After the superb Munich concert, we headed to Lucerne for the final leg of our musical tour. The Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, James Gaffigan and Khatia Buniatishvili performed at the KKL (Kultur und Kongresszentrum Luzern) concert hall on 8 June.
This concert opened with Weber’s lively overture from Euryanthe. Chief conductor Gaffigan set the orchestra off at a cracking pace, creating an upbeat mood throughout the evening.
Although the opera is rarely heard in its entirety, the overture encapsulates the hero’s two great themes, with the drama of martial music from woodwind and brass giving way to the lyrical eloquence of legato strings. An exuberant final flourish conveyed a feeling of triumph, which set the audience up nicely for the Beethoven Piano Concerto No 1 in C major.
Since Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 1 starts with a long orchestral ritornello, Buniatishvili fans were made to wait a while before her first notes. This gave the audience a chance to appreciate some of the exceptional qualities of the Lucerne SO. The strings produce the clear and crisp sound of a chamber orchestra, while giving each phrase a clearly defined dynamic contour.
When Buniatishvili joined in, her running passages were played with classical refinement and delicacy, contrasting with the power that she can muster when needed. She showed technical ability out of the very top drawer, playing Beethoven’s long rippling runs with perfect and chiselled precision and then handing over to the orchestra with resolute power. Buniatishvili dazzled in the first movement cadenza while retaining the elegance when needed.
The Lucerne SO delicately accompanied the soloist in her beautiful second movement melodies and she repaid the compliment when they took over the tune. The high jinks of the rondo theme in the final movement, first stated by the piano alone, then taken up by the orchestra, proved a rousing conclusion of a very stylish and immensely enjoyable performance.
After long and sustained applause, Buniatishvili rewarded the audience with a moving interpretation of Debussy’s Clair de lune from his Suite bergamasque.
Gaffigan led a performance of Dvořák’s New World Symphony that was subtly varied, with moments of melody and counterpoint, clarified orchestral textures, heighted rhythmic tension and release in the flute solo of the first movement. In the second movement, a gentle body of lovely string tone cushioned the exquisite cor anglais solo.
The third movement had a sense of urgency, but with relaxation in the slower middle section. In the last movement, Dvořák ties the whole symphony together, musically and dramatically. This performance was impassioned, with moments of utmost serenity.
It may be hard to imagine calling a performance of a warhorse like the New World Symphony thrilling, but James Gaffigan and the Lucerne SO made it so this time. It was apparent to the audience as well, with the conductor and orchestra being given a well-deserved and extended ovation and many curtain calls.
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