This was the first of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra’s concerts this season that was due to be conducted by its Chief Conductor Gabriel Feltz, who died aged of 54 in August. The orchestra and its audience were shocked by his untimely passing. I was fortunate to hear him conduct several times here. In tribute, the orchestra gave a free performance of Beethoven’s Eroica without a conductor in September. All tickets were snapped up within three hours of being made available, such was the enthusiasm of the Belgrade public for their maestro. Between the first two pieces on this evening’s concert, a moving video of tributes to Feltz by members of the Belgrade Philharmonic was shown.
Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto conducted tonight’s concert in a programme which bore the imprint of Feltz’s tastes, rich in late Romantic pieces within the German tradition. Soprano Sarah Traubel sang in all three works.
Alban Berg wrote many songs while a student of Arnold Schoenberg and, some 20 years later, orchestrated seven to create the Seven Early Songs. Berg sets each poem with a different orchestration giving each its own character with a few deft touches. The focus, though, is on the singer and the words. Traubel’s voice may not be big enough to fill some larger concert halls but was just right for the Kolarac Hall. She blended nicely with the orchestra, emerging out of it at key moments. Her interaction with the changing timbres of the Schilflied and the eerie Traumgekrönt were particularly expressive. Her clear diction communicated the meaning of the songs; only on very few occasions was she overwhelmed by the power of the orchestra.
Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs presented a much more familiar cycle of late Romantic songs and Prieto brough out the beauties of the orchestration. The glowing sound of the Nikola Ćirić’s horn in September was breathtaking, and the flutes of Im Abendrot were magical. Leader Miroslav Pavlović gave some stunning violin solos. The real star, though, was Traubel whose intense singing created an uplifting experience.
Feltz had been a great enthusiast for Mahler since he was a boy and was in the process of conducting all the symphonies with Belgrade Philharmonic. Only two remained, including this evening’s Fourth. Whether it was a result of Feltz’s work with the orchestra or Prieto’s conducting of this concert (or both), this was a stunning performance. Right from the opening the balance between light and shade was perfectly judged. The wide-eyed humour was present and so was powerful drama. Textures were clear and we could hear all the details of the many fine solos, not least those of Pavlović, but not at the expense of the overall picture. In a coup de théâtre, Traubel returned through the auditorium in a dramatic moment in the third movement to sing the “child’s view of heaven” finale. She may not have the traditional angelic soprano, but her committed performance crowned both the symphony and the concert.
