The appearance of Martha Argerich failed to pep Barenboim up. The Staatskapelle strings sounded silky and rounded in tone, with admirable clarity in the various solo lines, but at nearly 20 minutes (the composer himself took under 11), the pacing was glacial. For much of Pierre Boulez’ Livre pour cordes, his head was buried deep in the score. Conducting from a seat, his beat was minimal, his cueing deliberate. Frail, shuffling his way to the platform, Barenboim now looks a shadow of his former self.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |