Brilliant musical direction by the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra in a demanding program: despite overlooking Wagner, Philippe Auguin delivered a breathtaking interpretation of Arnold Schoenberg’s “Transfigured Night” and offered the Nice audience, who gave him an ovation, a superb “remastered” version of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
During the intermission, a music enthusiast from the inner circles of the Nice Opera, agreeing with my impressions, said to me, “You’re not really going to write that, are you?” But indeed, dear madam, I am. Philippe Auguin is truly a Niçois. His undeniable talent matches his character: he has his ways. He showcased this brilliantly last Saturday at the Nice Opera, where, at the helm of a Philharmonic Orchestra that is affectionately devoted to him, he performed the “Prelude” to Wagner’s “The Mastersingers of Nuremberg,” Schoenberg’s “Transfigured Night,” and the famous Fifth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Clearly, the maestro decided to treat the first piece as an appetizer the audience was to quickly consume: distant conducting, bland interpretation, leitmotifs often erased, sluggish phrasing alternating with bombastic sections, before finally coming to life towards the end of the Overture. This performance was all the more surprising given the unforgettable Parsifal under the baton of the one who has since been named the Musical Director of the Philharmonic (https://www.nicepremium.fr/article/parsifal-a-l-opera-de-nice-comment-ne-pas-applaudir-.5261.html).
On to the main course with which the maestro largely redeemed himself, honoring the Nice audience with a -very- brilliant interpretation of Arnold Schoenberg’s “Verklärte Nacht” op.4: a fully invested direction, as meticulous -the piece is known for its complexity- as it is demanding in conveying the immense sensitivity of this work for string orchestra. It took a few moments of silence for the audience to emerge from the calm suggested by the final adagio and to give the conductor an ovation.
Far from offering it as an overly sweet treat for the palate, given how many thousands of times this piece has been played, the interpretation of L.V. Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony provided a delightful surprise for dessert: in total harmony with a Philharmonic Orchestra under his charm, the maestro of the evening literally dusted it off, reviving this piece from one of the most fertile periods in the composer’s output with vibrant color in the intonations and accents in the rhythms, undoubtedly influenced by the teachings of Herbert Von Karajan and Sir Georg Solti, the two masters of Philippe Auguin.
