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Reviews
The Westsider, New York City
August 3-9, 1995
Gisèle Ben-Dor Earns Accolades as a Conductor Totally
in Charge
Bill Zakariasen
Last week an abbreviated Mostly Mozart festival and
the 31st season of free summer concerts by the New York
Philharmonic in the city's parks opened on the same
night. This reporter opted for the Philharmonic, not
only because Mostly Mozart on this occasion was mostly
familiar (including today's most overexposed pianist,
Alicia de Larrocha), but also because America's oldest
orchestra was being conducted for the first scheduled
time by Gisèle Ben-Dor, a young lady who created quite
a stir two years ago when she made an unscheduled and
unrehearsed debut as a last-minute replacement for the
ailing Kurt Masur.
Ben-Dor's formidable curriculum vitae was included
in Joan Lindstrom's extensive article on her which appeared
in the July 20 issue, and I urge you to read it. At
any rate, she more than lived up to her credentials
as well as the hoopla preceding her. Like Masur I was
under the weather for her debut so her July 25 concert
was a first for me, and a mightily impressive first
at that.
The Philharmonic program, on paper, could have been
dismissed as a typical summer pops concert, and indeed
the music was basically Muzak for the out-of-doors set.
But Ben-Dor obviously didn't hear this program like
that. Everything she did made the pieces sound as fresh
and exciting as when we first encountered them. Right
from the opening ebullient measures of the three dances
from "On the Town" by her onetime mentor Leonard
Bernstein, we recognized a musician totally in charge
of every page and every player.
Ben-Dor exudes charismatic authority that can only
come from total preparedness and a deeply abiding love
for each score. At the risk of seeming chauvinistic,
I must note that unlike most female conductors, whose
arms too often beat up and down the same way, her hands
work independently of each other, dividing beat, expression
and cues evenly. She therefore leaves absolutely no
doubt as to what she wants, and what she wanted from
the orchestra is what she got.
Suffice it to say I've never heard a more winning performance
of Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony - pulsating
yet full of resilient grace and flexibility. Too bad
Ben-Dor didn't elect to play the entire "Three
Cornered Hat" ballet of Manuel De Falla, since
the second suite of three dances performed was of true
12-year-old Fundador vintage. Not even Fernando Arbos'
legendary recording had more appeal.
A Quibble of Choice
One could quibble over Ben-Dor's choice of what to
play as the concluding Suite from Richard Strauss' "Der
Rosenkavalier." Supposedly the one heard July 25
had the imprimatur of the composer, but so far no one
has owned up to concocting this clumsy, disjointed potpourri.
Why the much better suite arranged by Antal Dorati (which
most definitely met with Strauss' approval) is hardly
ever played is truly baffling. Be that as it may, Ben-Dor,
through her perfect control of rubato, instrumental
balance and color, made such a gorgeous silk purse out
of this sow's ear, it became manifest that she should
conduct the entire opera as soon as possible.
As is customary at these summer events, various city
dignitaries were on hand to make welcoming speeches
and, in the case of Mayor Giuliani, stay for at least
half the concert. The usual Grucci fireworks went off
at the conclusion, but they weren't any more impressive
than the fireworks that exuded from the Carlos Moseley
Pavilion Stage that night.
See what the critics in the US are saying:
International Reviews:
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