There also appeared to be some heat, as in hot around the collar, down in the orchestra pit. Maazel, one of the greatest conductors of our time, did not look like he was having a good time. This was especially the case during “Suor Angelica,” the last third of Puccini’s “Il Trittico,” when he could be heard stomping on the podium and (if my ears didn’t deceive me) expressing verbal annoyance with the response of the players. Significantly, Maazel did not take a bow, as custom dictates, at the end of the production; that meant the orchestra got no bow, either. I can’t say I noticed anything terribly awry in the playing, just little things that might have been smoother or more expressive, but Maazel certainly gave every impression of being displeased.

-Tim Smith

RTWT