There was palpable excitement in the sold out Barbican. Would Riccardo Chailly carry it off again, make us wonder at this genius Beethoven, and show himself to be a match for the master? Yes. He strode full of energy onto the platform, as if he couldn’t wait to share the joy of that piece with us.
First though, a modern introduction by Friedrich Cerha as in all the other performances, meant as a playful homage as well as a contemporary reflection on the work. Cerha’s take on Beethoven started eerily; it felt like set in a graveyard, as if church bells were calling out to announce a death. To whom the bell tolls, an almost Faustian feel. Cerha seems to want to deepen the darkness of Beethoven’s first movement. He anticipates the stand-off between strings and trumpets again, the Faustian bargain permeates this short piece and remains with us, while Beethoven develops and solves the questions in the following movements. He finds, as he always does, a musical solution to the dilemmas posed, but in this choral piece, the words help to reinforce his meaning.
So when the Ninth begins we listen to a very exiting, almost driven, first movement. Chailly entices his orchestra with his whole being, his body bending everywhere, head and hair flying. Such energy, such passion! And the Gewandhaus are happy to follow him. Their sound is so clean and crisp, yet so harmonious, the result is exquisite. Chailly waves his baton with such fervour, his hair like a halo, it reminded me of (may the gods forgive me) the great late Ken Dodd. Hair akimbo!
The last, big movement and the Ode to Joy Finale. You can understand someone getting a little worried by this huge, some might say overpowering, expression of love for Mankind. German Romanticism has been much reviled in England as overwhelming, predictive of tyranny. And Schiller, the Sturm and Drang poet par excellence wishes us Freude, joy, with such fervour it could be frightening for the timid. The text is clear however: "This kiss for all the world" is anything but sinister. The masterly interplay between the wonderful Choir, the tremendous soloists, and the such accomplished musician keeps the chaos at bay. The music is exalting, ecstatic, but always beautifully controlled.
We are safe to be brothers in Beethoven’s world. And in the wonderfully safe hands of Chailly, we can open our hearts to the greatness of the master and experience that all-embracing joy.
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