KURT MASUR b. July 18, 1927

KURT MASUR

b. July 18, 1927

KURT MASUR TAKES A BOW

Carnegie Hall, November 28, 2006

Maestro Masur Conducting the London Philharmonic

A review of those November 2006 concerts can be found here.

Bernard Holland, the reviewer, records "waves of friendship"

greeting Kurt Masur, "a genuine warmth like nothing he

experienced during his years in New York as the music director

of the New York Philharmonic. In those eleven years, he notes,

the conductor "was received as something of a drill sergeant in

charge of a wayward platoon, a kind of bitter medicine designed

to urge the orchestra of its loose ways."

A similar theme is highlighted in Anthony Tommasini's review of

Masur's May 12, 2010, return to guest conduct the New York

Philharmonic, here. Tommasini observes that the maestro "seemed

deeply gratified by the warm applause and bravos he received

when he appeared onstage at Avery Fisher Hall...." He too mentions difficulties in Masur's earlier tenure in New York, but then comes to the point: "The program of Beethoven’s exuberant First Symphony and Bruckner’s challenging Seventh Symphony, the only one he [Masur] will present this season was ideally suited to his musical strengths. Standing upright and looking in his element, he conducted both works from memory, a master musician among respectful colleagues who responded with lively, richly characterized Beethoven and glowing, serenely beautiful Bruckner."

Live long enough, and have the good fortune to be allowed to play to your strengths --

Kurt Masur's own website is here.