BBC Proms 2025: Pärt: Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten; Dvořák: Violin Concerto; Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 (Faust / Gewandhausorchester Leipzig / Nelsons)

26th August 2025
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

ARVO PÄRT Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten
DVOŘÁK Violin Concerto
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2

Isabelle Faust (violin)
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Andris Nelsons (conductor)



Leipzig Gewandhausorchester and Andris Nelsons. I was only here because my friend wanted to see Hilary Hahn performing the Dvořák VC, but unfortunately she had to withdraw due to an ongoing injury so Isabelle Faust stepped in at the last minute. As with her usual high standards, it was technically very impressive, and Nelsons gave her much room to shine, but it was actually quite painful to go through. Put crudely, it was "too German" - everything was very clean, precise, straight-to-the-point and notes and phrases were practically uttered one at a time with brute force. Yes, I know it was written for Joachim and Anne-Sophie Mutter could make it work with a muscular approach, but this was no fun, especially in III when we needed the rhythmic rigour (and the playful violin-flute dialogue, which could barely be heard). However, this kind of music-making actually worked to the advantage of Sibelius 2, where the three-note motif morphed and flourished gracefully across the orchestral texture throughout in an austere sound world. To be honest, I have never emotionally synced with Sibelius 2, but there was much to admire in this top-class performance. The tectonic movements from the thunderous strings, the Sibelius hallmark timpanis, the brasses in II, etc. It was well-paced and spacious and the overall rich sound was wonderful. Potent also was the opener "Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten" (for Arvo Pärt 90). Holy minimalism or "tintinnabuli" - chilling strings and haunting bells. Effective companion to Sibelius 2.