Double vision: Two concerts of Berg and Beethoven with the LSO at the Barbican
Music by Beethoven and Berg
Dorothea Röschmann, Simon Rattle and London Symphony Orchestra
Barbican Hall
Stalls H73, £12 (15 Jan); Balcony B7, £16 (16 Jan)
15 and 16 January 2020
Barbican pages: 15 Jan and 16 Jan
Programme:
Berg: Seven Early Songs
Berg: Passacaglia (16 Jan only)
Berg: Three Pieces for Orchestra (16 Jan only)
Beethoven: Symphony No 7
I’m not quite sure how I managed to book practically the same concert on two consecutive nights and you can bet I felt pretty silly when, enthusing to a friend about what a great programme he was missing on the Wednesday, he pointed out he had tickets to the exact same programme on the Thursday except with more Berg and, wait, weren’t we seeing it together? Still, I consoled myself, better than missing it altogether and of course it’s not too great a burden to see more great music.
AS IT HAPPENED there was a very good reason to see both concerts, so through no effort of my own my ludicrous mistake paid off. That reason was the performance of Beethoven’s 7th on the Wednesday was tremendous, comfortably the second best performance I have ever seen after Thomas Hengelbrock’s with NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, which, being at the Elbphilharmonie, is hardly a fair comparison.
That said, one factor of the LSO performance’s tremendousness was probably positional. I upgraded my seat to one on the three rows right at the front, left empty I assume for reasons of dignity but which I can never resist. My new position placed me almost in the lap of the firsts, who played with the sort of steely, minimal-vibrato, gleaming rasp that I love for Beethoven. Enjoying the firsts this much also meant I was less able to hear the rest of the orchestra, leaving mostly to my imagination whether I chose to hear good ensemble or bad.
It was easy to choose good as Rattle made unfailingly astute decisions that prompted inspirationally energetic responses from the orchestra. I’ve been sceptical about Rattle’s introductions at Half Six Fixes but he’s either changed his approach or found new inspiration in the Beethoven. He spoke concisely, with passion and with great interest: by the end of the five or so minutes he spoke I was primed for an exciting performance, and judging from the results the players were too. Their playing was tight, powerful, energised; Rattle’s tempos, while not what I would necessarily choose, made profound sense in the context of each other; and the combined effect was that I spent the symphony frozen upright, trembling, heart thumping and tears pouring down my cheeks, much like my response at the Elbphilharmonie.
At the end the LSO knew they had given a truly great performance. I felt, or like to think I felt, their anticipation the following night. But it was not to be repeated: while good, Thursday’s Beethoven was ordinary in its effect, Rattle and the LSO unable to recapture yesterday’s lightning. Fortunately the addition of Berg’s Passacaglia and Three Pieces for Orchestra justified my double-booking. Like with the Seven Early Songs on both nights, the performances had authority and precision enough to build the characteristic Bergian lustre that is always such a pleasure to experience.
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