Giants Visit Symphony Hall

One of the delights of many BSO concerts is the chance to experience performances by very well-known artists, seeing in person those who you have heard on records and radio broadcasts. This was the case last weekend, when the first half of the program featured Murray Perahia, one of America's greatest living pianists, performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. Beethoven changed the format of the concerto from the traditional showcasing of virtuostic flourishes by the soloist to a true partnership between piano and orchestra. The first movement begins with solo piano instead of the orchestral introduction, and a dialog then ensues. Fitting a work from history's greatest composer, it is hard to say whether the solo piano or orchestral potion is more beautiful, but both were admirably performed. After intermission, Bernard Haitink conducted the BSO in Mahler's Symphony No 1. Maestro Haitink was the renowned conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam for 27 years and has conducted major orchestras around the world. It is hard to listen to a classical music station without hearing works he conducts. Mahler is not one of our favorite composers. Too many of his works seem to include everything but the kitchen sink, without obvious rhyme or reason. The Symphony No. 1 fits this mold, variably soft and crashing. It includes a segment of Frere Jacques done in minor mode, and klezmer-like segments. Played by a lesser orchestra we would have been tempted to leave, but with the polished performance of the BSO and the magnificent acoustics of Symphony Hall, it was an almost enjoyable experience.