Riccardo Minasi and Ensemble Resonanz’s eagerly awaited BBC Proms debut did not disappoint. In an all-Mozart programme, they brought energy and life to the music, and with live-wire Minasi at the helm (eschewing scores, baton and podium) they were fun to watch as well as hear.
Le nozze di Figaro’s overture set the tone, with immediate energy, bright tone and tight ensemble, Minasi shaping the surging lines, and a pulsing build to the climax. The horns perhaps didn’t have their finest moments here – in fact it wasn’t until the Jupiter that they settled into their groove, but their raspy tones nevertheless added extra spice to the mix.
For the Sinfonia Concertante, Clara-Jumi Kang and Timothy Ridout’s tones were beautifully matched throughout, a real sign of a duo that perform together frequently. Often the work brings together unfamiliar soloists, and the sheer beauty of Mozart’s intertwining of the two instruments requires a melding of minds and approaches that is not always achieved. Here, communication was constant, with much eye contact, and their ensemble on the runs, particularly in the cadenzas, was effortlessly tight. They gave us sweetly singing lines in the opening movement, then mellow longing in the aching slow movement, and the finale was sprightly and playful, with their final runs up to the top precise and full of joy. Minasi kept the lean orchestra mostly in the background, but also gave point and weight to the tuttis when needed. Kang and Ridout then gave a beautiful rendition of the Adagio from the Duo in G major, with gentle touch from both in the delicate filigree and lyrical lines.
The overture to Don Giovanni upped the energy levels after the interval, delivering instant drama, with tightly surging scales and falling woodwind figures, and Minasi injecting energy into quick tempos, all setting the scene for a dramatic Jupiter to follow.
The opening movement of the symphony certainly took us by surprise. After the arresting opening chords, Minasi immediately slowed things up, and throughout the movement he used shocking elements of rubato to hold up this phrase, push through on the next. However well you might have known the symphony, it definitely made you listen afresh. Perhaps not one for a definitive recording, but entertaining as a live experience. The slow movement had more rubato effects, but with operatic drama in contrasting dynamics and weighty accents, cleverly emphasising the relationship with Don Giovanni, composed only months later. The Menuetto had a graceful swing, with beautifully smooth woodwind playing, and the Trio was lightly playful. And then for the ‘fugal finale’. From the pianissimo beginning, Minasi then took off at a cracking pace, and this was a tour de force of energetic drive from beginning to end. Smooth fugal lines contrasted with spiky articulation from all. Minasi was bouncing about the stage, punching into the string section and throwing huge hammer blows for the striking timpani. Not much chance for rubato here, just the slightest slowing up to herald returning material. The bassoons, as elsewhere this evening, were particularly fine, and the denouement was gloriously majestic.
Minasi delivered a jolly and infectiously entertaining speech, teetering on the edge of descending into panto, but including a heartfelt message of peace. We were then treated to a lightening rendition of the Presto finale from the Haffner, taking Mozart at his word, when he told his father Leopold that it should be played “as fast as possible”. A rollercoaster conclusion to a great debut Prom performance.
