SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Stravinsky and Dvořák: Pieter Wispelwey (cello). Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer (conductor), Royal Festival Hall, London. 6.6.2008 (MMB)

Stravinsky  – Concerto in E flat for chamber orchestra ‘Dumbarton Oaks’ (1938), The Firebird Suite (1919)

Dvořák  – Cello Concerto in B minor Op. 104 (1894-95), Legend in B flat Op. 59 No. 10 arr. for orchestra (1880), Nocturne in B for strings Op. 40 (1875), Slavonic Dance in A major Op. 46 No. 5 (1878)


Iván Fischer is a dynamic, innovative conductor and the soul of the Budapest Festival Orchestra. He founded the orchestra in 1983 because he wanted to do something different, believing passionately that the entire musical system needed a profound shake-up. In his own words: ‘I felt that orchestral musicians didn’t see themselves as artists, but as having a job.’[1] So, once he had his own orchestra assembled, Fischer introduced new, intensive rehearsal methods and an emphasis on creative work for each musician in the orchestra. Fischer started new concert formats, like special concerts for children, public concerts where he talked about the compositions, and so-called “secret concerts” without an announced programme. The orchestra works strictly 30 weeks per year, as Fischer believes that more would make the players (and perhaps audiences)  switch off and, to stimulate creativity, he has devised an annual competition from within the orchestra to give the musicians soloist opportunities. Whether one agrees with Fischer’s radical approach to running an orchestra or not, one must concede that he is definitely doing something right. Twenty-five years after its creation, the Budapest Festival Orchestra is one of the finest in the world; a serious case of popularity, performing to packed houses, both at home and abroad, and displaying a brilliance that  one does not see very often. Players enjoy an intimate artistic and reciprocated relationship with Fischer which most ensembles and conductors can only dream about. This concert at the Royal Festival Hall lived entirely up to expectations.

Stravinsky’s famous “Dumbarton Oaks” concerto for chamber orchestra was commissioned by a wealthy American,  Mr and Mrs Robert Woods Bliss in 1937 in celebration of their 30^th wedding anniversary in 1938. The name Dumbarton Oaks was that of their estate in Washington D.C.. The piece was innovative, composed during Stravinsky’s neo-Classic period, a time when the composer was experimenting with forms of western musical tradition. To my mind, the “Dumbarton Oaks” concerto is a musical essay on composing in the Baroque style, using a modern harmonic, rhythmic and melodic language, and deliberately invoking J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos.  Fischer’s rendition with 15  Budapest Festival Orchestra players was simultaneously exuberant, energetic and  delightful.

Preparing to perform Dvořák’s magnificent Cello Concerto in B minor, the Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey made an interesting, unusual entrance in the sense that he was  in shirt sleeves and a bright golden waistcoat, heavily contrasting his appearance with the orchestra and conductor, all in formal black and, in the case of the men, tails and bow tie. He reminded me of a working man ready to open his tool box and start the job, and I mean this as a compliment. Concerts often suffer from too much formality and therefore this made for a refreshing, welcoming start. Refreshing was also the word for Wispelwey’s and Fischer’s approach to the concerto, each handling it with sobriety and sustained intensity and never allowing it to become over-sentimental. Although the concerto’s solo part is demanding, Dvořák did not intend it as a vehicle for virtuosity but instead aimed for orchestra and soloist to form an integrated whole.

It is fair to say that  Wispelwey, Fischer and the BFO achieved the composer's intentions to a degree reaching near perfection, most obviously during the masterful, lyrically intense first movement Allegro. Orchestra and soloist exchanged the two main themes in a truly harmonious conversation, displaying a brilliant understanding of the composer’s ideas. The slower second movement, Adagio ma non troppo, is possibly the concerto's most poignant section, opening with a painfully beautiful clarinet solo. While Wispelwey’s execution was certainly effective here,  but I could not help longing for the spontaneous, delicate sensitivity of the legendary Mstislav Rostropovich (who sadly passed away in April 2007), wonderfully captured in his memorable 1969 recording with Karajan and the Berliner Philarmoniker.  Wispelwey’s reading was moving and lyrical but perhaps lacked the purity and crystalline clarity of sound that Rostropovich managed to extract from the cello, particularly during this second movement. In the third and final movement however, Wispelwey was back in his element and his performance was ravishing and fluid, and even though he was perspiring copiously  he still managed to look cool and assured, sending Fischer and the BFO into the rousing finale  and bringing out a loud, well deserved roar of applause for both himself and the orchestra at the end.

After the interval, Iván Fischer and the BFO truly came into their own with four different pieces for the full orchestra, enabling them to showcase their brilliance, creativity and glorious sound. It was obvious that a great deal of thought went into devising the best, most effective placement of  instruments to obtain the best possible sound and Fischer did not shy away from making minor adjustments, depending on the piece to be  played. He favoured a very symmetrical, antiphonal orchestra layout throughout the evening, in both halves of the concert, and he was proven completely correct. The BFO sound was fabulous, clear and precise without ever becoming dry.

The second half of the evening began with three fine, little gems by Dvořák, respectively Legend in B flat No, 10, arranged for orchestra from the original  piano duet, the  Nocturne in B for strings and Slavonic Dance in A major No. 5. The performance of each piece was excellent and beautiful, displaying their differences and variety most effectively. I particularly loved the interpretation of the Legend in B flat, which was extraordinarily evocative, echoing childhood memories of deep forests, inhabited  by fairy tale creatures. The Nocturne was suitably hushed and lyrical and the Slavonic Dance masterfully energetic and vibrant.

The concert closed, as it opened, with a piece by Stravinsky. In this case the suite No. 2 from his great ballet score The Firebird, graphical music in which  Fischer and the BFO really excelled, giving it its full character, depicting the various changes in mood brilliantly, from the mysterious to the  magical, from the dark to the luminous, particularly during the dance of the firebird, the lullaby and  the glorious finale. The response of the audience at the RFH was understandably one of enthusiastic, roaring applause and demands for many curtain calls. In typical style,  asked the audience what they would like to hear as an encore.  The reply was deafening and the only clear request was for another great Stravinsky masterpiece The Rite of Spring, which  brought more than a few smiles on the musicians’ faces but was never going to happen. After a brief discussion with his first violin, Iván Fischer opted for another Slavonic Dance by Dvořák, this time the seventh. It was the right closure to an evening of great music.

Iván Fischer must be very proud of his orcheatra and their combined achievements. The relationship between the player and the conductor is obviously one mutual respect and understanding, possibly even love. Mixed in with suberb talent this is the secret of their success.

Margarida Mota-Bull

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