Last week, I heard several concerts in Europe and will attempt to set down some thoughts about what I experienced. While in Amsterdam for a few days, I attended two performances of Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Manfred Honeck. These concerts (June 20 and 21) took place at the Concertgebouw concert hall, which is fabled for its acoustics. I decided to hear the piece twice just to test things out for myself. The first time I sat towards the back of the main area (row 24) on the floor, and the second time in the front row of the balcony on the right side. I have to admit that the sound of the orchestra was fantastically equal in both places. And, well, both performances were sublime.
Replacing Christian Thielemann with just a couple of weeks’ notice, Honeck, who is the Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony, did a superb job of commanding the huge forces on stage. I counted 16 first violins, 14 second violins, 12 violas, at least 10 cellos, 8 double basses, 3 harps, 9 horns – with 4 manning Wagner tubas as necessary, and others.
Using clear gestures and excellent tempos, Honeck marvelously evoked Bruckner’s expansive sound-world, juxtaposing spine-tingling pianissimos with massive fortes, and overall, the dynamics were expertly terraced. After some of the huge fermatas, he would pause just long enough for the air to clear out before undertaking the next passage. The strings sounded gorgeous, and the Wagner horns soaked the hall in a mournful glow that was enhanced by the ethereal sound of the harps floating above. Principal horn Katy Woolley played with spot-on assuredness that made each of her solo entries a thrill to hear. What surprised me a bit about the overall sound, was that I could hear a shimmer of brightness at times - even when the sound was absolutely massive - and that added an extra-magical quality to the performances.
Both concerts were sold out, but there were a few empty chairs here and there on Friday night. I suspect that was because the Netherlands was playing against France to advance in the European Football Championship. At any rate, the concerts seemed equally played on both nights, but Honeck received a more enthusiastic and long-lasting response from the audience on Thursday. He had to return to the stage four times, including a solo bow and footstomping acclaim from the orchestra musicians. On Friday, he came back to center stage three times, but people were making their way out of the hall right away – perhaps to catch the remaining minutes of the game.
The tricky thing for guest conductors at the hall is ascending and descending a lot of steps, when he or she enters and leaves. Anyone who misjudges a step will take a terrible fall. I have heard the female violinists with their big gowns have to be especially careful. I am sure that none of the wear stiletto heels.
There’s one more thing that is special about the concerts at the Concertgebouw, your ticket includes free refreshments. So you can get a cup of coffee, a beer, wine, etc before the concert, during intermission, and even after the concert. No one told me about this. I found out after the end of the concert on Friday night as I was chatting with another visitor from Calgary, Alberta. He told me about it, and we both had a Heineken after concert. Now that’s a great way to end a wonderful musical experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment