another swanson, another (great) show

July 21, 2002 performance reviewed by Dave Conlin Read

Kurt Masur ended his tenure as music director of the New York Philharmonic conducting the orchestra in an all-Beethoven program, as Tanglewood became the site on successive Sundays for the swansongs of the music directors of America's two premier orchestras.

Maestro Masur will become music director of the Orchestre National de France, while the Boston Symphony's Ozawa moves on to the Vienna State Opera. Like Ozawa, Masur conducts without a baton, nor did he follow a score for this performance; otherwise their conducting styles contrast markedly.

Whereas one or another facet of the fluid Ozawa always seems to be in motion, Masur looks almost still for seconds upon seconds, leading this observer to conjecture that he is conveying directions to the orchestra with his very expressive eyes and face.

However different their styles may appear, they achieve the same level of excellence from their musicians, as well as resounding acclaim from their audiences.

For his finale with the orchestra that he has led since 1991, Masur chose the Emperor concerto (Piano concerto No. 5 in E-flat, Opus 73) with piano soloist Yefim Bronfman, and Sinfonia eroica (Symphony No. 3 in E-flat, Opus 55). Both peices were played brilliantly, eliciting rapturous applause from the audience; applause the orchestra joined in and deflected toward Masur until he pulled concertmaster Glenn Dicterow from his chair and led him offstage.

At the end of the Piano concerto, however, Yefim Bronfman rose to his feet instantly, in the manner of a New Yorker who'd left his car double-parked outside Lincoln Center! But his performance was stunning, a flawless duet with the orchestra.