The Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, an ensemble of outstanding young musicians drawn from conservatories and academies around the world, has been shaped over the summer under Christoph Eschenbach’s rigorous guidance. Mendelssohn revealed their chamber-like sensitivity and finely tuned sense of ensemble at the Elbphilharmonie, while Bruckner served as the canvas for Eschenbach’s personal choices and aesthetic inclinations, the orchestra functioning almost as an extension of his interpretive will.
Midori, stepping into Mendelssohn’s concerto, seemed more like the very heart of the ensemble, or even its guiding force. She managed to make this universally familiar work speak freshly again by clarifying the innovations embedded in Mendelssohn’s conception: the immediate entrance of the solo violin without the customary orchestral prelude, and the unusual positioning of the cadenza before the recapitulation. Her bowing was economical and reliable, her sound efficient yet focused, and the impression was one of masterly ease. Most remarkable was her handling of the development section in the first movement, where she conveyed the music’s instability and hesitation with striking poignancy. In the finale, her interpretation took on a rare touch of humour and freshness, achieved through short bow strokes and clipped phrasing that lent the music vitality.
Such an approach found ideal resonance in the orchestra’s finely balanced accompaniment. Under Eschenbach’s equally concise direction, they provided an elegant and transparent backdrop, chamber-like in its precision and sensitivity, which allowed Midori’s artistry to shine. The collaboration was marked by a mutual attentiveness that elevated the concerto’s conversational qualities, the orchestra breathing almost as one with Midori. The only slight reservation came with her Bach encore, whose brisk tempo and occasional tonal unevenness made it less persuasive.
Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony proved an extreme test of stamina and concentration for both musicians and audience. The interpretation was clearly the product of deep thought and meticulous rehearsal: tempos carefully related, balances adjusted with precision. Isolated elements – the long-breathed crescendos, the vigorous Scherzo, the expansive fugue of the finale – were executed at a consistently high level, with remarkable control and clarity. Vibrato was not overwhelmingly applied, giving the sonority a clean, chiseled quality.
And yet, for all its discipline, the overall impression sometimes felt too much like stonework without final polishing – impressive in detail but overly deliberate and sharp-edged, with transitions between sections not fully organic, as though each gesture had been meticulously placed rather than allowed to grow. The young musicians conveyed energy and loyalty to Eschenbach’s vision, but what was missing was the sense of inevitability and spaciousness that gives Bruckner’s symphonic architecture its singular majesty. The symphony’s opening lays the foundation for the entire work, requiring careful proportioning of climaxes so that the great chorale of the finale can crown the structure with true inevitability. By comparison, this performance dazzled more in execution than in its long-range design.
That said, the achievement of the evening remained considerable. To bring Mendelssohn’s intimacy into such sharp relief, and then to confront Bruckner’s monumental edifice with discipline and stamina, is itself proof of the orchestra’s adaptability. This youthful ensemble demonstrated not only technical excellence but also artistic ambition, showing that under Eschenbach’s guidance they can inhabit two radically different sound worlds within a single program.
