

John Harbison's Closer to My Own Life, a setting of four texts by Canadian writer Alice Munro, received its world premiere. The songs are stylistically in line with most of his recent works – reminiscent of the music of Roger Sessions, but with more impassioned and expressive melodies, and with stronger tonal centers. Christine Rice's deep, burnished voice conveyed the texts with consistent authority, distancing her singing emotionally from the sometimes disconcerting and desolate nature of the scenes described by Munro. Luisi's colorful rendering of the sometimes labyrinthine accompaniment – particularly the more thickly scored sections, which were rendered with complete clarity -- provided a vivid aural landscape.
Luisi is fond of programming Richard Strauss; his Dresden recordings of the tone poems are arguably the finest of the digital era. This was easily the best concert performance of Till Eulenspiegel I've ever heard. Balances were superb, with many often-buried details emerging with uncanny clarity. Luisi also took some surprising tempos; just a little faster or slower than is customary in this work, to marvelous structural effect. The comic, cheeky character was in the forefront thanks to the dazzling playing, with particularly excellent performances by the horn section and principal clarinet. The MET Orchestra has a reputation for excellence, to which Luisi adds something special. This concert was profoundly impressive.