At a subscription concert by the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, I heard Stravinsky’s Renard. The previous time was in 91, in August, again at Suntory Hall, though in the small hall, and it was a Japanese-language performance by Ensemble Ad Hoc.
Maestro Rozhdestvensky conducted at a very slow tempo, giving Renard an entirely different character from the one I am used to hearing, and it was enjoyable. The two young men sitting beside me were also saying how interesting it was.
But the Maestro truly has a mischievous side. During the exit march at the end of the work, he left while dancing with the singers. After the performance, amid the applause, he crept up behind the female cimbalom player, 1, put his face first by her right shoulder and then her left as if to see whether she would notice, and finally gave her shoulder a quick pat to surprise her. He makes the concert feel warm and relaxed.
This concert was part of a Stravinsky cycle, with 3 works: Divertimento, Renard, and Pulcinella. I recommend all of them. It is a great shame that there are so few opportunities to hear them. I would very much like this program to be performed in other cities in Japan as well.
(Reference) Pulcinella, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen with the London Sinfonietta
Footnotes
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