Staatskapelle Berlin/Barenboim review – fresh and engaged on every page

Royal Albert Hall, London
Daniel Barenboim’s rich playing illuminated Mozart’s C minor piano concerto and his conducting dug deep into Bruckner’s Fourth

Daniel Barenboim is such a tireless musician and public figure that there are evenings where he can seem to be winging it. But not in this first of two Proms with his outstanding Berlin orchestra. Barenboim must have played Mozart’s C minor piano concerto K491 dozens of times, and conducted the Fourth Symphony of Bruckner almost as often. But there was nothing routine about these performances, which were fresh, engaged and exploratory on almost every page.

Even when he conducts from the keyboard, as he did in the stormy and dark-hued concerto, Barenboim’s approach to Mozart reflects the early 20th century’s emphasis on the didactic role of the soloist. The weight and rich tone of the playing was unashamed, though there was still liquid lightness in the hands, too. Speeds were leisurely, allowing Barenboim room to explore the nuances of the piano writing. He played his own Beethovenian cadenza in the first movement and introduced some decorations of his own in the slow movement.

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