In the first half, admired pianist Emanuel Ax gives his 100th performance with the Orchestra, after his debut at 28 in 1977 with Mozart's Piano Concerto in d minor, an event he tells in an interview published in the program. For this stage Thursday, Mr. Ax hired Mr. Gilbert and adventurous Philharmonic Orchestra in a musical experience.
They performed "Colors of the Cité Céleste of Messiaen" ("colours of the celestial city"), 1963 to a 20-minute work scored for piano solo and 20 or so brass, strings, and percussion instruments. To place the Messiaen in context very revealing, Mr. Ax began playing "Pagodas" the first of the three pieces of work in solo piano by Debussy "Prints" ("impressions").
The program announced (and printed), Mr. Ax would play the entire works of Debussy. But Mr. Gilbert explained that he and Mr. Ax had found the resonances between "pagodas" and striking "colours" that they decided to go directly from the movement of single Debussy to Messiaen without interruption.
Mr. Gilbert has proven once more a natural to give advice of insiders on music audiences. Messiaen, a Roman Catholic steeped in religious mysticism, was inspired to write this work by a passage from the book of revelation describes a wall of the number of colors in a heavenly city. The score was Greek, choral elements of plainsong, rhythms and a registered trademark of Messiaen, bird songs.
What kind of celestial city it describes? Mr. Gilbert has stated that, for him, the music suggests not a walking tour, but a slide show with images change suddenly: a suitable description.
Mr. Gilbert had first Orchestra illustrate his points by playing a part of the choir who, despite the astringent agreements, had a nagging melody and then an outburst of dancing: an "Aviary gone berserk," Mr. Gilbert words. Debussy, added Mr. Ax, is also as a slide show, but a Chinese city.
Mr. Ax has played "pagodas" with the subdued beauty and its lens. The Messiaen proceeded by moving musical episodes with thick harmonies blocks; modal strands overlap plainsong; enriched choral with yet terrifying dissonance angelic. Mr. Ax commanded in the difficult piano part, which is full of leaping chords and agitated runs, extending on the keyboard.
After the performance Zarin Mehta, President of the Philharmonic Orchestra, took the stage to pay tribute to Mr. Ax, appointing honorary member of the Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1843, its second year, the Philharmonic has established a program to designate members of honour of the Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York (as the Orchestra is officially known), said Mr. Mehta. Among the 65 people to receive this honour were Mendelssohn, Liszt, Dvorak and Copland. There are only five winners of life: conductors Pierre Boulez, Lorin Maazel, and Zubin Mehta. the clarinetist Stanley Drucker. and coach Carlos Moseley. Mr. Ax has now joined this list. It seemed really surprised, and while normally talkative, it was too overcome to speak.
In some performances of repertory staples, Mr. Gilbert was a little cautious. Step in this fifth of Mahler. In the first movement, a funeral March, he takes a boldly sobre tempo, intensity with emphatic performance and heaving, high power creation. In the wild Scherzo, it transmitted rustic boisterousness of music while configuration effectively oddly pensive passages that periodically interrupt activity. He drew glowing string sound of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the sublime Adagietto and form and constant flow for the Rondo-Finale, with its long stretches of the garbled counterpoint.
Each Member of the public was given a Post-it note to leave a message for Mr. Ax. In the lobby after the concert, several bulletin boards were filled with words congratulations to him, ranging from "you rock!" specific memories of favourite shows. I bet that Mr. Ax will find a place in his New York apartment to keep all these encouraging notes.
This program is repeated Saturday evening at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center. (212) 721-6500, nyphil.org.
