This year’s EIF music programme culminated in two Usher Hall performances, plus a chamber recital in the Queen’s Hall, by the mighty Berlin Philharmonic. These were the first performances by this world-class orchestra in Edinburgh for 20 years, so quite a coup for the organisers. So writes Lindsay McMurdo for theQR.co.uk…
The first Usher Hall concert – under principal conductor Kirill Petrenko – combined Elgar’s Enigma Variations (performed in its entirety) with Tchaikovsky’s turbulent but ultimately jubilant Fourth Symphony.
The orchestra is renowned for the dense, lush tone and cohesion of its enormous string section, and this was on full display from the opening Theme of the Elgar, delivered sotto voce but with a wonderful clarity and resonance. The sheer level of sonority that these players can achieve is quite breathtaking.
Enigma Variations, synonymous, of course, with the majestic and stately Nimrod, is actually more often characterised by a playfulness and lightness of touch, and Petrenko’s conducting emphasised this aspect of the piece, permitting no hint of Elgarian stuffiness or hauteur with an interpretation which moved briskly along throughout. Nimrod was given its due, but with none of the laboured grandiosity that many conductors seem to think it requires.
A Thrilling Tchaikovsky Fourth
After the break, the orchestra’s brass section tore into the opening fanfare of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth with a thrilling explosion of sound, soon taken up by the whole orchestra as they moved through the movement’s complex interlocking figures and dense structure with deceptive ease, the energy never relenting. This movement is like a mini symphony in itself and was played flawlessly.
“The sheer level of sonority that these players can achieve is quite breathtaking.“
The Andantino again showcased the gorgeous, legato capability of the strings, while a playful Scherzo (with the strings playing mainly pizzicato) was delivered with the same deft lightness of touch that Petrenko had brought to the Elgar.
The fourth, final movement started off urgent and angst-ridden with some terrific interplay between the different sections in the development before the triumphant return of the fanfare motif from the first movement unleashed a breakneck hell-for-leather dash to a joyous ending.
Without resorting to hyperbole, this was the finest rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth that this reviewer has ever heard (and that’s a lot of renditions). No orchestra exists beyond criticism, of course, but the Berlin Phil on this occasion was playing on an audibly different level of musical achievement that felt like a privilege to hear. We must not be made to wait another 20 years for them to perform in Edinburgh again.
Featured Image: Berliner Philharmoniker – Elgar & Tchaikovsky – image Lena Laine
Show Details
Venue: Venue c3-62436: Usher Hall, Lothian Road Edinburgh EH1 2EA, EH1 2EA (Google Maps)
Date(s): Sat 29 Aug
Time(s): 7:00pm (105 mins)
Price: From £30
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