Iván Fischer and his Grand Budapest Festival Orchestra at Proms

The Budapest Festival Orchestra gave a tremendous performance of Beethoven and Bartók to an absolutely packed Royal Albert Hall last night. The air sizzled with their electrifying energy and their boundless eagerness to share music captured everyone from the standing arena to the top gallery.

I had heard Iván and the BFO a few years back at the Royal Festival Hall and had been amazed by the energy they had, and certainly Iván Fischer did not disappoint last night with his larger-than-life gestures whipping up a frenzy in orchestra and audience.

I was pleased to hear a more lofty tempo choice in Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony that was much more suitable for the acoustics of the Albert Hall, as opposed to the brisker tempos of the more “historically informed” approaches that seem to be in vogue. Fischer allowed the silences between the notes to create the intensity and carefully prepared build-ups to allow the climaxes to achieve maximum effect. He was unafraid to be more free with the timing when the music called for it, creating ethereal moments, and when he wanted to music to be softer he made you hold your breath because the music was that precious.

It was while listening to this performance that I realized how unexpected Beethoven is. Even with works as familiar as the Seventh or Fifth Symphonies I still find myself surprised at various moments. Just when you think the melody has a beautiful arc to it–bam!–Beethoven interrupts suddenly and the narrative changes course. Beethoven never fails to remind you of his presence behind the music. Unlike composers such as Mozart who appreciated the beauty of music, Beethoven’s music always obeyed the man behind it. It is unfailingly human and expresses the human will so perfectly. That is why the journalist John Suchet revered the composer so much he wrote at least five biographies of the man. The best performance of Beethoven’s music reminds you of what it is to be human and when we feel exhilaration listening to the music it is the triumph of the human spirit that moves us.

The best performance of Beethoven is philosophy itself.

After the interval, the BFO brought a taste of home to the London crowd: Hungarian composer Béla Bartók’s one-act opera Bluebeard’s Castle, led by Hungarian singers Dorottya Láng (as Judith) and Krisztián Cser (as Bluebeard) singing in the original Hungarian. With his penchant for theatricality and drama, Fischer opened the opera as the Bard and in a declamatory voice proclaimed the Prologue, inviting us into Bartók’s world of darkness and mystery.

In Bluebeard’s Castle Bartók explores excess in every way, lifting us from the real world into the world of symbols, heightening every sense, dramatizing every action. It is Wagner turned Gothic and supernatural. The BFO are in their element here, their rich sound and extreme range creating the perfect foundation for the singers. A special mention must be made to the brass section, whose thunderous peals of sound literally shook the Hall and made the performance that much more impressive.

I was particularly impressed by Láng’s intense performance, which matched the intensity of the orchestra.

Despite the cinematic effects and dramatic quality of Bartók’s music, my enjoyment of the performance was diminished by my inability to relate to the story, which was related to us through the translated subtitles projected on screens. This seemed to be yet another femme fatale trope story and its conventional content counteracted the extremely rich and imaginative soundworld of Bartók rather than complemented it.

Nevertheless, a visit from the Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra always makes for a memorable evening.

Article featured photo credits to Bachtrack.