The Los Angeles Philharmonic audience loves conductor Zubin Mehta. When he entered the stage at Walt Disney Concert Hall, many people in the audience stood to applaud. He then conducted two LA Phil favorites: Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony (No. 6) and Heroic Symphony (No. 3).
Up first, No. 6., Beethoven’s symphony about idealized and romanticized rural life. Seated, Mehta conducted with relaxed, easy, small movements, setting the mood for the midday performance on December 17. His interpretation of the first movement, “Awakening of cheerful feelings on arrival in the countryside,” was light, with no big dramatics that could even potentially threaten the feelings of perfect weather the piece evokes. Movement two, “Scene by the brook,” was rollingly luxurious and had a peaceful ending. Mehta kept a deliberate and restrained hold on the third movement, “Merry gathering of country folk,” even when the piece got loud. It was a little slower than I’m used to, but it never flagged. The orchestra finally let loose with “Thunder, Storm,” the fourth movement. Still, Mehta held back the fireworks. I suppose that in the perfect rural life, even thunderstorms aren’t so bad. I was expecting the final movement, “Shepherd’s song. Cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm,” to be in the same mellow vein, but Mehta instead kept it at a brisk pace and didn’t milk it for maximum drama.
The second half of the program was Beethoven’s third symphony, originally dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte. (By the way, skip Ridley Scott’s new movie. Even in 70mm, it’s a snoozer.) Mehta was much more animated in his conducting this time. The orchestra played the first movement with a punch not present in Pastoral, though Mehta didn’t let it get overwhelming. During the quiet passages, he hardly moved his hands at all. For the darker second movement, he ran the orchestra with a wide dynamic range, from full-ensemble pounding to quiet growling from the cellos. The same restraint from the first half returned in the third movement. While still spirited, Mehta tamped down the energy until unleashing exuberant bombast at its climax. Mehta deftly navigated the heaviness and lightness of the fourth movement.
Zubin Mehta conducts the LA Phil as if driving a supercar. It takes only a small press on the gas pedal to produce a lot of power. Other conductors entertain with wild theatrics. Mehta shows that it’s not necessary in order to have a fulfilling time at the Phil.