The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra are guests of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for the first time. In the Herkulessaal they play together with Julia Fischer, who is presenting a new violin concerto by Johannes X. Schachtner.
From
Michael Stallknecht
There is said to be Bavaria, for which Bamberg is abroad, and Franconia, for which Munich is the same. In this respect, it is almost an international exchange when the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra comes to Munich for the first time as guests of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Her chief conductor Jakub Hrůša even brought a gift to the Herkulessaal: a brand new violin concerto by the composer Johannes X. Schachtner (who lives more in Munich), played by Julia Fischer. Schachtner, who has known Fischer since school days, knows what he owes the brilliant technician. Among other things, in a major cadenza it can come up with all the established playing techniques, so in contrast to other contemporary concertos it clearly remains in the soloist role. Nevertheless, Schachtner repeatedly lets them interact with the orchestra, thereby eliciting new, decidedly sensual sound combinations from the symphonic apparatus. In a good half hour, seven “states” of different tempos and characters merge into one another, rhythmically chanting, melodic, dancing, which, of course, are hardly continued in themselves. The work as a whole thus lacks an arc that would lead coherently to the poetically calm ending.
The audience’s rejoicing for Antonin Dvořák’s symphony “From the New World” was all the greater afterwards, not because it was well known, but because Jakub Hrůša actually lured it into the world anew. His conducting ensures rough edges with extreme accuracy, sharpening the contrasts in tempo sequence and sound characters. With brilliant solos and a clear but warm overall sound, the Bambergers show what is often forgotten in Munich: that another world-class orchestra is at home in Franconia. The BR Symphoniker can therefore make an effort when they return in July with Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony conducted by Christian Thielemann.