Reunions and a debut marked this past month, with a few side trips along the way. And of course, we had an election. More about that in a moment.
Nearly two years had passed since my last visit to the Detroit Symphony. As its music director laureate, I have the honor of being regarded as the grand old man with a degree of experience that can make a difference. I picked up right where I left off with the musicians who knew me during the ten years that I led the ensemble. Rehearsals were efficient and filled with musical information that needed to be digested quickly because we only had two days to rehearse instead of three. Absorbing the material is challenging when the schedule is condensed, especially for younger musicians who are unfamiliar with the repertoire.
The program exemplified the themes of family connections and history that I have been presenting during this 80th birthday season. We opened with Daniel’s Voyager 130, marking the fourth set of performances of his new piece in two months. Before any of you scream nepotism, please note that I do not play works that are of anything less than the highest quality, and his piece hits that bar.
The concert continued with Olga Kern playing Rachmaninov’s infrequently programmed Fourth Piano Concerto. Despite our frequent collaborations, Olga and I had only performed this marvelous piece together once before. Coming after the Third Concerto but before the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Symphonic Dances, it shows off the composer’s harmonic and rhythmic prowess as he entered a new compositional phase. Naturally, Olga was right on top of every nuance.
Back in 2007, I think, I conducted the DSO in Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony. It turned out to be my audition piece; I was asked to be their next music director shortly thereafter. We did organize another set of concerts just to be sure—best not to get married after the first date.
I was delighted with the gusto and energy the DSO brought to this always-stimulating work. Kudos to Ralph Skiano, principal clarinetist, for bringing a wonderful sense of style and sarcasm to the solos in the second and last movements.
The encore encompassed more family ties with my father’s arrangement of Alfred Newman’s “Theme from the Song of Bernadette.” Considering Cindy’s role in transcribing the piece from my father’s recording, the violin and cello solos representing my parents, and my conducting, five musical members of the Slatkin family were represented in this program. Robyn Bollinger and Wei Yu were outstanding in their turns.
By November, some Detroiters had already bailed on the city to head for the warmer climes of Florida. But after the first of two concerts, several stopped by a reception for me in the donor lounge. It was lovely to see old friends and musicians, some not very old. I look forward to being with them again soon.
Next, we headed to Las Vegas, where I am the Philharmonic’s artistic consultant as they search for their next music director. My life has been filled with experiences in this mecca since the early 1950s, when my brother and I hung out by the pool at the Desert Inn and at Frank Sinatra’s home. Vegas is very special to me. The orchestra has had its ups and downs but is now positioned to become an important part of the ever-expanding entertainment scene.
Cindy and I arrived just in time for Election Day. I had thought about spending it in a sports bar, watching the odds fluctuate as matters progressed. But we were invited to lunch with Teller, he of the duo with Penn. It turns out he is a music buff and knows the repertoire quite well. Our conversation was not limited to the political matters at hand and included discussions about magic history as well as music pedagogy.
As the returns of the evening came in, I felt increasingly helpless and disconnected from what appears to be a majority of the country, albeit a slim one. Perhaps we just have to see what really transpires and how the population accepts radical change to understand who we are now. It is very much a time of transition, and whether we move forward or backward will depend on how adamant every side becomes.
Meanwhile, I can tell you that Teller’s house is a wonder of delights, filled with old posters, at least two thousand books, and surprises at every corner. A statue of a bear greeted us, and since it could speak, all its remarks were personalized. No, I never asked how any trick was done. Having seen the two of them since the late 1980s (I even had an opportunity to go onstage during an off-Broadway run), I certainly knew their intelligent and wry manner of presentation. Underneath it all, Teller is a warm and engaging person. I am more than happy to call him my friend.
The orchestra seems eager to embrace changes in how they perform as well as the repertoire they play. The Smith Center is a fine facility in which to achieve these goals. However, because it is a rental space that also presents Broadway shows and specials, scheduling concerts is a bit of a battle. A month can go by without any orchestra presentation. My investigation into the Vegas scene includes scoping out several venues that might serve as alternatives when the Smith is not available, thereby increasing the number of performances the orchestra might give.
Our program represented a mixture of styles, from the Candide Overture and An American in Paris to Hovhaness’s Symphony No. 2 (“Mysterious Mountain”) and Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins. Can anyone think of a more appropriate piece for Las Vegas than the Weill? Storm Large and the vocal quartet Hudson Shad were on hand and, as usual, gave a definitive presentation of the work. She is a force of nature and has the audience in the palm of her hand through the entire piece. We thought that it could be fun to do a tour and play in the seven cities mentioned in the work.
All in all, I have high hopes for this orchestra. With a burgeoning community and growing population, Las Vegas is one of the most exciting cities in the country right now. Capitalizing on this growth is paramount. There are many opportunities here, and it could be a destination for young musicians.
From Vegas we traveled to Washington, D.C. A somewhat somber mood prevailed in the city one week after the election. But at the Kennedy Center, I experienced a most joyful reunion with the NSO. As with so many orchestras that I know well, several new musicians fill the chairs. Nevertheless, they seem to be gelling well, and the ensemble is in good shape.
They certainly had to be in fine form for a demanding program that included the First Symphony by Sir William Walton. It had been several years since I last conducted the work, but it has not lost any of its power or Sibelian tone. The brass were crisp, the woodwinds clear, the strings vibrant, and the timpani prominent. The result was a set of performances that had freshness and poignancy.
We opened with Cindy’s Double Play. The NSO had commissioned her first and only symphony back in 2002, and we took that piece to Carnegie Hall. Once again, the orchestra showed off its strengths with very detailed work from the busy percussion section.
Emanuel Ax, my dear friend of many years, joined in the continuing birthday celebration with a refined reading of Mozart’s D-Minor Piano Concerto. We have done this work together several times, but this was the most intimate of all. The orchestra achieved some marvelous pianissimo dynamics to support the delicate solo playing.
The last performance of November was something special: a tribute to Peter Schickele given by the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis. I knew Peter since he was a visiting teacher at my high school in Los Angeles. We would go on to form a close association over the years. When I was music director in St. Louis, I commissioned A Zoo Called Earth, now heard on a regular basis at children’s concerts.
Schickele became best known in the guise of his alter ego, P. D. Q. Bach. Our concert included works from both Jekyll and Hyde. There were hijinks and shenanigans aplenty, with yours truly serving as host and conductor. No, I did not come swinging in on a rope, as Peter often did. But I did include a couple of the outlandish and hiss-inducing puns that he invented.
In honoring this fantastic musician and human being, I realized that his type of sophisticated humor has become more difficult for today’s audiences. Even some of the younger participating musicians did not catch several of the musical references Peter employed. Perhaps it is generational, but with less and less arts education available in our schools, we are reminded that history is indeed fleeting.
The final 31 days of this chaotic year will be somewhat calm, but not to worry—I will have plenty to write about.
See you next month,
Leonard