It seems that we’re continuing our run, here at the Oregon Symphony, of last-minute replacements. Last season, we had two visits from conductor Michael Francis, who replaced Gunther Herbig and Alondra de la Parra last year when they were forced to withdraw from their engagements here. Ironically, our last-minute replacement for this weekend’s concert is pianist Natasha Paremski, who is replacing the ailing Yefim Bronfman in Brahms’ First Piano Concerto. Ironic, because she was the soloist for one of the concerts that Francis conducted last season, playing Prokofiev’s First Piano Concerto in her Oregon Symphony debut. Got that straight? Good, I knew you did.
Paremski is playing this massive and difficult Brahms concerto with a firm command of its fearsome cragginess. It’s not a piece that one associates with female pianists – though I’m sure that Argerich has played it, it’s not in her discography of commercially available recordings, so it is safe to say that it’s not part of her active repertoire – I’m not sure why this is. In the list of pianists who have made their names with Brahms concerto performances – Fleischer, Serkin (father and son), Bronfman, Ohlsson, Hough, Zimmerman, and Pollini come quickest to my recollection – there are no women present. Perhaps until now. Paremski is every bit the equal of this piece, and it is especially remarkable given her accepting the engagement on less than 48 hours notice. I’ve enjoyed her rehearsal performances immensely, and the performances should be quite electrifying.
I know that I write about the effects of guest conductors on the orchestra pretty often, but I find myself mystified and curious about the chemistry of conductors and orchestras each and every time we work with someone new or known to us. This week we are working with Rossen Milanov, a Bulgarian conductor who studied in America (Juilliard & Curtis) and is Music Director of the Princeton Symphony, Associate conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Artistic Director of the of the Philadelphia Orchestra during its summer season at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts.
Milanov is a genial presence on the podium. Soft-spoken, poetic in his descriptions of the way he would like the music to be played. He has what some in the trade might call “beautiful hands” – he is not a micro-manager, but a source of the long lines and shapes of phrases. He manages not to talk too much, which is often the least one can hope for in a guest conductor.
The most obvious effect of a “beautiful hands” conductor is an initial (hopefully) ensemble adjustment. We’re used to the laser-like precision of Carlos’ beat, and when left to swim, we often make the waters a bit choppy at first. A good guest will let us find our sea legs and be patient with the process. If they try to be too interventionist, it can make for an unsettled relationship. In this case, Milanov took the former tack, and our ensemble has steadily improved over the last couple days of rehearsals. The strings sound warm and relaxed, with a bit more flexibility than usual.
The concerts (Saturday and Monday nights) should go well – stay tuned.
