His career was part: At 43, the Latvian Andris Nelsons is one of the most famous conductors in the world. In Salzburg he has conducted a Mahler symphony with the Vienna Philharmonic every year since Markus Hinterhäuser has been director of the festival. This time also the fifth. Before that there was Bartók’s Second Piano Concerto with Yefim Bronfman.

The first item on the program is a disappointment: pianist Yefim Bronfman plays the wonderful Second Piano Concerto by Béla Bartók in a strangely indistinct manner, somehow everything sounds a bit muddled. This piece could have been a hit with audiences for a long time, there is so much rhythmic energy in it. Of course, Bartók doesn’t always have to be “barbarically” hammered into the keys in a clichéd manner. But the many small motifs should sparkle – and the piano must confidently stand up to the wild pounding of the orchestra. Bronfman lacks the bite. And conductor Andris Nelsons was busy coordinating… – too bad. We were all the more excited about the second half with Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony.

Andris Nelsons – a world-class conductor

When he talks, Andris Nelsons still comes across as a bit like a nice up-and-coming conductor. Not at all cool, but full of zeal and unbroken enthusiasm, he talks about what he does. Sometimes he comes across as a bit innocent. During rehearsals he pushes himself to the limit with one hundred and fifty percent passion. And remains, which is unfortunately by no means a matter of course with famous conductors, when dealing with everyone, expressly and in a friendly and positive manner. The likeable 43-year-old has long since reached the most important positions of power in the classic music business. As head of the Leipzig Gewandhaus and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he has shaped two of the most renowned orchestras in the world. There is also an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon.

Emotional indulgence

Image source: SF / Marco Borggreve

Musically, Nelsons is firmly anchored in the traditional, rich, romantic-philharmonic sound. He approaches the first movement of Mahler’s Fifth at a fairly calm tempo. This funeral march moves almost sluggishly. Especially since Nelsons slows him down again and again. Mahler expressly wrote “strictly” about it as a performance instruction. Basically, Nelsons doesn’t like it that strong – he loves to trace the emotional progression curves of the music in terms of tempo as well. Also on Sunday the authentic, impulsive effect comes from a believable feeling. Nevertheless, this flexibility in tempo can sometimes reduce the emotional impact – a less lazy tempo would have been more exciting. The feeling of grief in Mahler comes with overwhelming intensity anyway – when it meets the relentlessness of a strongly sustained tempo, the feelings are even stronger.

Nelsons in his element

The scherzo then succeeds brilliantly – the horns of the Vienna Philharmonic sound fantastically warm, as they are constructed somewhat differently than all other orchestras in the world. Their particularly warm sound is one of the hallmarks of the Vienna Philharmonic. In this movement, Mahler shakes everything up – joy and pain, folk music and counterpoint, major and minor. Here Nelson’s emotional musician is fully in his musical element. And also proves his technical mastery. The famous “Adagietto” gets under your skin – this string sound sometimes sounds unreal floating, sometimes darkly glowing, but never sentimental. Everyone is in another world. And wake up to the cutting ambiguity of the finale. Irony in music is not necessarily Nelsons’ forte. And so he takes this busy finale very directly. No revolutionary Mahler interpretation, no new discovery – but one with the greatest love and passion.

Broadcast: “Leporello” on August 8, 2022 from 4:05 p.m. on BR-KLASSIK