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The issue of a limited number of top-flight visiting orchestras has been a prominent topic at this year’s BBC Proms. While other summer festivals host their fair share, the reasons for this scarcity remain unclear, with possibilities ranging from budget cuts to post-Brexit visa challenges.
Nevertheless, the orchestras that do attend are warmly welcomed. The Budapest Festival Orchestra, led by co-founder and long-term music director Iván Fischer, has established itself as one of the most cohesive partnerships in the orchestral world, consistently delivering captivating performances.
For their 40th anniversary, they recently participated in three Proms concerts over the weekend. Each evening concert featured a standard program, showcasing Hungarian-born pianist András Schiff as the soloist. Fischer’s customary quirks were mostly reserved for the encores, including moments where the musicians set aside their instruments to sing together as a choir.
However, their first concert, which consisted of early Romantic compositions by Weber, Schumann, and Mendelssohn, left much to be desired. It seemed that Fischer, considering the vastness of the Royal Albert Hall, assembled a sizable orchestra. As a result, the performance felt heavy, especially now that the lighter and more transparent style of period performances has gained popularity.
One standout moment was the Overture to Weber’s Der Freischütz, with its four horns creating a supernatural woodland atmosphere from opposite sides of the organ loft. Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3, the Scottish, had an abundance of gloom, but the stormy sections lacked intensity, and the Scottish rhythms fell short in their liveliness. Towards the end, each section of the orchestra stood individually, providing entertainment but not necessarily enhancing the overall experience.
In the midst of the program, Schiff’s interpretation of Schumann’s Piano Concerto felt somewhat uneasy. While he demonstrated an understanding of the piano’s limitations during Schumann’s time, his lighter touch led to under-projected sound, pale tone colors, and occasional technical mistakes.
★★★☆☆
The good news is that the second Prom concert was of a much higher caliber. It commenced with the captivating and eccentric Mysteries of the Macabre by Ligeti, a 10-minute music theater piece performed by Anna-Lena Elbert. While her voice may have been small for the venue, her energy was certainly not lacking.
The first half, consisting entirely of Hungarian composers, included Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3, where Schiff’s piano playing was revitalized. This time, there were no mistakes, only precise articulation and a deep understanding of the music’s fusion of cool neoclassicism and lively Hungarian folk dances in the finale. This concerto suits Schiff exceptionally well.
The highlight of the evening was Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, the Eroica, in which Fischer truly pushed his Budapest players to their limits. It takes years of experience working together, not to mention extensive rehearsal time, to achieve the precise balance and attack needed for every note in a symphony of this magnitude. The performance was powerful, dramatic, and driven, without feeling forced or exaggerated. It has been quite some time since the BBC Proms witnessed an Eroica as exceptional as this. The Fischer/Budapest team showcased their true form.
★★★★☆
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