Hungary Sibelius, Beethoven, Lindberg: Francesco Piemontesi (piano), Budapest Festival Orchestra / Robin Ticciati (conductor). Béla Bartók National Concert Hall, Müpa, Budapest, 10.12.2024. (LJ)
Sibelius – King Christian II Suite, Op.27 – I, Nocturne; Symphony No.7 in C major, Op.105.
Beethoven – Piano Concerto No.4 in G major, Op.58
Magnus Lindberg – Chorale
Formed in 1983, the Budapest Festival Orchestra has become one of the world’s finest symphony orchestras. Since its inception, Iván Fischer has been at the helm, guiding his musicians into new soundscapes via both traditional and eclectic concert formats that have included the ‘titok-koncert’ where the programme is not provided to ticketholders in advance. Under the baton of Robin Ticciati, the BFO demonstrated their sensitivity to the musical worlds of Finland and Germany with a programme that included the music of Sibelius, Magnus Lindberg, and Beethoven.
Whilst Sibelius and Beethoven will be familiar to readers of Seen and Heard International, the work of Magnus Lindberg may be slightly less well-known. Born in Helsinki in 1958, Lindberg studied at the Sibelius Academy. His style and influences are eclectic, ranging from Japanese drumming and punk rock to musique concrète and minimalism. The inclusion of Lindberg’s work in this programme is interesting; his Chorale (2002) works well alongside the Beethoven and both Sibelius pieces. Whilst Lindberg’s composition, Two Episodes (premiered on 24 July 2016), forms a direct companion piece to Beethoven (specifically the Ninth Symphony), his Chorale fitted perfectly in this programme. Indeed, all pieces conformed to Beethoven’s oft-quoted remark that ‘sometimes the opposite is true’, attesting to the Sturm und Drang qualities of his works.
The Chorale is a rich piece of layered variations where the string section is cocooned by the brass section and double basses. It is a musical parody of Alan Berg’s Violin Concerto, specifically the final Adagio in which Berg quotes Bach’s chorale ‘Es ist genug’ (‘It is enough’). Berg’s chorale is in B-flat major, but, like Bach, Lindberg’s point of departure is A major. At approximately six minutes, this Chorale is an intense work. Ticciati conducted it with attentiveness to each section of the orchestra, giving the piece a well-rounded shape. He also did this for Sibelius’s Seventh Symphony (premiered 24 March 1924) so that references to the prelude from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and the composer’s own Valse Triste surfaced.
Swiss pianist, Francesco Piemontesi played Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto (famously premiered with Beethoven as soloist on 22 December 1808) with sensitivity and intensity. He played the end of the second movement in E minor so with such intimacy that the instantly recognisable shift into the C major chords that open the third and final movement came with the intended sense of surprise and spontaneity that characterises Beethoven’s music. Piemontesi’s performance was at both lively and introspective as he played with studied concentration during the more meditative passages and improvisatory flare during the more technically demanding sections. In his recordings, Piemontesi has focused on the work of Mozart and Liszt. He has not yet recorded the Beethoven concertos, but, after hearing his performance at Müpa, I would welcome a recording of Piemontesi performing Beethoven. I particularly enjoyed the almost ‘call and response’ sections of the third movement as Piemontesi and a nimbler BFO with Ticciati seemed in very much touch with each other. This lively exchange was enhanced by concertmaster Tamás Major’s dynamic performance which energised his fellow musicians.
Ultimately, the BFO performed well with Ticciati as conductor. His sensitivity to dynamics and ability to hold silence was on display in the first movement of the Beethoven piano concerto and the final notes of the Sibelius symphony, respectively.
Lucy Jeffery