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Originally Posted by rowuk  Håkan has been on both sides of the fence for me. His baroque readings proclaim the brilliance of Hardenberger, and this piece has so much going on that there is no time to think about the soloist. |
This is interesting. It seems for me that it takes a great soloist to really make these pieces sparkle and one can't help but be awed by both the piece and the performer(s). I was thinking about this last night while I was watching the DVD of Saariaho's opera
L'Amour de loin (which is something everyone should experience). It is brilliant and intricate music but would mean nothing if not for the (equally?) brilliant performances of Gerald Finley, Dawn Upshaw, E-P S & Co. . .
It seems that with the music of Saariaho especially it takes everyone in the orchestra, everyone in the chorus, the conductor, and every soloist really "getting" the music for it to work. Likewise with the Turnage. Maybe the piece is the star (I for one think it's a wonderful work), but would it matter if Hakan, Salonen, and the orchestra weren't stars themselves?
-Matthew