BBC Proms 2016: Prom 59 - Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, Symphony No. 7 (Schiff / Gewandhausorchester / Blomstedt)

29th August 2016
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

BEETHOVEN "Leonore" Overture No. 2
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7

András Schiff (piano)
Gewandhausorchester
Herbert Blomstedt (conductor)



PURE. HEAVENLY. BLISS. Conductor laureate and former Gewandhauskapellmeister, and the last conducting legend of his generation, Herbert Blomstedt brought the Gewandhausorchester from Leipzig for an all-Beethoven programme. The man might be 89 years old, but still conducts a Beethoven 7 full of vitality that is matched by his animated stage presence. It was the first time I have seen the Proms audience this respectful, patient, focused and disciplined towards the performance that the entire capacity was in near silence (and did not applaud between movements), such that all the fabulous pianissimo pierced through in clean air. It was a highly sophisticated performance, every parameter was expertly controlled and balanced, there were no excessive drama, the dotted rhythms were incisive, the Allegretto glowed, and the Finale danced and sang with grace. It was matched by an equally sophisticated but less crowd-pleasing performance of "Piano Concerto No. 5" (The "Emperor") by András Schiff. There was something wondrous about Schiff's playing, that he took his own pace in his own dimension that dragged the entire audience with him, particularly so in II. He played with almost no pedalling, making the Bösendorfer sounded like a period instrument, and miraculously created two timbres simultaneously with the two hands, setting crystalline filigrees against firm octaves. The tempo was not exciting, nothing was dramatic and it was certainly un-Romantic compared to 80% of modern performances, but I don't think many performances are as meticulous and thoughtful as this. Schiff then excited the audience with Schubert D. 899/2. The Prom started with "'Leonore' Overture No. 2" and ended with "'Egmont' Overture" as a generous encore. If the two warhorses above were any indications, what could have gone wrong with added drama?