The New York Philharmonic season has begun, at least for us, again.
We went in to NYC for our first concert last night and it was truly spectacular.
The program started with Ravel’s "L’Enfant et les Sortileges" which was beautifully magical. What a stunning performance. All the performances were . Susanne Mentzer was wonderful as the boy, Patrizia Ciofi was spectacular, but all the performances were very very good. And the piece was both restrained and magical without the kind of cutsey Disney-like niceness that seems to plague things written and performed for children today. The performance was restrained and yet lush, with a very French feel. It was both cruel and kind, terrifying the way I remember children’s stories being in my youth, and yet with peace and resoltion in the end. Absolutely lovely.
The second half of the program was filled by Saint-Saen’s Symphony # 3, the Organ Symphony, which was splendid also, a really spectacular performance. G was thrilled by how long the organist drew out that final chord…he kept remarking. He is something of an organ lover my G, not that I object, but I do not get quite the same thrill.
We came home on a cloud. A splendid evening!