last night as the Prague Philharmonia closed out their current U.S. tour with their debut appearance at Carnegie Hall, led by French conductor Emmanuel Villaume, who has been their music director since 2015. (Villaume is also music director of The Dallas Opera.) Entering en masse in crisp white tie and tails, several orchestra members smiled widely as they gazed out at the Stern Auditorium audience for the first time.
Conducting without a baton (and, conspicuously, without a tuxedo) Villaume started off with a fierce, if somewhat showy performance of Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture, gesturing wildly while the players went about their business. I was immediately struck by the ensemble’s transparent sound: even the softest winds and string details were clearly audible.
Following were a pair of classical concertos that while technically fine, didn’t exactly move the needle in terms of emotion or performance pyrotechnics. (Granted, I may have still been in thrall from Yuja Wang’s powerful rendering of Einojuhani Rautavaara’s challenging Piano Concerto No. 1 on Saturday night with the NY Phil.) Andrew Van Oeyen played Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with understated elegance, while Blake Poullot spiced up Mozart’s 3rd Violin Concerto with a bit of French-Canadian flair – or maybe it was his knee-length jacket and silk scarf. (Note to promoters: the next time you feel tempted to refer to your unfamiliar artist in the program notes as “One of the most captivating pianists of his generation” or “among the ranks of classical phenoms”, please don’t.)
Finally, we arrived at the work I imagine most of us were there to hear: Dvořák’s 8th symphony. While I’m sure it was tempting to perform Dvořák’s 9th “New World” symphony in the very hall where it was premiered, the 8th was the right choice for an ensemble of this size. Almost immediately, I was struck by the strings’ singing quality, the sonorous horns near the end of the opening Allegro, the hair-raising trumpets that punctuate the Allegretto, and again at the top of the final Allegro. You could hear the pride these players have in playing this music, with a sense of ownership few other ensembles could match. To his credit, Villaume demonstrated his own mastery of the score, which sat ignored on the podium for most of the performance.
After several curtain calls, Villaume addressed the audience in heavily accented French. “There may be differences between countries and cultures, but music unites us all!” Then they unleashed the most rip-roaring performance of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro overture I’ve ever heard. This was no casual choice: Mozart traveled to Prague no fewer than five times during his brief lifetime and premiered Don Giovanni, La Clemenza di Tito and the “Prague” symphony there. Not to mention today is Mozart’s 270th birthday, bringing back memories of my own visit to Prague for Mozart’s 250th, capped by a gala concert with the Czech Philharmonic in the historic Estates Theater, led by a then-unknown Manfred Honeck (who happens to be in town this week to lead the NY Phil.) Perhaps even more than Dvořák, Mozart and Prague go together like goulash and pilsner. A satisfying meal, indeed.
More pics on Instagram.