Guest Soloist – pianist Jean Louis Steuerman
The Monterey Symphony assigned the theme “Revolution” to its set of concerts for this current weekend. Its official press release stated:
“Revolution takes many forms. Though a “modern” composer, Rodrigo had nostalgia for courtly music of days long past, which pervades “Three Old Dance Airs” (1928/29), a perfect introduction to two works by early-Romantic masters on the cusp of revolution. Jean Louis Steuerman performs Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2, a display of technical and compositional bravado, which showcases Beethoven’s own pianistic talents. Schubert’s Symphony No. 3, steeped in the past of Haydn and Mozart, chips away at Classical convention and hints at the Romanticism to come.”
The use of themes to promote classical music events is fairly new but has become almost totally pervasive during the past decade. The use of image-enhancing themes in merchandising, however, has a long history, especially in the auto industry going back to Rolls-Royce’s promotion of the “Silver Ghost” in 1907 and during the post World War II era when General Motors attached fanciful names like “Malibu,” and “Monte Carlo” to the venerable “Chevy.” Who amongst us has not had the experience of waiting for a traffic light to change and been hemmed in on all sides by huge SUVs sporting names like “Tundra, Denali, Sequoia” or “Grand Cherokee?”
Have you shopped for a mattress recently? Although you may be looking for indications of soft, medium or firm, you will find that the merchandising slant is more toward colorful names like “Crestwood,” Bryanna, Glover Park or Cloveridge.” Perhaps we should thank Madison Avenue for summing it all up for us in its catchword slogan: “Sell the sizzle, not the steak.”
The Monterey Symphony must have hoped that the theme, “Revolution,” would have an appealing “sizzle” and fit in well with the themes chosen for other concerts in its 2012-2013 season. The real question is, did the steak measure up to its sizzle? In fact, it did not. The three works chosen for this concert were pleasant, but not exciting, interesting or revolutionary. The plain truth is that had these three works never been written, their absence would not have diminished the reputation of Rodrigo, Beethoven or Schubert.
Conductor Max Bragado-Darman put the orchestra through its paces and managed to create some charm and excitement in the third of Rodrigo’s “Three Old Dance Airs” and there were moments in Schubert’s Symphony No. 3 that maintained our interest. However, the Beethoven Concerto No.2 was disappointing, with soloist Jean Louis Steuerman not at his best in a performance marked by lapses of focus and concentration. At the end of the concerto two members of the audience immediately jumped to their feet to encourage a standing ovation. No one else joined them.
End