Home / Arts and Entertainment / Argerich's Beethoven: Lucid Piano, Directionless Orchestra
Argerich's Beethoven: Lucid Piano, Directionless Orchestra
6 Sep
Summary
- Martha Argerich, 85, captivated the audience with Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 2.
- The Munich Philharmonic, under Lahav Shani, showed moments of brilliance but lacked direction.
- The orchestra excelled in Brahms' Symphony No 4 after the interval, despite overall structural issues.
The BBC Proms recently featured a concert by the Munich Philharmonic under new chief conductor Lahav Shani, with legendary 85-year-old pianist Martha Argerich as the main draw.
Argerich's performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 2 was met with widespread acclaim, her lucid playing and captivating presence drawing immense applause. Despite this highlight, the orchestral contributions from the Munich Philharmonic, including Farrenc's Overture No 2, were described as scrappy, lacking blend and overall direction.
Following the interval, the Munich Philharmonic presented Brahms' Symphony No 4. Here, the orchestra demonstrated improved performance with expansive strings and energetic passages in the scherzo and finale. However, the review noted that even these finely sculpted moments could not compensate for a lack of larger-scale architectural coherence under Shani's leadership.
