Prom 55: Berliner Philharmoniker with Kirill Petrenko

Ringing in its first of two appearances at the BBC Proms this year, the Berliner Philharmoniker presents a pair of musical love letters at the Royal Albert Hall. The program opens with Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, a heartfelt ode to his wife Clara, conducted by Kirill Petrenko and featuring star soloist Víkingur Ólafsson. His nuanced interpretations and the orchestra’s accompaniment create a seamless blend of romance and virtuosity, particularly in the second movement, where his sensitivity to subtle harmonic shifts and dynamic gradations becomes apparent.

During the interval, Ólafsson takes over the stage with the fanfare of a rockstar. He expresses his joy at performing with his favourite orchestra and reminisces about his last performance at the venue, which was three years ago at the opening concert after Covid, marking one of the first full houses they had. He recalls that the theme of that performance was about communal connection and togetherness, before good-naturedly informing the audience that he would now play a piece by Johann Sebastian Bach, a composer who was very much alone. Noting that the original piece was meant for the organ, Víkingur performs a solo keyboard arrangement of the Adagio, the second movement from Bach’s Concerto in D minor, BWV 974, in his sensitive, thoughtful style.

Petrenko’s airtight precision shines through in the ensemble’s rendition of Bedřich Smetana’s symphonic cycle Má vlast, consisting of six poems celebrating the history, landscapes and legends of Smetana’s native Bohemia. From the first strains of the first piece, Vyšehrad, it is clear that Petrenko is determined to bring every detail of Smetana’s score to life – the fluid transition from the delicate, opening arpeggios of the harp to the majestic cadence with a four-note motif that is repeated throughout the movements bridges myth with history. The airy woodwind solos and resonant brass sounds vividly recreate the poem’s rushing rivers and lush, verdant forest surrounding the eponymous castle. His direction of the cycle’s second and most famous movement, Vltava, further displays his meticulous mastery of the thematic in addition to the technical. Petrenko’s descriptive and narrative-focused interpretation honours the tribute, vividly depicting the journey of the Czech national river through various terrains and moods, and ensuring that every note, nuance, and subtlety of the score is faithfully recreated. 

Christina Yang
Photo: Stephan Rabold

Watch the trailer for the Berliner Philmarmoniker’s 2024/2025 season here: