Although I'm by no means a regular reader, and probably don't have sufficient experience to comment with authority (but who's concerned about authority on the internets? srsly), the gushing review linked above by the Trib seems consistent with the state famous for the "Utah jump."
Oh?! A world-renowned/classical soloist/virtuoso? Electrifying! Tear-jerking! Beyond the reach of the mortal imagination!!
Why do we do that? Don't get me wrong. I have respect for that world, for the artistry and craftsmanship that are a result of life-long, all-consuming dedication. And though I have the minimum of personal experience with this world, it's been enough to develop a certain amount of discernment..., the sort of discernment one expects from a classical music reviewer at a respectable newspaper.
If it were me, I certainly would have commented on the power-struggle over tempo that commenced in the introductory bars of the first movement. I have too much respect for the musicianship of both Fischer and Andre Watts to think that the discrepancy was anything but a power struggle. Watts pushed ahead while Fischer pulled back. The resulting divergence of more than a beat was, to my ears, Watts' doing and ultimately proved him the winner. It made me wonder about the previous evening's performance in Ogden, as well as about Watts' real opinion of this (relatively) small mountain town orchestra.
And speaking of divo behavior, I had to wonder about the real cause behind the re-ordering of the program. The Stravinsky Scherzo a la Russe was supposed to have been the program opener (fantastic opener--bravo Fischer), followed by Rachmaninoff, then intermission, and finally Beethoven. After all, Beethoven is the star of the season--the symphonies have consistently been programmed last. Or, maybe I should say, *Fischer's* Beethoven is the star of the season. Rightly so. The two are a brilliant match. At any rate, the program was re-ordered, without explanation, thusly: Beethoven first (no appetizers to precede our meat and potatoes), then intermission, and Stravinsky and Rachmaninoff for a distinctly Slavic, and Watts-centered, second half. Whose idea was that, really? Well, evidently not Fischer's, because we had in our program the order he would have preferred.
As to Watts' playing? Well. Tons to admire, naturally. I was struck by his tempos, and not just the power struggle of the first movement opening. Almost without exception, his solos took the tempo and energy of the preceding orchestral sections and ran with it. I often hear many of these solos in the Rach 2 as an opportunity for the soloist to change the energy, to give a dramatic breath before launching into a stretched out tempo, thus highlighting the pianist's autonomy. But not so in Watt's interpretation. He almost invariably took the tempo for his solos given by the orchestra, making for more seamless transitions and more of a sense of unity between piano and orchestra. It was original and breathlessly energetic, values to be sought in a work so universally known.
However, Newton's assertion of clarity in Watts Rachmaninoff? Eh.... I can't agree with that. I've heard much lesser pianists play Rach 2 with a great deal more clarity than did Watts last night. My sense was of a concerto that has long been in his repertoire, but that didn't quite receive enough practice time for it's revival this time around. Weakness seemed most obvious in the opening material of the third movement, which was a real muddle, and the overall lack of carrying power that struggled all night long to be heard over the Utah Symphony's full forces. The number of melodies whose sensitive diminuendo ended in a weak whisper, utterly overshadowed by Fischer's romantic strings, was what I would call amateurish. He played with the sensitivity of a great collaborative chamber musician, but lacked the athleticism required of concerto soloist.
The performance did inspire me to seek out recordings of Watts' Rachmaninoff to hear what he can really do. I'll let you know.
*I say "quasi" because, although I'm most certainly on my way to bona fide, family-destroying (JOKE!) feminism, I do have to temper both my anger and extremism in order to be acceptable for the BYU gig. If you can find it (you can't), I do have an anonymous blog where more heretical views are being exploded. I mean--explored. Yes.
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