The young South Korean conductor Shi-Yeon Sung hadthe unenviable position of being the first guest conductor in this MSO season.In all other concerts before this, including regional touring, the musicianshave essentially been through a bracing orchestral boot camp led by new musicdirector Edo de Waart. The discipline and ensemble improvements in balance,blend and incisiveness of recent weeks were simply not there with Sung on thepodium.
The MSO certainly did not play badly for Sung, butit was the sound of an orchestra adrift. Symphony No. 11, which can have theimpact of great tragedy, became a bit of a listening challenge on Saturdayevening, with something off about its pace, shape and intensity. Theperformance felt a mismatch of conductor, symphony and orchestra.
There was even something not quite right about theconcert opener, Mozart's overture to TheMarriage of Figaro, conducted with gestures that were too big andheavy-handed, weighing the music down and inhibiting playful fleetness. I wasless aware of the conductor in Mozart's Concerto No. 27 (K. 595) for piano,with Jeremy Denk as soloist. He played with great energy, lovely tone,infallible evenness, and a strong sense of singing melody. Occasional softpassages were the most magical color I've heard from the Steinway acquired byMSO a year ago. Despite these admirable qualities I found some aspects of theperformance unsatisfying. Denk indulged in contrasts that seemed too extremefor this music. The tempo of the second movement was disturbingly unsettled attimes.
