Igor Levit and Robin Ticcatti replace Argerich and Barenboim in Salzburg
As unfortunate as it was that Daniel Barenboim and Martha Argerich had to cancel due to illness, the choice of substitutes at the Salzburg Mozart Week was just as fortunate: the young, extremely successful conductor Robin Ticciati conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in the Great Festival Hall, and Igor Levit was able to Soloist for the concert in A major for piano and orchestra KV 414 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
At the beginning of the program, the rather unknown interact music for “Thamos, King in Egypt” KV 345 was heard, and the third work was the “Linzer Symphony” in C major, KV 425 with its movements Adagio-Allegro spirituoso, Andante, Menuetto – Trio and Presto.
The Vienna Philharmonic offered an extremely high-quality musical experience, playing crystal-clear piani alongside transparent fortissimi on stage with around 50 instrumentalists. Highest precision was paired with a musical interpretation of Mozart in all three works, which caused a new guise under Ticciatti’s baton.
He directed the build-up of tension in the motifs and phrasing with a rarely seen sensitivity, with which he reflected the music through his body language and thus made it visible. As a conductor, he slipped completely into the role of the composer Mozart, whose “spirit” the listener constantly saw in front of him. This was particularly evident in the two orchestral pieces, so that the Linz Symphony in particular shone in a special light. Ticciatti had already turned to conducting at the age of 15 as a piano, violin and drums student. His collaboration with world-renowned conductors and his posts as guest conductor with well-known orchestras brought him many awards.
At the piano concert, the soloist Igor Levit shone with his complete penetration of the work, letting sunbeams glisten on an imaginary water surface during his runs. In the tutti passages he turned to the instrumentalists and musically connected with them in a clearly visible way. The cadenzas in the three movements written by Mozart could not be surpassed in terms of virtuosity and musical richness in the modulations.
Together with the conductor, he savors the pauses between the transitions with joy and lightness in the music before introducing the theme of the following solo passage. The pianist thanks the audience for the overwhelming applause with a fast, meditatively played encore at a slow pace.
Brigitte Janoschka