The Wiener KammerOrchester made an eventful journey from early to late classicism at the Konzerthaus.
BY JENS F. LAURSON
Pre-classical music is not easy on our modern ears. But if you search long enough, you’ll find little gems. Then you still need to perform them with spirit. Jan Willem de Vriend and the Wiener KammerOrchester did just that on Sunday evening at the Konzerthaus with Johann Christian Bach’s D major Symphony for Double Orchestra. The piece has a certain Mozartian vivacity and could easily pass for an unknown Haydn symphony. The performance provided everything the heart desires in this music (and what it must have, or it risks becoming terribly dull): lightness, energy, notes attacked from the outset, giving no chance to lethargy, dynamic nuance, and no sugarcoating. Both toe-tapping playfulness and stormy vigor were equally present: even a top-notch period-instrument ensemble would have struggled to do better.
An invigorating prelude before the show of the Jussen brothers, who have been filling concert halls and charming audiences with their blond hair and shiny suits (lion tamer style) for nearly 20 years. This time their playground was Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos, K. 365. The brothers swayed and spun, physically savoring every note, sometimes placing a hand on their heart in deep emotion, only to gently guide it back to the keyboard. The elder brother (Lucas) is physically more agile, while the younger (Arthur) displays a bit more dexterity. They performed the pleasing concerto well, especially in the final movement. The audience cheered and was rewarded with an encore, an arrangement of a piece from the St. Matthew Passion.
The Applause Police in Action
Things got even more exciting with Schubert’s Fourth Symphony, which suffers somewhat from its title “Tragic” as it rarely feels tragic. But if you approach it with classical lightness and play it on the edge of your seat, as the WKO under de Vriend did, the rumbling, thunderous elements come across as somewhat tragic. Especially in the first movement, where the drums and trumpets rumbled fiercely. This even sparked spontaneous applause, which the "applause police" immediately silenced with a hiss. "Wrong" clapping? Unheard of. Righteous hissing? But of course!
The 19-year-old Schubert would certainly have been hurt if this movement had not been applauded. He would have enjoyed how lively and eager de Vriend and the WKO played his symphony. It seems to be a stroke of luck for the orchestra to finally have a real, though not necessarily conventional, conductor at the helm. This will help them build a loyal audience.
