CSO w/Slatkin and Zuckerman

Submitted by RFlessner on Sun, 06/29/2008 - 11:49pm.

I attended the June 5 CSO concert with Leonard Slatkin conducting and Pinchas Zuckerman playing viola in "Trauermusik" by Hindemith and "Harold in Italy" by Berlioz.

Before I lodge my criticisms, I'll point out that for both technical facility and musicianship, Pinchas Zuckerman is at the top level. I own several of recordings, and I consider all to be outstanding.

Oddly, in the concert, notes played on the two highest strings of his viola sounded scratchy. Perhaps he was having problems with his instrument.

The piece by Jefferson Friedman was interesting, but some of the detail was lost in the opaque acoustics of Orchestra Hall.

The Germanic sound of the CSO isn't ideal for Berlioz, and although I have heard some fine work from Slatkin in other concerts, "Harold" would have benefited from a more idiomatic sonority. I suspect that the bulk of rehearsal time was devoted to the Friedman, and that's completely understandable.

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