At the beginning it is like with the two royal children: “They couldn’t get together”. Conductor Juraj Valcuha urges fiery forwards in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, but his soloist Julian Rachlin insists on braking, wants to approach the piece cautiously, even deliberately Rehearsal time was probably not able to agree on an interpretation. So Rachlin plays introverted, celebrates the tender, quiet moments – as if it were a solo piece with an orchestra unfortunately. And Juraj Valcuha is polite, muffles that Konzerthausorchester so far away that the extremely slim, matt-silver tone of the violinist remains audible, but immediately turns up acoustically when the solo part pauses.
Both approaches are consistent, you can interpret this repertoire hit in terms of chamber music or immerse it in the brightest, southern light. Julian Rachlin sings heartily on his violin, sounds sweet without ever becoming sugary. In the slow movement, the balance between the soloist and his companions is right, but the really vital finale has barely begun, but it seems again as if the orchestra were on the move in slippers.
That’s exactly how you want to experience live classical music
In Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony, the conductor and the concert hall orchestra can finally play freely – and they give the audience what it sorely missed in the lockdowns: a live music experience that is literally swept away by the sound waves. The concert hall orchestra sounds fantastic, Russian romanticism glows in the typical dark Tchaikovsky colors, the inner tension is intense, throbbing passion increases again and again to glistening fortissimo climaxes.
But Valcuha retains control even in the hottest of events, coordinating the drama as a dramaturge. For the second movement, he puts the baton aside, models the music with his hands, then leads over very elegantly to the indulgent waltz. Then he takes up the baton again in order to achieve a grandiose gradation of depth in the finale, in which every voice is clearly recognizable and everything adds up to the grandiose whole: symphonic cauldron, great cheers.
I am a technology author with 8 years of experience in journalism. My writing covers the latest technology advancements and trends, drawing on my expertise in news journalism and social media platforms. I have contributed to major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
