There was an embarrassment of riches at Plateau
Hall last night for the final program of the regular subscription series of the
Montreal Symphony. Not only did Zubin Mehta conduct a wondrous performance of
Wagner excerpts, but there was also [...] the premiere of a piano concerto by the
Toronto composer, Oskar Morawetz.
[...]
Like most of Oskar Morawetz's compositions, this
one is firmly anchored in the tonal conventions of the preserial age, in spite
of its harmonic freedom. He also believes in the efficacy of the established
musical forms, and there are many things in his concerto which link it with the
concerti of the past, including the sonata form of the first movement.
Of the three movements of the work, I felt the Adagio and
particularly the final Allegro vivace were most successful. His part writing for
the orchestra is scholarly without being stuffy, and there is imagination and
purpose in his treatment of the material. The skill with which he handled
instrumental colours was impressive, but not really surprising since it has
always been a striking feature of his music.
[...]
When Anton Kuerti made his Montreal debut five
years ago [...], it was already obvious that this was one of the more important
talents among the younger generation of American pianists.
His gifts are now
beginning to receive wider attention, due to such expert and vital performances
as the one he gave last night with the careful and sympathetic collaboration of
Zubin Mehta. Oskar Morawetz could hardly have hoped for a better presentation of
his work.
[...]
