With the overture from Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus, the Third Piano Concerto and the Fifth Symphony, the Kölner Kammerorchester under the direction of Christoph Poppen brought together three works by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) in the programme Beethoven, pure at the Kölner Philharmonie. The programme offered familiar music, but above all pianist Elena Bashkirova made me listen to it with different ears.
From broad to fiery
The Kölner Kammerorchester, founded in 1923, built up an international reputation over the years with tours in Europe, America and Asia. The overture from Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus began remarkably broadly. That spacious introduction made the fiery continuation all the more effective.
The clear orchestral sound made the various instruments clearly audible. Under Poppen's direction the musicians played with great attention to detail. He kept the whole beautifully in balance and showed a sense of musical coherence.
Bashkirova lets the music stand still
The Third Piano Concerto began broadly and classically. I expected a beautiful performance and sat back. But then came the cadenza in the first movement. Bashkirova slowed down considerably and at moments let the music almost stand still. I immediately sat up straight again. Her choices in tempo and phrasing gave the cadenza an intensity that stayed with me. Here I heard a pianist who was not satisfied with a well-crafted performance, but who went in search of the essence of Beethoven's music.
The Largo that followed was a wonder to me. Bashkirova took her time for every phrase, every musical arc and every touch. She let the music unfold in complete calm, with a natural sense of building tension. Her musicality made me immerse myself completely in the music. The Largo, so familiar to me, suddenly sounded new. Poppen and the Kölner Kammerorchester followed Bashkirova attentively and responded to her playing. Soloist and orchestra found each other in a performance in which the music was given all the space and in which the silences also carried meaning.
In the finale the energy returned. Bashkirova played rhythmically with fire, but alternated passages full of momentum with slowings and moments of stillness. Those contrasts made the music come alive in another way. Her smile betrayed how much pleasure she took in her interpretation. She placed her own accents and kept me surprised right up to the final notes.
The bassoon stands out
After the interval came Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The first movement sounded sound and solid, but for me it lacked the dramatic tension that can make this work so gripping. The performance remained controlled where I personally would have liked to hear a bit more menace.
The Andante con moto was for me the heart of this symphony. The music took on a singing character and was delivered with great sensitivity to phrasing. The woodwinds contributed beautifully, but above all the bassoonist made an impression. His playing stood out in every solo moment for its expressiveness, which was also visible in his posture.
In the Scherzo and the finale the energy increased. The transition between the two movements worked well: the tension was maintained and the finale brought a powerful release. Here too the woodwinds came into their own. The strings sounded lean yet warm, especially the cellos in the lower passages. The smaller ensemble allowed the individual voices to come through clearly and made the mutual relationships in Beethoven's score very audible.
Beethoven up close
I experienced this concert with great pleasure. Thanks above all to Bashkirova, music that I thought I knew so well suddenly sounded different. Her handling of tempo, phrasing and silence gave the Third Piano Concerto a new meaning, with the Largo as the high point of the afternoon. That is for me the power of Beethoven on a human scale: familiar music that touches you anew and makes you listen with different ears.