Zeal NYC reviews Leif Ove Andsnes’ performance of Debussy’s Fantasie with the New York Philharmonic and Edward Gardner

“Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, Artist-in-Residence this season at the Philharmonic, before playing a hotly anticipated solo recital this Wednesday, performed one of the few works by Claude Debussy for soloist and orchestra, his Fantasie for Piano and Orchestra from 1889. Never performed during Debussy’s lifetime, a victim of a snafu at its scheduled premiere, and apparently forgotten during a decade of composing even more noteworthy works, the work is a piano concerto in every way but name. It’s a great vehicle for the poised Andsnes to display his wares: dazzling technique, panache, and riveting energy.

“This collaboration between soloist and conductor is seamless, the tempos chosen on the lithe side (a good thing given the somewhat long-windedness of Debussy here). The Fantasiemakes a sensible follow-up to the Sibelius, sharing with it a forward-looking approach to harmony and orchestration, but contrasting in mood and sensibility. Impressively delineating and clarifying Debussy’s dense orchestration, Gardner draws elegance and delicacy from the Philharmonic’s players, while Andsnes finds point and focus in the endless undulations and arpeggiations in Debussy’s showy piano writing.”

 

Source: Zeal NYC