If Prague Spring glided to a soft finish instead of ending with a bang this year, it was entirely in keeping with the times – and something of a miracle. Amid some of the toughest pandemic restrictions in Europe, the organizers staged 21 concerts (along with two competitions and a masterclass by Garrick Ohlsson), streaming them all free to global viewers. They also managed to open six of the performances to live audiences, including the finale, which featured the first meeting of British conductor Mark Wigglesworth and the Czech Philharmonic.
The results were mixed. Wigglesworth was brilliant in leading two works by Britten: What the Wildflowers Tell Me, an arrangement of the second movement of Mahler’s Third Symphony, and Les Illuminations, a song cycle based on the poetry of Rimbaud. Less impressive was his handling of Beethoven’s Symphony no. 6 in F major, which lacked the clarity of the first half of the program. The real star of the evening was Czech tenor Petr Nekoranec, who delivered the song cycle like he had been singing it all his life.
Wigglesworth has a laid-back conducting style that was a good fit with the orchestra. He likes to meet players halfway in ideas for interpretation, which can sometimes mean getting out of the way and letting them do what they do best. In Wildflowers he showed a light touch, giving the music room to breathe and the orchestra’s natural warmth a chance to blossom. It was like watching someone drive a Cadillac, fine-tuning an already exquisite sound. Light, pleasant and colorful, the piece made a perfect aperitif.
When he needs to be, Wigglesworth is also a skilled technician, as he showed in Les Illuminations. The nine segments traverse a wide range of tempos, moods and dynamics, with nearly every bar packed with fine details. Wigglesworth showed strong command of the material and expert craftsmanship in layering sounds without losing any of the details, giving individual players like concertmaster Jiří Vodička a chance to shine. The buoyancy in the music was remarkable, given the many dramatic demands in the score and the orchestra’s ballast – among its many gifts, the Czech Philharmonic is not known for being particularly nimble.
In the opening songs the orchestra overwhelmed Nekoranec, though this was apparently a function of the hall. Online, the sound was well-balanced and the singer made the most of a rare opportunity. Just 29, Nekoranec is already well-known in Czech lands and in German opera houses as a gifted tenor with a strikingly mature voice. This was a chance to sing for an international audience – and if anything, his voice only improved during the time off. It sounded fuller and more nuanced, richly expressive even when the subject matter was scarlet and black wounds, hissings of death and the like. Nekoranec occasionally faded in top notes, which was a surprise, since those are normally a strength. Otherwise it was an impressive showing from both sides, a smart, capable vocal performance backed by deft musical support.
The closing symphony served mainly as a reminder that there are many ways to do Beethoven. Wigglesworth prefers a heavily legato approach that glosses over the details, instead emphasizing the flow and glow in the music. Nothing wrong with that, though after the Britten pieces the sound seemed thick, even muddy at times. And driving the Cadillac didn’t work as well here; the piece demanded a more hands-on approach that would have developed the emotional undercurrents and restored some of its grandeur. As it was, the highs were not very high and the ride was more lethargic than invigorating.
That said, what more appropriate way to end the festival? No interpretation can dilute the feeling the final movement offers, of emerging into tranquility after going through a dark, stormy time. Over its 76-year history, Prague Spring has endured more than its share of hard times, which may be why it weathered this one so well. And in the finale, provided a beacon for a brighter future.
