Switzerland Verbier Festival 2024 – Beethoven: Leonidas Kavakos (violin), Klaus Mäkelä (cello), Lahav Shani (piano), Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle (conductor). Salle des Combins, Verbier, Switzerland, 23.7.2024. (LV)
Beethoven – Concerto for Violin, Cello, Piano and Orchestra, Op. 56; Symphony No.3, Op.55 ‘Eroica’
What was billed as a unique Beethoven spectacular conducted by Sir Simon Rattle – the Triple Concerto with three conductors playing the solo roles and the ‘Eroica’ Symphony – emphasized the positive, joyful aspects of both works. The experience was consistently celebratory, appropriately so for the glamorous festival setting. The symphony also captured some of the outward complexity of heroism and its impact on humanity although perhaps it underplayed some of its deeper inward aspects. And in the slow movement when the oboe delivered its key solos with a deeply moving, simple beauty, it provided a poignant contrast to the overall exuberant tone.
The Triple Concerto, inherently a lighthearted work, was well-suited to this open-hearted approach. Full-time conductor Lahav Shani delivered a brilliant performance in the relatively minor piano part, while part-time conductor/violinist Leonidas Kavakos and full-time conductor Klaus Mäkelä each brought a sweet lyricism and impressive virtuosity to their roles. Their performances showcased both technical prowess and expressive depth, though at times the balance between soloists and orchestra proved challenging in the difficult acoustics of the Festival’s Salle des Combins. Even in the most demanding passagework, Kavakos and Mäkelä demonstrated remarkable skill, navigating the intricacies of Beethoven’s score with grace and musicality. However, there were moments of scrambling in the fastest passages, a testament to the work’s formidable technical challenges, especially when performed with limited rehearsal time.
For the ‘Eroica’, the three soloists sat in and played with the orchestra – Shani impressively demonstrating his multi-instrumental skills with the double basses. They were joined by young superstar cellist Pablo Ferrández and, in the second violins, Gábor Takács-Nagy, founder of the Takács Quartet (and recently announced as the new Artistic Partner with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra). The results in both pieces were enthusiastic and engaging, with the large video screens flanking the stage offering close-ups of the performers. These intimate views revealed the players’ and Rattle’s evident enjoyment, sometimes bordering on theatrical in their expressiveness and adding an extra layer of visual entertainment to the musical experience.
When the ‘Eroica’ began after intermission, and the initial excitement of the audience recognizing the stars sitting among the Verbier Chamber Orchestra regulars had subsided, Rattle and the somewhat reduced orchestral forces achieved striking inner clarity. The ensemble, combining rising stars and seasoned veterans, displayed a vibrant energy, though perhaps a few more double basses would have enhanced the music’s weight.
Rattle’s interpretation of the pizzicatos and pauses that open the last movement infused the music with a sense of spontaneity, and his emphasis on the violins’ repeated notes evoked vivid imagery reminiscent of the barking dog in the Spring movement of Vivaldi’s Seasons, resonating well with the festive atmosphere of the event. In this compelling combination of brisk pacing and nuanced artistry, Rattle and his troops delivered a Beethoven interpretation that, while celebratory, still spoke to the issues of our time.
Laurence Vittes