Jun 9, 2022 6:30pm Konzerthaus Berlin
Iván Fischer / Konzerthausorchester Berlin
Satie: Gymnopédie No.1 (orch. Debussy), Gnossienne No.3 (orch. Poulenc)
Chabrier: España
Debussy: Printemps
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé Suite No.2
(scroll down for English review)
伊凡費沙執掌這隊柏林音樂廳樂團並同時領導此音樂廳時，搞作多多，其中一樣是設立「樂在其中」音樂會，把音樂廳堂座的座位、連舞台都拆去，樂隊混雜在觀眾之間演奏。費沙雖已不在其位，回來客演仍想辦這種節目，因為疫情，去到現在才復辦，但需要堂座觀眾戴口罩。
費沙今周和樂團奏全法國曲目，本來還有伊莎貝浮士德拉的兩首小提琴作品，但這場省去這兩首，剩下一小時無中場休息的節目。正好今晚的柏林愛樂音樂會是在八點開始，看完這場應該趕到。
但我沒有買堂座去樂在其中，是有三個原因，一來這場地我較多在樓座聽，二來我想在樓上拍樓下的情景，第三個原因才是真心話：坐樓下太難早走了，假如這場超時的話。
開頭兩首薩堤，未聽到樂師遍佈堂座有幾大分別，但到《西班牙》就出事，樂曲本身的切分節奏本已有點麻煩，樂師坐散了聽不清楚彼此，然後費沙再拖慢一點遷就，反而更難跟。之後費沙再開咪說話時，說音樂速度愈快，這樣擺位就愈難奏得齊整。
這場最難得的是德布西《春天》，它是兩個樂章一共15分鐘的樂曲，是德布西比《牧神的下午》更早的作品，其實這曲絕對不是稚嫰之作，德布西往後的管弦色彩已經成形，而且樂章的旋律及方向都很清楚，非常適合和《大海》放在音樂會中連續演奏，剛好是半場。此曲的原版已散佚，1912年德布西叫愛徒Henri Büsser依照鋼琴版重新配器。
拉威爾《達夫尼與克羅伊》第二組曲算是聽到整個樂團發出最大聲響是甚麼模樣，的確是全場在發聲，不過就不及正常在舞台那麼集中，樂師也明顯有奏大聲了的傾向。費沙在每首樂曲前都有向觀眾發言，我不是覺得這個模式值得倣效，但至少做到開心派對的效果。不過想追求最佳音樂演奏的話，質素不算理想。還好費沙的說話不多，拉威爾在7:36完結，我便飛奔出去坐地鐵，7:48入到愛樂廳。
During his tenure at the Berlin Konzerthaus (both the venue and the house orchestra) he started the “Mittendrin” concerts, among many novelties. Now as a guest conductor he intended to keep the format, but the pandemic prevented so until now. The seats of the stalls, plus the stage are removed to allow the orchestra to mingle with the audience. This is supposed to be a one-hour concert without intermission, with the half-hour portion with Isabelle Faust as solo violinist removed.
I chose not to mingle on the stalls, preferring to sit on the balcony because I had to sneak out as soon as I could to rush to the Philharmonie for the 8pm concert of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Fischer introduced every piece (in German of course). The Satie pieces didn’t sound too much different than I expected but Chabrier’s España stumbled the orchestra in such setting. I believed it was the piece’s syncopation that was so hard to play when the players could hardly hear one another.
But I’m grateful to be able to hear Debussy’s Printemps. It was pre-Faun but Debussy’s orchestral colours were already there. It’s a two-movement piece with clear cut moods and melodies and now I believe if there is one unjustly-overlooked Debussy piece than this is it. Conductors should really couple it with La Mer to make up a half of a concert.
With Ravel’s Second Daphnis Suite I finally got to hear what it’d sound when the orchestra gave a blast in such dispersed setting. Truly the whole hall seemed to resonate but the difference wasn’t much. And the players tended to play louder, and therefore coarser. I wouldn’t recommend such format for die-hard listeners but I appreciated the cozy mood.