Daniel Barenboim/ Vienna Philharmonic
Großer Saal, Musikverein, Vienna, 5th June 2020
Musical life is slowly returning to Europe, emerging from its enforced hibernation like a slightly nervous bear stretching a speculative paw out into the world. Concerts performed to empty halls, streamed on the internet, were the first tentative steps out of lockdown, and now socially-distanced audiences are gradually being readmitted. At the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen, an audience of 1000 attended a concert matinee performance today. I fear it will be a long time before anything like that happens in the United Kingdom.
Daniel Barenboim conducts the Vienna Philharmonic
Treading a duly cautious line, Austria’s government has set an initial audience limit of 100, with performances returning in Vienna this week to the Staatsoper, Konzerthaus and Musikverein. On Friday, the Großer Saal once again rang to the familiar sound of the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, streamed on Sunday evening. Although the lucky few in the audience were scattered in the Parterre, most of the seats roped off, there were no such restrictions on the stage. Face masks were only in evidence on a few players as they entered to take their seats between works. Players shared music stands and were clustered close together. In short, apart from a lack of handshakes, it looked like a standard concert.
Daniel Barenboim
They began with Mozart’s final piano concerto, No. 27 in B flat major, K595, with Barenboim as soloist. Playing with his back to the audience, he was able to maintain eye contact with the orchestra, often leaning across the keyboard while directing tuttis. Barenboim’s Mozart is stately, but there was nimble fingerwork in fast runs and delicate phrasing too. There was a sense of ease about the performance, a warm glow as the players took in the atmosphere, violinist Daniel Froschauer (the orchestra’s chairman) smiling during Barenboim’s cadenza, beaming across to the second violins.
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
The Larghetto was unhurried, Barenboim coaxing honey from the Vienna strings, the main theme so softly whispered that time felt suspended. The Rondo–Allegro finale was gentle rather than jaunty, as if this bear was still a bit sleepy, but Barenboim’s trills were neatly executed. This was contented Mozart, pleased to be back out in the sun.
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
At the start of the year, people were bemoaning how much Beethoven they were going to be subjected to in 2020. With Ludwig’s anniversary year so rudely interrupted in March, we’ll be hearing considerably less than we anticipated, so it was appropriate that this concert concluded with the Fifth Symphony. I’m not normally a fan of Barenboim’s heavy-handed, old-fashioned approach to Beethoven, untouched as it is by period performance practice, but there was a defiant quality about this reading that felt just right in the circumstances. Fate didn’t just knock at the door in those famous opening chords… it hammered it down. That first movement had a granite-like feel, an epic sense of struggle. There were lovely moments in the Andante con moto, particularly from the well-blended woodwind team, sporting that distinctive splash of lemon which typifies the Viennese oboe sound.
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
The double basses were properly emphatic in their angry third movement interjections and Barenboim built the tension leading up to the C major sunburst like a master. But the finale felt less of a cry of joy than one of protest, its message screaming an unequivocal “Music shall not be defeated”.
Music will not be defeated.