Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra
Usher Hall Music Series

Music Bach: Orchestral suite No.2 in B minor; Beethoven: Piano concerto No.1 in C; Hindemith: Symphony "Mathis der Maler"
Performers Richard Goode (piano); Katalin Kramarics (flute); Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Herbert Blomstedt (Conductor)
Venue Usher Hall
Address Lothian Road
Reviewer Iain Gilmour

Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra © Gerd Mothes

The Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra took the Usher Hall audience on a mini-tour of Germany's musical heritage in its final Festival concert.

Starting with Bach, who was living in Leipzig when the orchestra was founded, it progressed by way of Beethoven to Hindemith, who fled the country to escape the Nazis.

It was a slimmed down Gewandhaus string section - with harpsichord -- that performed Bach's second orchestral suite, taking the mind back to the early days when the infant orchestra regularly accompanied Bach cantatas in Thomaskirche.

Herbert Blomstedt © Gerd Mothes

It would have sounded better, given the hall's size and acoustics, if the ensemble had been slightly larger - one more bass would have been welcome. The piece played was more of a flute concerto than an orchestral suite and Katalin Kramarics, the orchestra's principal flautist, was unflagging in a demanding display during which she scarcely had pause to draw breath.

Tempos may have been a little slower than usual but this did not diminish the artistry and technical skill of her virtuoso performance.

The harpsichord gave way to a grand piano and the strings became a full-size orchestra for the Beethoven Piano concerto No 1 which followed the Bach work. This was something of a disappointment.

Richard Goode © Deborah Finegold

It may have been Richard Goode's introduction of lesser known cadenzas in the first movement but generally something was lacking. Despite Goode's usual lightness of touch and impeccable timing, the end product only skimmed the surface of the work, failing to reveal the magnitude of the composer's inspiration.

In sharp contrast, Herbert Blomstedt's handling of Hindemith's "Mathis der Maler" symphony was a stunning revelation of the full glories of one of the world's oldest orchestras.

Commissioned by the great conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler in 1933 - the year Hitler came to power - the symphony interprets several panels of a 16th Century altar piece by the renowned painter Matthias Grünewald, the "Mathis the painter" of the title.

Conceived as a sort of sketch for the opera of the same name, it raises the question of conflict between artistic integrity and state politics. Hindemith appeared to hold that an artist only owed allegiance to art. His particular piece of art was banned in 1934 and the outcry against it made him leave Germany.

Outcry in the Usher Hall came from the might of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, playing with verve and intensity. Their passionate attention brought into focus minute details of the orchestral writing, while the brass section in particular helped produce a stunning volume of sound.

The sheer quality of performance has not been bettered during this festival and it is pity they gave only two concerts.

The spontaneous cheers, enthusiastic cries of approval, and prolonged stormy applause that burst out at the end of their final performance demonstrated genuine audience appreciation.

© Iain Gilmour. 29 August 2004. Published on www.EdinburghGuide.com