Shanghai Symphony Orchestra vs. NY Philharmonic

The NY Philharmonic beat the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra tonight, 3-2, in historic Central Park. The local hometown favorites are thus undefeated going into tomorrow's concert.

It was a perfect evening under clouds and stars, with birdsong accompaniment for Wagner's overture to Tannhäuser ... and the NY Philharmonic snapping their fingers in all the right places for the West Side Story symphonic dances.

Here's the lineup.

For the SSO:

• Wagner's overture to Tannhäuser
• Rossini's largo al factotum della città from The Barber of Seville (feat. Changyong Liao, bar.)
• Gounod's "je veux vivre" from Romeo and Juliet (feat. Ying Huang, sop.)
• Mozart's "la ci darem la mano" from Don Giovanni
• Guang Zhao's Ode to the Expo
• Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (feat. Lang Lang, but no red Steinway this time)

For the NY Phil:

• Tchaikovsky's Polonaise from Eugene Onegin
• Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
• Ravel's Boléro

It was a fun time. Despite bouts of rain throughout the day, some folks got there super-early and reserved a spot for the rest of us. I arrived around 6:30 and quickly found Patricia, Jon and the gang. Although I'd brought a blanket to sit on, I hadn't really believed the show would go on ... so I didn't bring any food! Luckily Patricia brought food for a small army (thanks, Patricia!).

The visitors played first. They were good - esp. the baritone in the Rossini piece - although the "Ode to the Expo" didn't do much for me. And the supposed audience choice for the SSO's encore was a bit fishy; I wasn't buying that everyone had texted in a vote for "China Song".*

Then the home team came on after a long seventh-inning stretch. Their playing came across as more precise than the SSO - they really nailed each piece, whereas the SSO's playing seemed a bit more slippery at times. If that makes any sense. But in any event the music was beautiful. I know I've heard Boléro before, but I had not recognized its power. It really came across to me this time, the gradual building in intensity. So good.

No fireworks, and no fireflies, but otherwise perfect.

FN* The NY Times explains that this was the first time in 46 years that the NY Philharmonic had shared the parks program with another orchestra. It was apparently a win-win situation: "By sharing this parks program, the Shanghai Symphony was basking in the Philharmonic’s renown and reaching new audiences. ... [T]he Chinese orchestra helped defray the cost of the concert. So it was more essential to get in the performances by the visitors. There was no possibility of a rain date, since the Shanghai musicians were scheduled to leave New York on Wednesday."