Alan Gilbert: Terrific For NY Philharmonic?
There’s a sizable contingent that thinks the Gilbert’s interpretations of the standard rep are dull. Anthony Tommasini counters that Gilbert is a hard worker, innovative programmer and dedicated public face of the orchestra – and that anyone who can sell out programs of Ligeti and Stockhausen in the U.S. must be a kind of genius. I’m sure all that is true. So why do I rarely hear any of my culture-vulture friends talk about that terrific NY Phil concert they’ve just been to? As for the orchestra’s Central Park concert this past week, featured soloist Mariah Carey sang exactly four songs. Leonard Bernstein wouldn’t have allowed a diva to be so lazy.
