European Concert 1993 DVD

For their third annual May 1 European Concert commemorating the date that the orchestra was founded, the Berlin Philharmonic chose to perform in the Royal Albert Hall in London under Bernard Haitink. Haitink was then the music director at Covent Garden, and he brings an operatic intensity to their first item, Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture. He characterises it brilliantly, with stirring religious solemnity for Friar Lawrence's music and fiery explosions in the fight sequence. Frank Peter Zimmerman then gives a forthright, heavily late-romantic reading of Mozart's... Violin Concerto No. 3 which might not be to everyone's taste, but which seems somehow appropriate in the Victorian splendour of the hall. The Rite of Spring allows the orchestra to show off its star woodwind players, who cope with the score's taxing wind writing with polished brilliance. The opening sounds fantastic, and Haitink tailors the tempo to the boomy acoustic so that not a detail is lost. It's a performance literally dripping with energy: you can see the sweat pouring off the players as they dig into the piece's meatier moments. Overall, this is an excellent concert from an orchestra on top form. On the DVD: European Concert, 1993 includes a 28-minute documentary in German about the Albert Hall, and the Berlin Philharmonic's visits to the UK. There's fascinating substantial footage of Furtwängler conducting the orchestra in London, and a long interview with Haitink in which he discusses his relationship with the BP. There are subtitles in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.--Warwick Thomson [show more]

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