Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall

 
Esa-Pekka Salonen received a whistling, whooping, foot-stamping ovation when he walked onstage at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Friday night. So what else is new?

His hair is now short, but little else has changed since his last appearance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic a year and a half ago, when he was extravagantly cheered for his 17 seasons as music director, which had come to an end.

Holding a microphone, he told the Friday audience that he had looked forward to seeing his friends in the orchestra and once more playing in the hall, but that he didn’t expect the experience to feel quite so comfortable, like wearing old slippers. “And not just any old slippers,” he elaborated, “but sushi-grade slippers.”

Then he picked up precisely where he had left off. That program in April 2009 contained moving performances of Stravinsky's  opera/oratorio “Oedipus Rex” and “Symphony of Psalms,” both of which have Latin texts. This time Salonen, now conductor laureate, began with the U.S. premiere of Magnus Lindberg’s “Graffiti,” which once again featured the Los Angeles Master Chorale and used Latin texts. Bartók’s disturbing opera, “Bluebeard’s Castle,” followed in the second half.

In the program notes, Lindberg mentioned “Oedipus” and “Symphony of Psalms” as inspiration, but he went in a more contemporary direction. Instead of selecting a dead language as a distancing device as Stravinsky had, the Finnish composer chose graffiti from ancient Pompeii that wouldn’t be out of place scribbled on the walls of a grubby Grand Central Station men’s room, as Salonen put it in introducing the work to the Disney audience. “Nothing has changed,” he said. “We have a human need to broadcast our existence.”

“Graffiti,” which was written last year, is big, lasting 34 minutes and utilizing a large orchestra and chamber chorus. The texts, which were translated into colloquial English on the projected titles, startle. Some are of the “Gilroy is here” variety. Some are mean (“You are dead; you are nothing”). Some are snotty. Some are sexual boasts in language still not suitable for U.S. newspapers.

Lindberg this time is a little less daring with his musical language than with his English translations. “Graffiti” is immediately accessible. Vivid instrumental colors bring back the equivalent visual wonders that were in the “Pompeii” show at LACMA last year.

Hints of “Carmina Burana” are perhaps inevitable when vulgar Latin is chanted. Lindberg gets away with treating profane passages to delightfully light and charming music. And the composer even added a touch of Hollywood. The orchestration list doesn't include organ. But near the end, Joanne Pearce Martin moved from piano to organ console  and a let a low one rip. This was a Disney special the composer added for this performance. You’ve got to love Lindberg for that.

The playing was joyfully intricate, with instrumental textures so immediate they could almost be touched. Lindberg’s music is second nature to Salonen, and the L.A. Philharmonic hasn’t forgotten its way around this sometimes flamboyant Finn either.

“Graffiti” ends with a touching line, “Lantern-man, hold the ladder,” set to touching music that sounds almost like a remembrance from the opening music of “Bluebeard’s Castle.” And Bartók’s opera begins with a spoken prologue asking where shall an old tune be hid and what does it mean.

This is a mysterious story for two singers (and optional actor to recite the prologue) set to appropriately but magnificently mysterious music. Bluebeard leads Judith, wife No. 4, into his grand, gloomy castle. He is cold and severe. She is timorous but easily titillated.

“Don’t hurt me,” she pleads as she begs him to hurt her, to open seven locked doors. Each leads to a place of pain, beginning with a torture chamber. The last door reveals the room where Bluebeard’s past wives reside in suspended animation. Judith is ushered in to complete the collection.

Salonen invited two of his favorite singers, Anne Sofie von Otter and Willard White, as dramatically compelling soloists. In an unusually revisionist interpretation, the Swedish mezzo-soprano remained the implacable one this time, sleuth and accuser (if more Ingmar Bergman than Stieg Larsson). It was the imposing Jamaican bass-baritone who gradually lost his ferocious defenses.

The great glory of “Bluebeard,” though, is Bartók’s overpowering instrumental score. So descriptive is the orchestra of the blood-drenched castle's alluring horrors that the opera hardly requires staging. Brian Gale added some helpful and exciting lighting effects. Unfortunately, the actress CCH Pounder didn’t choose stateliness as the manner in which to read the prologue.

But the performance was mainly a Salonen special. He added the suavity and the radiance.

For Salonen, this “Bluebeard” begins a year of big Bartók projects including "Bluebeard" with the New York Philharmonic and, in London, the Philharmonia. I wish him luck in achieving the same refinement of sentiment and sound, the same sense of awe and inscrutability in other places that he gets with his old band in the hall he built and in which he retains an indispensable time share.

-- Mark Swed

Los Angeles Philharmonic with Esa-Pekka Salonen; Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.; 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; $44-$167; (323) 850-2000 or www.laphil.com.

Photo: Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the U.S. premiere of Magnus Lindberg's "Grafitti." Credit: Anne Cusack /Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Lou]

It was a nice concert, & I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but Mark Swed's relentless, too predictable, orgiastic, gushing over Mr. Salonen has been tiresome for several yrs. now. Honestly, I think Mr. Salonen could walk on stage & do absolutely nothing for 2 hrs, & Mr. Swed would be brought to the heights of rapture! I have a strong suspicion that Mr. Swed is in love with Mr. Salonen about which I, personally, couldn't care less, but since it so obviously interfers with the former's ability to objectively report on the latter, the ethical thing to do would be for Mr. Swed to recuse himself, &, if he won't do this, then the "Times" should do it for him. I do not harbor any expectations of this ever happening. And, while I'm @ it, does Mr. Salonen really need to give 1 of his little "talks" @ EVERY concert? I've never heard anyone so in love with the sound of their own voice. I believe Ricardo Muti recently said something to the effect that conductors should keep their mouths shut in public except when absolutely necessary. When I read that, I couldn't help but think of Mr. Salonen.

[Aaron]

It's not just E-P that Mark Swede is positively (and predictably, as pointed out by fellow commentator Lou) rapturous about at every turn... it's pretty much all things LA "Phoaming-at-the-mouth-exciting" Phil.

I love LA. I love music. I love LA Phil. I love E-P. And I've quite enjoyed most of what we've had thus far with Gustavo D.

Mark Swed & Deborah Borda's breathless hyperbole? Not so much.

[markiejoe]

Hey Lou, you might want to follow your own advice and STFU in public.

[John]

It seems that 'Grafitti' got a good reception in L.A. and was well played by the L.A.Phiharmonic as it was in Glasgow, Scotland, by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Stephane Deneve on Saturday evening.
One difference to note is that the piano player in the orchestra stayed at the piano and did not move to the organ keyboard!

Interestingly, the Latin text was translated for the printed programme notes by Matthew Fox, Professor of Classics at Glasgow University. Nobody in the audience I spoke to after the performance semmed to be offended!!

[Lou]

Mr. Swed has always been this way. He's been with the "Times" since 1996, &, in all those yrs, he's never veered from his rah-rah script. Interestingly, the critic he replaced was Martin Bernheimer; THE Martin Bernheimer. His reviews of classical music were (& are) brilliant! Unfortunately, he was just as baised in regards to Mr. Salonen as Mr. Swed, only in the opposite direction. He would routinely savage all of Mr. Salonen's performances. Admittedly, back in those early days, some of Mr. Salonen's concerts were less than top drawer & deserved a bad review, but not every single one of them & not with the viciousness demonstrated by Mr. Bernheimer. That sort of bais is just as bad as Mr. Swed's. In 1996, Mr. Bernheimer either quit or was fired; I was never sure which, although, his wife lived & worked in NYC, & he SAID he was leaving to be closer to her. I've always wondered if he was fired @ the urging of the LA Phil. I've also always wondered if Mr. Swed was the Phil's choice for Mr. Bernheimer's replacement.

[the fifth wife]

I understand that a concert performance does make some things more difficult when producing a work that was originally intended for the stage, however, LA Phil's made a couple decisions that seemed to hinder rather than forward the plot. Yes, it is fantastic music, but the relationship of the music to the action is rather important. Having the singers separated by the conductor seemed to be the oddest of choice as this blocked any interaction in a work that is about the interaction of these two characters. The lighting designer also did not follow the color instructions included in the score. I am not sure why so many believe that they can ignore Bartok's instructions. It also struck me as odd that the Phil did not have the other three wives come out during the last door. Since both singers sing about how alive and radiant the other wives are (this is the moment where we see Bluebeard's tender side), this appearance by the former wives highlights a crucial departure from the original story. One that switched the blood, pain and sadness of castle on to Bluebeard instead of portraying the wives as victims.

[a FoMB]

No, Lou, you are very wrong about Martin Bernheimer's reviews of Salonen's performances. This is what he himself wrote to me about it today:
"It is absolutely untrue that I always panned Salonen's concerts. I much admired his work in thorny, new or newish pieces, but often found him a bit cool and detached -- though technically fine -- in the core romantic and classical repertory. I spent several weeks with him in Salzburg covering preparations for Messiaen's "St. François dAssise," and found that a stimulating experience. Our relationship was, on the surface at least, cordial."
That is exactly as i personally remember it - Martin was quite complimentary to Esa-Pekka at least as often as he was moderately critical. Of course, he was (and remains) always much more eloquent and far more competent than our present "critic".

[Lou]

FoMB: With all due respect to yourself & Mr. Bernheimer, I remember the latter's reviews in regards to Mr. Salonen differently, but, then, I'm sure I didn't read everyone of his columns, & this was all a very long time ago. The salient pt. here is that the "Times" traded Martin Bernheimer (whom we both agree is erudite & eloquent) for Mark Swed. That's like trading a Ferrari for a Ford!!

[Charles]

I am absolutely overwhelmed with curiosity as to what Mr. Swed is alluding to, with this part of his commentary - "Unfortunately, the actress CCH Pounder didn’t choose stateliness as the manner in which to read the prologue."

What did she choose?

[a FoMB]

That's right, Lou, your recall of MB's reviews was incorrect and/or incomplete, but your concluding point is, unfortunately, absolutely accurate.

[Lou]

@ FoMB: In my comment, I did say "with all due respect." Unfortunately, you did not see fit to afford me the same courtesy. My memory is not faulty. It's just from a different perspective than your's. I, personally, think name-dropping is vulgar, so, I'll just say that way back when I had certain friends who were the objects of some Mr. Bernheimer's reviews. THEY told me they thought he could be unduely harsh & "upsetting." There's no reason to insult someone just because they have a different opinion from your's. As I said, you've heard one side: Mr. Bernheimer's. I heard the other. Let's just agree to disagree & leave it @ that.

[a FoMB]

To Lou, respectfully of course:
Unlike you who by your own admission "didn't read everyone of his columns", I did read Martin's every published word over the last three decades, except for a brief period after he left LA. That is why I have total confidence in MB's integrity and am therefore completely satisfied that what he said about his reviews of Esa-Pekka's performances is the full truth and nothing but. By the way, I never said that he could not be sometimes harsh and probably upsetting to those being criticized. But his standards were always high and that is one of the reasons I value him very highly indeed.

[Lou]

FoMB: Pardon me for having the temerity to have a different opinion than your's. Apparently, you're one of those people who tolerates no disagreement, so, there's really no pt. continuing this discussion. It's all gotten WAY too silly! We're not talking about brain surgery, here; just a difference of opinion about a particular music critic. By the way, I did say I agreed with you about Mr. Bernheimer's abilities. I just don't always agree with some of his reviews. That's merely my personal taste, but you don't seem to be able to tolerate anyone else's taste but your own. Again, forgive me for having a different opinion than your's. You're perfectly welcome to come back @ me with another snarky, insulting comment, but I will no longer be participating. For some strange reason, I don't enjoy having insults rained on my head for having the "gaul" to express an opinion. (By the way, I feel the same way about ALL critics. I don't take everything one particular critic says as gospel. Sometimes, I agree. Sometimes, I don't. There are instances where I've even agreed with Mark Swed!) Again, I'm gone from here. People like you give me the creeps. (And, I DID try to be nice....)

[a FoMB]

To Lou, respectfully as always:
Because of your sudden outburst, I reread all of my previous comments here, just to be sure, and fortunately, to my relief, could not find a single "insulting" word directed at you in any of them. My only disagreement was with your recollection of MB's reviews of Salonen and, after checking with the man himself, I had pointed out that your statements about it were in fact erroneous. That is not an opinion, but just a simple fact and nothing but. Anyone can make a mistake which is precisely why I asked Martin himself to refresh my memory about it and since his response was exactly as I expected, this case is therefore closed. Just to remind everyone, you wrote here last Monday that Mr. Bernheimer "would routinely savage all of Mr. Salonen's performances" with "viciousness". These are strong words and in this case an egregious disinformation. One of the major features of Martin's writing is that it is always very clear: there is never any doubt about whether he liked the performance or not. So, when he is heavily critical of something, readers know it. When Martin was consistently negative about Zubin Mehta's conducting during the latter's tenure as the music director of the LA Phil, no one could claim that the former wasn't.
All of this has nothing to do with opinions: I never said that I always agreed with Martin's and I certainly do not expect anyone to always agree with mine. But facts are important and I dislike misinforming people.
And by the way, most important - please have a very happy Thanksgiving!