At the Concertgebouw, it's all about Lang Lang

Lang Lang, Andris Nelsons and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Andris Nelsons and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in the Concertgebouw

By Clare Varney, 03 June 2023

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“a performance so mesmerising, it was easy to forget there was an orchestra on stage”

Reviewed at Concertgebouw: Main Hall, Amsterdam on 1 June 2023

Beethoven, Coriolan Overture, Op.62

Beethoven, Piano Concerto no. 3 in C minor, Op.37

Beethoven, Symphony no. 5 in C minor, Op.67

Lang Lang, Piano

Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Andris Nelsons, Conductor

Delicacy at the cost of spark: Mitsuko Uchida with the Mahler CO

Mengguang Huang, 26th January

While Uchida’s performances showcase remarkable precision and refinement, they occasionally feel restrained, leaving room to explore the improvisatory charm that make Mozart’s music so compelling.

***11

Magic and solemnity: Uchida and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Susan Stempleski, 28th March

Mitsuko Uchida and the MCO continue their exploration of Mozart’s piano concertos and the players deliver a polished New York premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Chorale Quartet.

****1

Lessons in grief: Picture a day like this triumphs in Aix

David Karlin, 5th July

Sir George Benjamin and Martin Crimp’s fourth opera shares the best qualities of their previous work but is an inspiring, breathtaking fable.

*****

The First and Second Viennese Schools in one: Uchida and the Mahler CO

Alexander Hall, 1st February

Dame Mitsuko Uchida demonstrates why she is one of today's greatest Mozartians, while her MCO players give a virtuoso account of a work steeped in the Viennese tradition.

****1

Shadows and spectres: Mahler Chamber Orchestra at the Elbphilharmonie

Alexander Hall, 9th November

A cabinet of curiosities: Christoph Koncz has an unconventional take on two Viennese symphonies, yet contributes well to an exemplary performance of Britten's most famous song cycle.

***11

Magical Mozart from Uchida and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Roy Westbrook, 5th February

If Purcell’s genius was muted, it was not missing in the Mahler Chamber Orchestra's appearance at London's Southbank.

****1

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Clare Varney

Clare is a freelance writer and music critic from the UK, currently living in the Netherlands where she writes about Music, Food and Culture. Clare is a passionate musician, having learnt the violin and piano from an early age. When not at her laptop writing, she spends her time nurturing the next generation of brass players, all from her Dutch kitchen in the sky. Read more at The Spidy Editor.