The Czech Philharmonic’s latest programme under its Chief Conductor and Music Director Semyon Bychkov presented canonical works of the Romantic Germanic repertoire drawn from a relatively brief, 70-year period. The operatic, song and symphonic genres were represented by Wagner, Mahler and Mendelssohn respectively in a concert that highlighted diversity despite its seemingly narrow purview. Wagner’s opinions about Jews, Mendelssohn in particular, are notorious. The juxtaposition of two of their works is probably asking a concert to lift more than its weight in terms of controversial historical discourse, but given Mahler’s own experiences with anti-Semitism, this provided some thought-provoking context.
The evening opened with Wagner’s overture to his 1845 opera Tannhäuser. The orchestra limned its contrasting themes of carnal earthly versus pure chaste love by focusing with decisive rhythms and dynamic variation. A feature throughout was the strong sense of unanimity within the strings in terms of coordinated attack and tone. This manifested as descriptive, juddering articulation during the overture’s stormy conclusion. Despite the bumpiness of the musical line, the violins still managed to knit everything together. In the same section, the woodwinds had the luxury of playing extremely softly, yet still completely audibly, due to the refined dynamic control Bychkov exerted in other sections of the orchestra.
The concert’s highlight was mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron in Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder. These songs are based on five poems by Friedrich Rückert in which he vents his grief over the loss of both of his children. The poems are remarkable for their expression of profound grief almost at a remove. Emotion is raw, but always slightly below the surface, conveyed by metaphor and observation. In the first song, for example, the loss is acknowledged, but the sun still “shines equally on everyone”.
The songs were premiered in 1905 by a baritone; however, there is a strong tradition of performances by mezzo-sopranos including legends such as Janet Baker, Kathleen Ferrier and Christa Ludwig. Barron is relatively early in her career, and yet this performance revealed an already deep connection with text and technical mastery.
Barron is a true mezzo in contrast to what seems like a current preference for light, lyric, lower-voiced females in this type of repertoire. And yet, her tone was never ponderous or artificially dark. Barron wasn’t afraid to use chest tones for expressive effect on specific words like “der Welt” (the world) and “Auge” (eyes), bringing out a sense of world-weariness and emotional exhaustion. The mezzo conveyed feeling without histrionics, but rather with subtle facial expressions and idiomatic text. She is clearly already well on her way to becoming one of today’s great Mahler interpreters.
Kindertotenlieder are more often performed with piano accompaniment these days, so It was a treat to hear them with a full orchestra. Barron and Bychkov worked as a team with the conductor in clear communication with the singer. There were some beautiful responses from the strings that grew organically from what Barron had just tossed their way.
The programme concluded with Mendelssohn’s Symphony no. 4 in A major, known as the “Italian”. Famously conceived during the composer’s two-year stay in Italy beginning in 1830, Bychkov and his forces conveyed all of its joy and southern European sunniness. The opening movement was brisk, with a lot of give and take in the tempi. The Minuet-based third movement featured an ideal blend of brass and woodwinds. The folk dance rhythms of the finale were delivered at a quick pace with lots of punch. The audience gratefully basked in all this warmth as they emerged into a chilly Prague night.
