Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra plays Debussy and Berlioz

<div class="img-shadow" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px">
  <img src="/space/mariss_jansons.jpg" /></a>
</div>

I just got back from my third
[symphony](http://sfsymphony.com) performance of the season,
[the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra playing Debussy and
Berlioz](http://www.sfsymphony.org/templates/router.asp?nodeid=250&callid=93&eventid=1206).
The Debussy piece was _La Mer_, one of my favorites, so I'd been looking
forward to it.

Unfortunately, the performance was disappointing. It was slower than it should
have been, and much too heavy and deliberate. Many of the passages were
articulated, even staccato, when they should have been legato to the point of
slurring. To be fair, the wind section was good, even at the slower pace.
Still, while the orchestra played all the notes, it wasn't really _La Mer_.

<div class="img-shadow" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px">
  <img src="/space/davies_hall.jpg" /></a>
</div>

I was pleasantly surprised by Berlioz's _Symphonie Fantastique_, though. The
orchestra was clearly much more comfortable with it. It's a dynamic piece for
Berlioz's time, with a very wide range and a number of surprises, and they did
it justice. Hopefully with a little more practice, they'll play _La Mer_ with
the same ease and command.

The next performance on my calendar is
[Respighi's _Fountains of Rome_](http://www.sfsymphony.org/templates/router.asp?nodeid=250&callid=93&eventid=1181),
next weekend. Fingers crossed!