Chicago Symphony Orchestra
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One of the great underdiscussed, underacknowledged factors in music performance is repertoire fatigue–the weariness and boredom engendered by doing the same work over and over. Keeping something fresh is a big enough problem for singers during relatively short runs at the opera, where a dozen performances are considered a lot and choristers in Carmen are ready to kick their wigs into the Chicago River by the halfway mark. It’s even worse for performers in long-running shows such as Phantom of the Opera and Show Boat, particularly Phantom, in which every move is choreographed and innovation of any sort is strictly forbidden. (And for those of us who wake up in the middle of the night with the music we’re currently rehearsing or performing pounding through our brains, the thought of years of Andrew Lloyd Webber tunes inhabiting our synapses is almost too much to bear.)
Sure, Hello, Dolly! has paid the bills for Carol Channing for time beyond record, but aren’t there days when she can’t stand the thought of gluing on those eyelashes one more time? Those who can bring the same zest and energy to the thousandth performance that they brought to the first are rare birds.
One of the recurring complaints about Barenboim’s conducting is his inconsistency (he considers it spontaneity) and the uncertainties with which he presents his musicians. But sometimes the spontaneous approach works spectacularly well, and this was one of those occasions. It can only work when everyone–conductor, soloist, players–is in complete sympathy, like a fine chamber group. Ma’s virtuosity, flare, and understanding brought out the very best in Barenboim, who obviously has a deep understanding of and love for both works (his deceased wife, Jacqueline du Pre, was one of the world’s finest cellists in her time, and her recording of the Elgar is still the standard). In their hands these familiar pieces became new territory. With Ma, Barenboim, and the CSO linked so magnificently, the evening became a gala performance purely on the strength of the playing and interpretations offered up. It was proof of the possibilities of sudden magic that make attending live performances essential.
