Well, was it really the right call for DeSingel in this case to make such a big fuss about cellist Anastasia Kobekina instead of conductor Martijn Dendievel? The first reason to make a fuss about Dendievel: his impeccable artistic approach. The second reason: he's a fellow countryman and we should give our own a leg up, right?
Be that as it may, whether it was Dendievel or cellist Anastasia Kobekina who was the poster's draw, it was a program that brought Klassiek Centraal to DeSingel no matter what. With courage and determination, two reviewers braved bitterly cold wind and hail – March and its showers – to make their way to Antwerp's temple of the arts to enjoy Brahms, Haydn, Sassier, and Mendelssohn that afternoon. The poster itself promised the warmth that the weather denied us with its missing sunshine.
The Flanders Symphony Orchestra opened with the Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897). A richly varied work that makes a fine opener for an afternoon that makes you forget the bad weather and immediately lifts your spirits. Martijn Dendievel is the first Belgian in 20 years to be appointed as chief conductor at one of Belgium's symphonic orchestras. "Sometimes the exceptional talents are right in our backyard," says Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen. immediately shows that he is so familiar with the tricks of the conductor's trade that you forget about the craft and simply drift along on the musical phrases.
Anastasia Kobekina storms onto the stage almost like a late-blooming pop singer about to burst into song. She doesn't, because she has her cello in hand. Barefoot, she immediately steals the show, dressed in a particularly childlike seeming outfit. Why this is necessary, heaven only knows, it's not a show of some populist nonsense, no, it's the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No. 1 in C, HobVIIb:1 of that venerable Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) that you look forward to.
What do we hear? Exactly what we see on stage. A rock chick who couldn't care less about the orchestra and conductor, swinging away with her bow, far too roughly, moaning, as fast as possible – our world champion time trialist Remco Evenepoel can't keep up. Unfortunately not, to put it mildly, describing how unmusical this wild thing is – you'd have to write music off your agenda entirely. Nothing but show, show, and more show. Too bad for the conductor and orchestra who deserve so much better, who deserve respect, who deserve ensemble playing, but no. Who decides which soloists get to grace the stage with tricks instead of music? I'm never going to listen to this sort of thing again.
After intermission, our ears were tortured once more with a new yet already dated avant-garde composition under the hopefully ironic title Mendelssohn Variation (SOV Composers' Academy) by composer Adrien Sassier. We've really had enough of this experimental stuff that's been old hat for ages. Mendelssohn deserves better than what this work does to him. Shame on it and please scratch it from the programs once and for all.
Fortunately, the concert ended in the most grandiose and memorable way. The conductor and orchestra could not have proved themselves better than in the Symphony No. 5 in D, Op. 107 'Reformation' by also died far too young Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847). An absolute masterpiece of a work, with blessed melodies, grand orchestration without bombast, balanced, pure, and healthy. Look, Sassier could have learned a thing or two here, but clearly didn't get it. Martijn Dendievel proved himself once again as one of the greatest conductors of our time. What an interpretation! All the colors, all the phrasing, all the accents, the breathing spaces, the broad strokes—and everything else one could possibly use to capture the richness of this work—it was all there and emphasized exactly as only a truly great master of conducting can do. Dendievel is that rare conductor who understands precisely what he's doing, what he's working with, how to guide each work on the right path—no roads full of potholes. It wasn't just a breath of fresh air compared to Sassier's self-absorbed showboating and stiff, failed hippie-style Mendelssohn variations; it was so complete that the negative experience was simply conducted away into oblivion, just like the foul weather outside. What an orchestra, what a conductor. We may not have the right, but we absolutely should be proud!
