Leipzig Orchestra Stuns at Proms: Nelsons and Faust Deliver Breathtaking Performance!

Arvo Pärt, the esteemed Estonian composer, has created many profoundly serene compositions, yet his 1977 Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten stands out for its straightforward and poignant appeal. Celebrating his 90th birthday this year, Pärt had only just begun to appreciate Britten’s unadulterated musical expressions before Britten’s untimely death. The piece, lasting six minutes, features a compelling contrast between the fluid scales of the strings and the solemn ringing of a solitary bell.

The performance was an apt beginning to a diverse program where the renowned Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra showcased its versatility under the baton of Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons, a fellow Baltic native. The music started with the softest whispers, with intertwining melodies that ascended and descended, culminating as Nelsons extracted every ounce of emotion from the closing chord with his emphatic gestures.

Isabelle Faust stepped in for Hilary Hahn to perform Dvořák’s Violin Concerto, and she managed to deliver a seamless performance despite occasionally referencing her sheet music for accuracy. Her interpretation skillfully blended 19th-century Romantic sensibilities with vibrant folk nuances. Her playing, polished yet expressive at the higher registers, masterfully brought out the darker, more mysterious shades of the music while simultaneously infusing the brighter sections with buoyancy, especially throughout the expansive first movement.

Faust chose subtlety over flamboyance, finding a delicate poetry in the more virtuosic segments of the concerto, with Nelsons and the Gewandhaus musicians providing a responsive and nuanced accompaniment. The adagio was tenderly delivered, and the final movement, characterized by a lively Czech furiant, showcased Faust’s nimble fingerwork dancing swiftly over the orchestra’s robust rhythms.

Nelsons proved to be a reliable navigator through the complexities of Sibelius’s Second Symphony, although at times the performance hinted at the work’s occasionally disjointed nature. He maintained a brisk pace, perhaps intensifying the volume prematurely, but effectively highlighted the internal drama, especially in the first movement. The following andante featured ominously deep bassoons above a resolute pizzicato backdrop, steering the stormy composition towards its relentless end. The scherzo was tightly wound and invigorating, and Nelsons skillfully expanded the tempo in the expansive finale to give it a grand and dignified air.