Switzerland Brahms, Rachmaninov: Emanuel Ax (piano), Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin / Robin Ticciati (conductor). Tonhalle, Zurich, 24.10.2022. (JR)
Brahms – Piano Concerto No.1, Op.15
Rachmaninov – Symphony No.3, Op.44
There is an abundance of orchestras in Berlin. Of course, towering over them all is the orchestra I need hardly mention, the Berlin Philharmonic. The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (known before 1993 as the RIAS-Symphonie Orchester) is one of two major radio orchestras in Berlin (the other is the Rundfunk Symphonie-Orchester); the Deutsches Symphonie–Orchester’s usual concert venue is the Philharmonie in Berlin. Under its first principal conductor, Ferenc Fricsay, it made radio history; later Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Chailly and Vladimir Ashkenazy were at the helm of the orchestra. Young British conductor Robin Ticciati has been their Principal Conductor for the last five years and the partnership is clearly bearing fruit.
On tour in central Europe, the orchestra presented a classic programme, a Brahms piano concerto and a Romantic symphony.
Emanuel Ax, now in his seventies, is still going strong. He is one of the few remaining venerable men of the keyboard. His presence is amiable; he comes nonchalantly onto the stage, an old hand, and spends most of the time when not playing beaming at the woodwind: there is no flamboyance and no histrionics. And his performance is just like that: strait-laced, powerful when needed, no sweat. Everything flows naturally, each phrase is delivered with decades of thought and experience; he watches the conductor of course to keep in step. Long may he continue. The audience lapped him up, the orchestra were pure accompaniment. Nevertheless, Ticciati made his presence felt, from the turbulent but rather slow opening (first-rate horn playing) of the first movement, graceful introduction to the slow movement, and a driving vigour in the finale, but they had clearly rehearsed long and hard, and they blended to perfection. It was, simply, a perfect performance of a great work.
I wish I could say that Rachmaninov’s Third Symphony was a great work, but I cannot. Following the energy of the First Symphony, and the very popular Second, the Third comes over as fragmentary and less than satisfying. However, full marks for bringing this symphony to the concert stage, it does improve with re-hearing. Too often, its romantic (slushy) passages conjure up Hollywood; Ticciati did present a cogent argument for the work’s stronger parts, and the joyous ending ensured a very warm reception. The orchestra shone in all departments, the young Leader displaying particularly gorgeous tone.
Ticciati clearly has developed an excellent rapport with his orchestra and I suspect Berlin will be a stepping-stone in his career.
This concert opened the series of international concerts in Switzerland sponsored by Migros Kulturprozent Classics. Next up in Zurich are the Concertgebouw under Daniel Harding (November 15th), the Baltic Sea Philharmonic under Kristjan Järvi (December), the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Iván Fischer (January), Les Arts Florissants and William Christie (March) and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra under Kristian Bezuidenhout (May). Further details can be found here.
John Rhodes