Pairing Wolfgangs From Two Eras
By VIVIEN SCHWEITZERNOV. 19, November 2010 NEW YORK TIMES
Many prominent musicians dutifully commission the occasional new piece, but the German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter genuinely seems to relish the challenge. She has commissioned and championed works from composers including Krzysztof Penderecki, Sofia Gubaidulina and André Previn.
Contemporary music forms an important part of her stint this season as artist in residence at the New York Philharmonic, where she offers works by Sebastian Currier, Ms. Gubaidulina and Wolfgang Rihm. On Thursday evening at Avery Fisher Hall she performed the premiere of Mr. Rihm’s “Lichtes Spiel: Ein Sommerstück” (“Light Game: A Summer Piece”), ably conducted by Michael Francis in his Philharmonic debut.
Mr. Rihm is a prolific composer who has written more than 400 works in many genres that reflect diverse stylistic influences. His early avant-garde ethos morphed into the more expressive style heard in the one-movement “Lichtes Spiel,” which he wrote using an orchestra of Mozartean proportions after Ms. Mutter told him that it would be performed in a program with three Mozart violin concertos.
The New York Philharmonic was led by the violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter at Avery Fisher Hall
Mr. Rihm achieved his goal of writing “something light but not lightweight” with this appealing work. Its transparent textures are detailed and finely wrought, played primarily in soft dynamic registers.
The piece certainly suits Ms. Mutter, who played the elegiac solo line that rises from the haunting opening orchestral part searchingly, her languid trills echoed by the orchestra. Her soaring melodies were woven through sections of vividly contrasting character, with grating dissonance melting into more lyrical moments. A jaunty middle section, in which soloist and orchestra briefly played cat and mouse, was followed by an introspective interlude. The work faded away on a contemplative note, with a three-note motif whispered in the violin’s highest register.
Ms. Mutter, looking typically glamorous in one of her trademark strapless gowns, was soloist and leader in three violin concertos Mozart wrote as a teenager. She says she has no interest in pursuing a conducting career, as many prominent (usually male) instrumentalists do, but she seemed to enjoy her role directing here.
Ms. Mutter has also remarked on her fondness for fast tempos, a preference that was certainly in evidence on Thursday, particularly in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 (“Turkish”), which concluded the program. She kept the orchestra on its toes in her crackling interpretation, notable for her ever impressive virtuosity and powerful, sometimes steely-edged tone.
Here and in Mozart’s Concertos Nos. 1 and 3 earlier in the program, Ms. Mutter played with energy and poise, the orchestra following her fleet-fingered lead. The cadenzas were potent vehicles for her intensity and expressive gifts.
Estrenada el 17 de Noviembre de 2010.
Rihm nació el 13 de marzo de 1952.
