Review: West-Eastern Divan Orchestra/Barenboim; GBSR Duo

Nothing about Daniel Barenboim, 81, has ever been routine. He made his London debut as a pianist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra when he was just 13 years old, on 17 January 1956. Ten years later, he made his conducting debut at Abbey Road studios with the English Chamber Orchestra. His career was prodigious long before he added global humanitarian to his CV, a role that has earned him countless honors. Born in Argentina and based in Berlin, Barenboim became the first person to hold both an Israeli and a Palestinian passport in 2008. He is a citizen of the world with a notable affection for the UK. A former BBC Reith lecturer and frequent visitor, he was once married to British cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who passed away in 1987.

This background sets the scene for the exceptional atmosphere of admiration and poignancy that filled last Sunday’s Prom. There had been every possibility that Barenboim, who has been unwell since 2022, might not make the journey. However, those who know him did not doubt that his willpower, if not his health, would bring him there. He came to conduct the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, an ensemble he founded 25 years ago with the Palestinian-American philosopher Edward Said. Each summer, musicians from Israel, Palestine, and other Arab countries come together for rehearsals, workshops, discussions, and an international tour. The most prominent offshoot of this initiative is the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin. The orchestra’s name is inspired by Goethe’s collection of lyric poems exploring cultural divides, reflecting Barenboim’s deep engagement with literature.

At the Royal Albert Hall, Barenboim’s frailty was evident. With understated watchfulness, the German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter assisted him as they walked onto the stage. He sat to conduct her in Brahms’s Violin Concerto, a majestic piece familiar to both through several recordings and countless performances. Earlier this month, the orchestra and soloist performed the same program, including Schubert’s “Great” C major symphony, at Berlin’s Waldbühne, open-air in heavy rain, for 20,000 people. In comparison, the fully packed Albert Hall, with its attentive audience, must have felt merely hot.

Barenboim chose a dignified pace for both works. While the Brahms and Schubert pieces can vary in length by about 10 minutes, current preferences trend towards faster tempos. Barenboim’s gestures were minimal, almost invisible from the back of the hall. Despite this, he was in complete control, shaping the work’s architecture securely. The interaction between Mutter and the orchestra was intimate and chamber-like, demonstrating mastery in every sustained bow and phrase—a vital quality for this Brahms work.

Mutter’s choice of encore was the sarabande from Bach’s Partita No 2 in D minor, BWV 1004, a piece Brahms loved. She described it as her prayer for lasting peace in the Middle East, playing it softly with minimal vibrato, letting the phrases linger like unanswered questions. The sarabande dance, originating in Latin America—Barenboim’s birthplace—and influenced by Arab culture, was an astute choice under the circumstances.

Then came Schubert’s symphony: muscular, shapely, and elegant, with particularly zestful brass and woodwind solos. The scale and originality of this symphony were luxuriated in without complaint. This unique combination of conductor and orchestra is coming to a natural close. Barenboim has always been the public face and creative power source of the Divan. For these exemplary musicians, the next 25 years will look very different.

The British composer Steve Martland (1954-2013), always outspoken, saw creativity as a path to understanding against the backdrop of current global conditions. On the year he would have turned 70, his explosive piece “Drill,” played on two pianos by Siwan Rhys and Joseph Havlat, formed part of a concert at Bold Tendencies. Along with percussionists George Barton (half of the GBSR Duo with Rhys) and Sam Wilson, all four gave compelling performances of Steve Reich’s “Quartet” (2013) and George Crumb’s Music for a Summer Evening. The concert concluded with the sensuous “Music of the Starry Night,” though there were no meteor showers over London that night—just hundreds of red aviation lights and a rising arc of the moon.

Star ratings (out of five)
Prom 31 ★★★★★
GBSR Duo ★★★★

Source: The Guardian