PROMS 64 and 65: Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin) / Berliner Philharmoniker / Sir Simon Rattle (conductor). Royal Albert Hall, 1 and 2.09.06 (ED)

 

Prom 64:

Mozart Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K183

Hanspeter Kyburz Noesis (London premiere)

Debussy, orch. C. Matthews Préludes - La Danse de Puck; Ce qu'a vu le Vent d'Ouest; Feuilles mortes; Feux d'artifice

Mozart Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K550

Prom 65:

Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 1

Bruckner Symphony No. 7 in E major

 

 

I have not particularly envied Sir Simon Rattle for much of his Berlin tenure to date. If the reports we get are to be believed then the Berlin critics have been baying for his blood for some time now, accusing him of neutering the great orchestra’s famously German sound. Then there’s the matter of repertoire choices and overall artistic direction, where some feel that Rattle has tried to impose his will at the expense of the orchestra’s traditional areas of strength. Finally, his own interpretations have attracted rather mixed, if not downright bad press, ranging in degrees from disappointment to derision and even scorn. In respect of all these points it seems self appointed internet arbiters of taste have had more to say than usual. Anyone who gives open-minded attention to matters in the music world will tell you that in the end the performances speak for themselves. The ones given over the duration of these two concerts tell their own story.

 

Mozart’s Symphony 25 was given plenty of energy by Rattle from the start, but what, one might ask, was the point? Violins lacked a fair amount of character and the winds failed to emerge as they might at first. Whilst the Menuetto and Trio had a matter-of-fact quality about it, the closing movement finally made something of the contrasts the extrovert and introvert elements in Mozart’s writing. Overall, the playing and the interpretation was not what I had hoped for.

 

Hanspeter Kyburz’ ‘Noesis’ is an intellectually challenging piece of writing that Rattle took an appropriately analytical approach toward in his conducting, requiring great precision in the pacing which must be partnered by exacting attention to sonority in the playing. Relying largely on brief gestures across the instrumental ranges to begin with, built upon chromaticism, the first movement is later marked by strong passages for the trumpet. The second movement, contrasts with a slow tempo and a mood of restraint, within which notion of recapitulation plays a part too in that the instrumental parts frequently overlay each other simultaneously or successively. Rhythmic intensity concludes the work in an unsettling manner and was energetically given by the Berliner Philharmoniker. Overall I felt that more enthusiasm for the work came from the podium than the players, which is perhaps a touch surprising given that the orchestra has seen a notable injection of younger blood to its ranks over recent years.     

 

Debussy’s ‘Preludes’ as orchestrated by Colin Matthews have been establishing quite a reputation in Manchester over recent years as performed by the Hallé under the batons of Mark Elder and Cristian Mandeal. It was only a question of time until they were taken up internationally, for they are unabashed orchestral showpieces. Matthews’ success with the works is to respect the spirit of Debussy whilst making them his own. La Danse de Puck caught the character in deftly jaunting rhythms and atmospheric touches that were noticeably French in their influence. Ce qu'a vu le Vent d'Ouest gave broad gestures to the wind instruments, building its impact from deep within the orchestra. Feuilles mortes saw a fragile texture spread across the whole orchestra, with cello and trumpet lines adding an autumnal feel along the way. Feux d'artifice brought suitably shimmering bursts of orchestral colour to end the selection, played with a touch of panache by the Berliner Philharmoniker.

 

The performance of Mozart’s Symphony 40 could hardly have been more different from the symphony that started the programme. The opening movement had more allegro than molto about it, but was weighty of tone and very reminiscent of the Berlin Philharmonic of old. Rattle mined the dramatic content of the music in the Andante, although he also gave voice to its elements of refinement within a large overall structure. The trio of the third movement was subtle. The finale was punchily driven with carefully controlled dynamics adding to the impact it made along with variations of tone that gave a zestful impression of Mozart’s penultimate symphony.

 

Szymanowski’s First Violin Concerto continued the strong form that had ended the previous night. Szymanowski’s music has been a consistently strong attraction for Rattle over the years, and he proved attentive to details within the score without letting the over-riding shape escape him: spaciousness, the feel of Romanticism that can creep in momentarily, impassioned orchestral tutti and a blazing sense of euphoria in the final minutes were all present. As soloist Frank Peter Zimmermann clearly revelled in the predominantly high-lying part, variously providing passages of scurrilous humour or pared down tone which contrasted most effectively with the work’s intense cadenza. Szymanowski asked for a sweet tone from his soloist, and more or less got it. 

 

Quite why Rattle chose to programme Bruckner’s seventh symphony I do not really know. The performance, conducted from memory, was in many senses a deeply frustrating one. Early in the first movement Rattle made it clear that his intention was to exploit the extremes in Bruckner’s writing – tuttis were played as if carved in vast blocks of granite whilst quieter passages often seemed a touch under-played by comparison. This was a reading in search of a cohesive purpose that it never fully found: tempo changes were uncertain, maybe even a touch ponderous. The second movement was given well upholstered sound, but the scale of the reading was reined in too far too fast – where was the maintenance of emotional strength in the music? With Rattle giving the players freedom to shape their own performance to a large degree, a freedom they seized upon to intermittently good effect, much in the way of unifying structure was neglected. With the third movement coming across as almost playful in character at times before a warm and emotional finale that was drawn in broad gestures and strong lines some might have felt that the performance was just about salvaged. But for me it just did not hang together, despite individual points of atmospheric interest in the second movement’s final paragraphs of gloaming or the fine playing exhibited by the brass and lower strings particularly. When, inevitably, one casts ones thoughts back to previous Berliner Philharmoniker conductors who excelled in Bruckner – Furtwängler, Celibidache and Karajan (each very different in their approach) – Rattle clearly falls short by a long way. Bold and certain statements Rattle can handle very well, the problem comes when he’s faced with questions and debates in sound. Bruckner provided many of them.

 

Following a visit to the Edinburgh International Festival, Rattle was assured of a hero’s welcome from the Proms audience to buoy his spirits before returning to more hostile home territory. It was ever going to be thus. Personal reservations with regard to interpretation aside, there’s no doubt that this is an orchestra still overall in excellent shape. Some reliability in core repertoire when compared to that achieved by their illustrious forebears shows that things might not be what they were. But then, things move on and change – even the Berliner Philharmoniker. When they’re on top form though they confidently stake their claim to be at the head of the world’s finest orchestras, and Sir Simon Rattle can produce imposing results with them too. But it would be misleading to suggest that every work they perform together reaches such a heady level of success.

 

Evan Dickerson