Prom 65: Berliner Philharmoniker plays Schnittke and Bruckner (4.09.22)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Sunday 4 September 2022
Royal Albert Hall

Alfred Schnittke: Viola Concerto
Bruckner Symphony No. 4, ‘Romantic’

Tabea Zimmermann, viola
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Daniel Harding, conductor

In their second and final concert at the 2022 BBC Proms, the Berliner Philharmoniker and Daniel Harding play Bruckner's Symphony No. 4, ‘Romantic’. First, they support Tabea Zimmermann – whose playing is, in the words of The Strad, of ‘breathtaking beauty’ – as she rediscovers a Cold War classic: the intense melancholy and sardonic humour of the Viola Concerto, written in 1985 by the Russian dissident composer Alfred Schnittke. It couldn’t find more committed champions.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Note change of conductor and symphony.

[bluestateprommer]

Note change of conductor and symphony.

The Berlin Philharmonic had a news release that explains things:

https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/news/detail/programme-change-for-the-2022-festival-tour/

"Due to a serious foot injury and subsequent surgery, chief conductor Kirill Petrenko has been ordered by his doctor to take further rest. Nevertheless, he will conduct Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 on the upcoming festival tour to the Salzburg Festival (28 August), the Lucerne Festival (31 August) and the BBC Proms in London (3 September).

The second planned concert programme will be taken over by Daniel Harding...."

Presumably a chair like what Zubin Mehta used will be set up for KP. Sorry to hear about this injury.

[Petrushka]

Note change of conductor and symphony.

This is very disappointing. I've got my tickets for both BPO concerts and booked rail travel and hotel and in these days of cost of living crisis I can tell you that the financial hit is not negligible. Added to which I'm not much of a fan of Harding anyway. As it stands I doubt if I would have booked for this but it's too late now.

[edashtav]

Tabea Zimmermann has a full, warm tone which was in welcome contrast to the many, bitter moments in this Concerto which seems to portray the agonies of a composer as he frets and worries in the days before a suffering a severe stroke. The work has three movements: slow, fast, slow with each movement double the length of its predecessor. Polystylism rules and its incongruous episodes offer relief from the intense, painful discourse that dominates the work. One problem with listening to Schnittke is that he lacks subtlety, he paints his glowering murals with a broad brush. Nothing is suggested or hinted, everything is full-on, in glorious, or maybe inglorious, technicolor.
It’s a personal work revolving around the tone row B♭–A– E♭–C–B(♮)–E(♮) derived from its dedicatee Yuri Bashmet and my memory of his performances was that he played with a greater intensity and frightening power in the louder sections. I found Tabea’s performance offered more hope and consolation. The orchestra, without violins, under Daniel Harding were wonderful.

[Nick Armstrong]

Note change of conductor and symphony.

What was the original programme?

Edit: oh, Shostakovich 10 was supposed to be in the second half, I’ve found out for myself

[RichardB]

Tabea Zimmermann has a full, warm tone which was in welcome contrast to the many, bitter moments in this Concerto which seems to portray the agonies of a composer as he frets and worries in the days before a suffering a severe stroke. The work has three movements: slow, fast, slow with each movement double the length of its predecessor. Polystylism rules and its incongruous episodes offer relief from the intense, painful discourse that dominates the work. One problem with listening to Schnittke is that he lacks subtlety, he paints his glowering murals with a broad brush. Nothing is suggested or hinted, everything is full-on, in glorious, or maybe inglorious, technicolor.
It’s a personal work revolving around the tone row B♭–A– E♭–C–B(♮)–E(♮) derived from its dedicatee Yuri Bashmet and my memory of his performances was that he played with a greater intensity and frightening power in the louder sections. I found Tabea’s performance offered more hope and consolation. The orchestra, without violins, under Daniel Harding were wonderful.

I happened to see a solo recital by Tabea a couple of months ago and I would have to say I thought it was the best viola playing I've ever heard, so I'm looking forward to catching up with her Schnittke concerto, which is probably the work of his I have most time for, one in which it's most clear that the "polystylistic" thing is to a great extent a distillation of the sometimes desperate expressiveness of Shostakovich.

[edashtav]

Bruckner’s 4th Symphony opens in typical fashion with quiet tremolo strings offering support to a horn call that seems to invite us ‘over the hills and far away’ to another time and place. The whole of first group was magically played by the BPO. The second, more martial group, was infected with the same fairytale atmosphere, being played with more reserve, sensitivity and quiet space than I’ve encountered before. Could any British orchestra equal the sweet, soft tones of the Berlin Phil? The whole movement was ‘by Mendelssohn out of Schubert’ and it left Wagner behind, still blasting his way through Anton’s Third Symphony.

The Andante found the strings in tender mood. Was its gait more of a plod than a walk? Probably, but it was so delicate, delicious and romantic that it didn’t matter.

I’m late for dinner so I shall hand the baton to other Boarders…

[Ein Heldenleben]

Bruckner’s 4th Symphony opens in typical fashion with quiet tremolo strings offering support to a horn call that seems to invite us ‘over the hills and far away’ to another time and place. The whole of first group was magically played by the BPO. The second, more martial group, was infected with the same fairytale atmosphere, being played with more reserve, sensitivity and quiet space than I’ve encountered before. Could any British orchestra equal the sweet, soft tones of the Berlin Phil? The whole movement was ‘by Mendelssohn out of Schubert’ and it left Wagner behind, still blasting his way through Anton’s Third Symphony.

The Andante found the strings in tender mood. Was its gait more of a plod than a walk? Probably, but it was so delicate, delicious and romantic that it didn’t matter.

I’m late for dinner so I shall hand the baton to other Boarders…

Blimey that coda ….tremendous. What a band . One of the all time great crescendos…

[Nick Armstrong]

This is very disappointing. I've got my tickets for both BPO concerts and booked rail travel and hotel and in these days of cost of living crisis I can tell you that the financial hit is not negligible. Added to which I'm not much of a fan of Harding anyway. As it stands I doubt if I would have booked for this but it's too late now.

Arghh Hope you nonetheless had an enjoyable experience, P

[edashtav]

Blimey that coda ….tremendous. What a band . One of the all time great crescendos…

I was imoressed by the retraint, by how much DH had kept in reserve. However, I found the Scherzo and Finale less impressive that the firstvtwo movements.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I was imoressed by the retraint, by how much DH had kept in reserve. However, I found the Scherzo and Finale less impressive that the firstvtwo movements.

I found my attention wandering in the second movement. Thought the rest very fine…

[LHC]

I was there last night, and like Pet, probably wouldn't have booked for the combination of repertoire and conductor. However, even without Petrenko at the helm, I thought this was a fabulous concert. Tabea Zimmerman (and pace the discussion on another thread, she was playing with a score) was superb in the Schnittke, with wonderful support from the Berliners and Harding. I can't better Edashtav's comments on the opening of the Bruckner, other than to say that, unlike him and EH, I was gripped from first to last, and the orchestral playing was out of this world. It was a real privilege to hear this orchestra in the flesh again. If anything, their playing and the unique sound they produce, has got even better since Petrenko took over.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I was there last night, and like Pet, probably wouldn't have booked for the combination of repertoire and conductor. However, even without Petrenko at the helm, I thought this was a fabulous concert. Tabea Zimmerman (and pace the discussion on another thread, she was playing with a score) was superb in the Schnittke, with wonderful support from the Berliners and Harding. I can't better Edashtav's comments on the opening of the Bruckner, other than to say that, unlike him and EH, I was gripped from first to last, and the orchestral playing was out of this world. It was a real privilege to hear this orchestra in the flesh again. If anything, their playing and the unique sound they produce, has got even better since Petrenko took over.

Yes I’ve never heard string playing of that quality in a live relay from the Albert Hall before. The pianissimo to fortissimo in the scherzo was absolutely breathtaking. The sheer weight of sound is extraordinary and appropriate to Bruckner.

[smittims]

I thought the Bruckner the best performance of anything I've heard at this year's Proms.

I was impresssed by the control over the wide range of tempi and dynamics, always sounding fluent and natural, always at the service of the music. A memorable performance.