EIF: Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, 29/8/26
Daishin Kashimoto (violin), Diyang Mei (viola), Bruno Delepelaire (cello), Wenzel Fuchs (clarinet), Stefan Dohr (horn), Alessio Bax (piano)
On the forenoon of the 29th August and as part of their International Festival residency, 6 principals from the Berliner Philharmoniker closed the Queen’s Hall series with an eclectic programme of 3 chamber works from the 19th and 20th centuries. The concert was recorded for later broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Attendance was well-nigh full.
Czech composer Zdeněk Fibich’s 1893 4-movement Quintet in D for violin, cello, piano, clarinet and horn was a first hearing for me and, at 35 minutes, a substantial piece of Late Romanticism. The joyous conventional sonata-form first movement in 3 opened with striding confidence and the second theme was similar but more lyrical. The clarinet solos and the chamber conversations between clarinet and violin were particularly fine, though the perennial issue of some pianist composers writing music that does not lie well on bowed strings did challenge the violinist’s intonation occasionally. The Largo slow movement was an extended Romance, also in 3, with a harmonic ambience reminiscent of young Korngold. The chamber conversations between cello, clarinet and horn were most captivating here. A richly scored climax and a capricious interlude added interest but, frankly, a diary of Fibich’s love affair is probably of more interest to Fibich than me. The Scherzo was a brisk minor-key Brucknerian ländler with two slower Trios, the second in 4. It was a delight which made up for the longueur of the Romance. The Allegro con spirito finale reprised the joyous aplomb of the first movement, but in a vaguely rondo form with a couple of playful episodes and a triumphant conclusion. Probably not destined to be a favourite, but well worth the candle and the dutiful advocacy expended on it.
By contrast, Brahms’ delicious 1891 Trio in A minor, Op.114 for Clarinet, Piano and Cello will always be a firm favourite. Stunned by the technical and expressive virtuosity of clarinettist Richard Muhlfeld, Brahms was tempted out of retirement to write pieces including clarinet, not just the Trio but 3 other works, including the Clarinet Sonata and the Clarinet Quintet, every one a gem. Melancholy A-minor dominates the first movement, but with mutually responsive phrasing, the chamber conversations between cello and clarinet felt mutually consolatory, and the movement does end on A major. Though pianist Brahms was showcasing the clarinet, the cello is often asked to match figures that lie well on the clarinet but less well on the cello. You would never have guessed – playing from all three was superb. The Adagio was an exquisite Romance, nominally in D major, though it does teeter between major and minor. Fabulously lyrical playing, achingly beautiful at the end. In the Andantino grazioso, warm A-major contentment bathed an elegant dance in 3, part minuet, part waltz. Gorgeous. The troubled mood of the first movement returns in the Finale, though Hungarian tropes in the rhythm lend an air of stoic resilience. A compelling and very satisfying reading of the late Brahms masterpiece.
After the interval, Ernst von Dohnányi’s 1935 4-movement Sextet in C, Op.37 added a viola to the earlier quintet and was a revelation. The turbulent first movement was full of contrasts, dark and foreboding at times, Brahmsian and lyrical at others, and even had a couple of shocking tritones at a climax in the sonata form development. The second movement, a dreamy nocturne, was interrupted by a central baleful Mahlerian funeral march, which attempted to return at the end but was quelled by the idyll, like waking from a nightmare, The scherzo, leisurely and playful by turn, mixed Brahmsian warmth with Mendelssohnian playfulness. None of which prepared for the finale, which was a jazzy rondo romp and an absolute hoot. The baleful opening of the first movement attempted a final word, but was swept away by ragtime, finishing on a quirky non-sequitur cadence. Hilarious and a total delight.
Link: https://www.eif.co.uk/events/members-of-the-berliner-philharmoniker