A brilliant orchestral tour de force in the Glocke and two heartfelt Bach cantatas in the cathedral offer atmospheric moments at the start of the Bremen Music Festival
35th Bremen Music Festival: A Great Night Music, Saturday 17 August 2024
in the concert hall Die Glocke:
Gioacchino Rossini Overture from “William Tell”
Franz Liszt Piano Concerto No.1 in E flat major S 124
Johannes Brahms Hungarian Dances No.1 in G minor, No.5 in G minor
The Circle of Harmony
Yulianna Avdeeva Fortepiano
Jeremiah Rhorer Conductor
im Dom St.Petri:
Johann Sebastian Bach Cantatas: “O Eternity, Thou Word of Thunder” BWV 20, “Jesu, O my Soul” BWV 78
Bach Collegium Japan
Masaaki Suzuki Line
by Dr. Gerd Klingeberg
At nine venues around Bremen’s market square, eighteen concerts of different styles, taking place on three time levels between 7 p.m. and midnight, interspersed with leisurely chatting, strolling and social meetings at the Roland: This is the Great night musicthe popular opening of the Bremen Music Festival.
And at the 35th music festival, listeners are once again spoiled for choice when it comes to concerts.
For the reviewer, it is first of all the bellto Jérémie Rhorer and the orchestra “Le Cercle de l’Harmonie”, which he founded in 2005.
With Gioacchino Rossini’s overture from “William Tell”, Rhorer takes an extremely calm and reserved approach, conjuring up an almost magical atmosphere. There is only a brief, thunderous outburst, then a distinct tranquillity with a sonorous melody dominates again. Until finally, after a cheeky hunting fanfare, a rousing, furious parforce hunt begins, in which Rhorer pushes the maximum tempi: an all-round successful warm-up for the following Piano Concerto No. 1 by Franz Liszt. The timbre of the large Erard grand piano from 1838 may take some getting used to at first, warm, but slightly dull, especially in the lower register. But Rhorer is known to rely on original sound, and the orchestra plays on historical instruments anyway.
That fits perfectly. And the winner of the 2010 Chopin Competition, the Moscow-born pianist Yulianna Avdeeva, knows how to use the fortepiano brilliantly. The middle movement, with its delicate piano line at the beginning, is highly romantic and so beautiful that it melts away. The Vivace, with its small figures, seems cheerful and playful, then the floodgates seem to open for a torrent of runs, which Avdeeva performs with virtuosity. Introduced by thunderous fanfares, the vehemently playing orchestra presents the Presto final movement with equal effect and rousing brilliance.
Having long since reached optimum operating temperature, the ensemble delights the enthusiastic listeners with the paprika-fiery performance of Hungarian Dances No. 1 and No. 5 by Brahms.
In Bremen Dom St. Petrijust a few steps from the bell, you can experience Masaaki Suzuki with the Bach Collegium Japan as a kind of contrasting program. Not with major Bach works, but “only” with two of his church cantatas. Although both were composed for the chorale cantata year 1724/25, they differ in their theological orientation. In “O ewige, du Donnerwort” (BWV 20) the horror and torment of hell are in the foreground, while in “Jesu, der du meine Seele” (BWV 78) trust in divine help is invoked. Powerful and with impeccable articulation, perfectly supported by the homogeneous, consistently very balanced sound of the instrumental ensemble, the only sixteen choir singers present the opening and closing chorales.
MFB2024 EÖ Bach Collegium Japan Masaaki Suzuki © Patric Leo
They express exceptionally well the compositional implementation of the text that is always so astonishing in Bach’s work, because it is almost word-for-word. The four soloists (Carolyn Sampson, soprano; Alexander Chance, alto; Benjamin Bruns, tenor; Christian Immler, bass) underscore the respective textual content with their sonorous arias and recitatives. Both cantatas thus become impressive, content-rich sermons – regardless of their somewhat antiquated language. If one could still feel some of the boundless fear of the concentrated injustice of this world in the “Donnerwort”, the final chorale from BWV 78 “Lord, I believe, help me, the weak” conveys the unconditional hope of divine guidance.
A beautiful conclusion to an unfortunately short but heartfelt church concert, which was enthusiastically celebrated by the audience, in which the multi-award-winning Masaaki Suzuki and his experienced ensemble once again proved themselves to be outstanding Bach interpreters.
Dr. Gerd Klingeberg, 18 August 2024, for
klassik-begeistert.de and klassik-begeistert.at
