tue 19/03/2024

LSO, Gardiner, Barbican Hall | reviews, news & interviews

LSO, Gardiner, Barbican Hall

LSO, Gardiner, Barbican Hall

Explosive Beethoven from Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the LSO

18th-century manners, 21st-century instruments - the best of both worlds or a clear conflict of purpose? One would hardly expect a period specialist of Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s calibre and London’s most dynamic orchestra, the LSO, to be citing irreconcilable differences – and last night they didn’t. Their accounts of Beethoven’s first and last symphonies were, to say the least, explosive. But they were a good deal more, too, and the Ninth Symphony might well have startled, certainly thrilled, even Beethoven.

18th-century manners, 21st-century instruments - the best of both worlds or a clear conflict of purpose? One would hardly expect a period specialist of Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s calibre and London’s most dynamic orchestra, the LSO, to be citing irreconcilable differences – and last night they didn’t. Their accounts of Beethoven’s first and last symphonies were, to say the least, explosive. But they were a good deal more, too, and the Ninth Symphony might well have startled, certainly thrilled, even Beethoven.

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Thank you for articulating what I can't as a musically uneducated Beethoven lover. This was a thrilling concert, full of risk and staggeringly good playing and singing.

Totaly agree. One of the finest concerts i;ve ever been too. Breath taking!

This was the most incredible Ninth I've ever seen, preceeded by a First that showed the essential Beethoven more than in any rendering I have heard. The Monteverdi Choir was sheer magic, as were the soloists. Vuyani Mlinde's opening of the singing part was awesome to behold and to hear. Gardiner has never disappointed me, and it does not even matter whether one agrees with the interpretation of the music: he is always convinced of his rendering and convincing in bringing it across. Can hardly wait to see him again tomorrow.

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