Summertime Classics at the New York Philharmonic

Come July, even the New York Philharmonic shows up in shirtsleeves. The Philharmonic's Summertime Classics program, hosted and conducted by Bramwell Tovey of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, gives players and patrons a chance to hear a variety of short, romantic pieces that fell out of the repertory catalog after their initial popularity. Organized around playful themes --- "From Russia with Love" was a few weeks back --- the concerts get even more mirthful thanks to Tovey, a delightful raconteur who intersperses dry humor ("This is called Romanian Rhapsody No. 1, to distinguish it from No. 2, which came later") with genuine enthusiasm and insight about the music. We attended "From the Danube to the Rhine," a celebration of Central European waltzes, operettas, and concertos that gave Tovey ample fodder. "Liszt was friends with every important musical figure in Central Europe, and this was before Facebook," he quipped at one point, before describing the fractures among Liszt's numerous disciples, an esoteric squabble he summed up in two words: "whatever, frankly."

Tovey's skill extends far beyond wisecracks and music appreciation. His conducting was as energetic and sharp as his wit: the aforementioned Rhapsody was perfectly balanced, as Tovey brought the players to the brink of crescendo and pulled them back time and again, while Brahms' Hungarian Dances flowed so smoothly the audience was nearly twirling in the aisles. But the show was stolen by up-and-coming pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk, who did Lizst proud in a dazzling performance of the Piano Concerto No. 1. Called back for an encore, Gavryluk gave a tempestuous take on Mendelssohn's Wedding March, injecting that sentimental staple with the burn and toss of real romance.