Review - Anne-Sophie Mutter, Daniel Barenboim and Staatskapelle Berlin, Philharmonie, Festtage 2017

Nostalghia (Takemitsu)
Violin Concerto (Beethoven)
La Mer (Debussy)
Three pieces for orchestra (Berg)

Anne-Sophie Mutter (Violin)
Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim (Conductor)

A rather ambitious programme, which displayed vast music colours and styles, began this year count down to the Easter weekend by the Staatskapelle Berlin. It began with Nostalghia, a twelve minutes work for solo violin and orchestra, as a minimalist reflection of the poetic film in the same title by Andrei Tarkovskij. Instead a reference to the plot and character, Takemitsu, also a cineast, was more interested by the form, movement and sound of water in the film. A slow and mysterious but moody opening was given with long notes hanging in the air. Scalic climb in diminished seventh reached the higher sonic range with harmonics. Glissando on strings evoked an eerie impression and double stops appeared randomly on the solo violin part. The slow tempo suspended the air in stillness reached a brief injection of emotions but faded again. A sudden violent outburst led to the cadenza passage for solo violin with a lot of vibrato at the climb to upper positions. Double stops were then replaced by harmonics and raw sound on the strings. Solo cello played a tense and expressive theme, before returning to the mysterious sound landscape with long notes on strings towards the coda.

In contrast to Takemitsu's dreamy and surreal sound landscape, the violin concerto by Beethoven was muscular, reassuring and bold. Though the employed tempo and phrasing made a sluggish performance despite the produced tone was polished and beautiful throughout. The orchestral introduction was rather full bodied and grand, but also rather vertical looking. Barenboim left the orchestra to phrase the music and only indicated entries than showing direction. A smooth and unhurried entry from Mutter though intonation was far from accurate on higher positions. Compare to Takemitsu, her playing carried more shape because of familiarity since playing the Beethoven's concerto for many years. Though she and Barenboim continued to be sluggish, which the playing began to feel unnecessarily slow and lacked momentum. A rather broad tempo at the cadenza with much rubato, and also heavy on vibrato and bow weight. Tuning also went flat in the technical demanding closing of the first movement.

Strings' lyrical opening of the second movement was tender but again too steady for my taste. Mutter consistently gave a sweet and clean playing but the slowness dragged the orchestral accompaniment along. One felt bored by the effect despite she achieved the intimacy with the softness in dynamics. The dramatic transition was rather abrupt by development and pouring more emotions at the passionate transition when reaching the last movement. Mutter finally loosen herself, which she gave a virtuosic technical display and more able to deliver the ebb and flow of emotions. The orchestral gallop was energetically corresponded by the beautiful tone quality. It was neither hurry over the double stops and gave sufficient time for each note to sing. An exquisite sweet and tender cadenza, which again Mutter's playing was seamlessly smooth in switching positions preceded the brilliant finale with urgency. Even so, I was not too thrill by the playing as a whole due to many questionable rubato employment and lacked the forwardness.

Interestingly the orchestra had more shape in its playing and regained the interest in their music making at the second half. The mysterious and eerie opening of Debussy's La Mer was followed by an ongoing of ebb and flow of emotions and dynamic contrasts. Though one still sensed the orchestra was observing than driving the momentum, and Barenboim seems rather cool on phrasing by only indicating entries. Yet the sunrise scene was beautifully played with a radiant tone colour followed by a romantic and rhythmically ever changing second movement. The playing was more connected and flowing than before, but it stayed within the vertical shape than moving forward. There was more momentum throughout the tempestuous third movement that depicting the wind and sea, compare to the calm and sunny state in previous movements. Strings gave a strong pulse in building up the violent gallop and answered by a magnificent brass fanfare. It was crisp and precise to sustain the dramatic outlook for an explosive finale.

Berg's music style instead took away the impressionist outlook and replaced with a disfigured appearance. The prelude had a level of weirdness in its development and unsettling as where it headed into. An explosive blast quickly tranformed into an expressive yet violent theme, while the percussion played continuously until the music died away. The second movement, titled 'round dance', was a deconstruction of tonality and the music returned to a fragmented state. The orchestra was far more engaging with direction when ploughing through the ebb of flow of violence and strangeness. Blazing brass reinforced the grotesque impression of the third movement, which followed by a tiring descend into the abyss before a dramatic return for more wild screams. The orchestral layers became more transparent and articulated despite the irregular rhythmic patterns. A war like bombardment from the brass and percussions for an exploding march to conclude the piece with a loud bang. It was as if the musical giant had reawaken for an energetic display but should have happened early on than at the end.

Photo credits: Staatsoper Berlin