Intensity, Distilled
25 April – 1 May 2026
Saturday 25 April
To London by train, then Berlin by plane
Berlin, Philharmonie • 98-year-old Herbert Blomstedt led the Berliner Philharmoniker in a vibrant, febrile reading of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7, teeming with urgency and unbridled energy. The contrast between the conductor’s physical frailty and the searing, all-out performance he coaxed from an adoring orchestra made the experience absolutely gut-wrenching.
Sunday 26 April
To Amsterdam by plane
Amsterdam, Dutch National Opera and Ballet • It’s hard to believe Mieczysław Weinberg’s The Passenger (Die Passagierin, Пассажирка) has gained so little recognition in operatic circles. His feverish score, hovering between Britten and Shostakovich, is a perfect match for Zofia Posmysz-Piasecka’s searing novel about Holocaust memory. It was performed with pulsating energy by the Netherlands Philharmonic and a wonderfully committed cast under Adam Hickox. I’m usually a fan of director Tobias Kratzer, but his concept blurred the plot’s legibility and ultimately did the work a disservice — Rainer Sellmaier’s set didn’t help, with its terrible sight lines in Act 1.
Back to Paris by train
Thursday 30 April
To Vienna by plane
Friday 1 May
Eisenstadt, Schloß Esterházy • The Berliner Philharmoniker’s annual Europakonzert took place at the Esterházy Palace, in the aptly named Haydnsaal. Kirill Petrenko led the band in a carefully curated programme opening with a short Haydn Overture and closing with an iron-hot performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2. In between, two later works showcased the orchestra’s timbral versatility: Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations (masterfully played by Gautier Capuçon) and Stravinsky’s Pulcinella.
Vienna, Musikverein (Brahmssaal) • Violist Antoine Tamestit and pianist Bertrand Chamayou offered a programme of formidable stamina: Berlioz’s Harold in Italy, Liszt’s Romance oubliée and Shostakovich’s Sonata for viola and piano (with its funky Beethoven quotes). Both performers instilled dramatic potency and head-spinning virtuosity in a programme that left the audience gasping for air… and asking for more.
And so, for now, the lights dim… until the next act.