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Olli Mustonen abuses Beethoven and Mozart
at The Queens Hall, Edinburgh
James Irvine
Filed 25 Jan 07
©www.land-care.org.uk
In the billing for The Queens Hall concert 24th January 08 (www.sco.org.uk), Olli Mustonen was described as a
"controversial maverick".
That is is true. He is.
But the billing goes on to say
"But none can question the seriousness, integrity or sheer musicality of his interpretations".
Oh yes they can.
It was Olli Mustonen's evening at the Queens Hall, Edinburgh on 24th January, in a programme that included Beethoven's third piano concerto (for which he was both pianist and director) and Mozart's symphony no.39 (for which he was the conductor). The orchestra was the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO).
While there is no doubting Mustonen's virtuosity as a pianist, the musicality was just not there. Indeed, it was painful to listen to the lack of it. Where were the delightful nuances characteristic of these two giants of composers? It was noise Mustonen liked, and too much of it. He was a showman, gesticulating with his arms waving in a most distracting manner, like a windmill. No care seemed to be spent on the detail, or the delightful subtle changes of mood and expression. This was just a romp in the park.
Little thought seemed to have been paid to the modest size of the hall in which the concert was being held. Acoustically it is a delightful hall, very suitable for a chamber orchestra. But not if the orchestra is asked to play at full tilt. When that happens the performance becomes a sort of pop event and a pain to listen to.
It was a rather sad reflection on Edinburgh's taste in classical music that apparently much of the audience liked it. They whistled and banged their feet in appreciation, as I dare say they would at a loud pop gig, where loud noise and showmanship are generally the order of the day. Fine, if that is what you like, but please do not call it serious musicality dispensed with integrity in relation to the interpretation of these classical masterpieces.
But I should have paid attention to an earlier experience which I had suffered, thanks to Olli Mustonen. BBC Radio3/Breakfast recently played all 48 of Bach's preludes and fugues. Olli Mustonen played no 4 from Book One. It was such an assault on Bach, especially the fugue, that I should have known better than to subject myself to another dose of musical vandalism at The Queens Hall on the 25th January 08. But I suffered to the end. I did not leave in disgust at the interval or put in earplugs, as some did.
If you really want to listen to how Beethoven's third piano concerto, or indeed all five of them, can be played to vastly better effect, then get a hold of the CD of Alfred Brendel in complete empathy with Simon Rattle conducting the Vienna Philarmonic Orchestra, or of Pierre-Laurent Aimard with Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. The contrast with Mustonen is like going from the sublime to the ridiculous.
The SCO is of course capable of doing much better. This was shown when they recently played, in the same hall, Mendelssohn's Hebridean Overture and Beethoven's 7th Symphony under the "baton" of Andrew Manze. Their ability to play Mozart, with the mandatory clarity and subtlety, will hopefully be demonstrated on Thursday 28th February at The Queens Hall, when their conductor laureate, Sir Charles Mackerras is maestro.
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