Press
10. 06. 2004
Tchaikovsky's Music Truly Moved the Audience 4. Herbert von Karajan Memorial Concert at the Danube Festival
Ulm
In perfect partnership with the highly motivated orchestra, the first piece of music of this evening made the audience react enthusiastically in the well-attended concert hall: the triple horn signal at the beginning was performed with perfect clarity, the orchestra played an exact sequence of percussive chords; sensitive and highly concentrated, the soloist Anika Vavic began her work with towering chords and perfect measure. Cellos and violins took over the theme and made the entire experience unforgettable. The conductor, as it were, opened all sluices of sound the orchestra had to offer. At the beginning of the second movement the flute held a gentle melody suspended in the air, which cello and oboe supported in fine harmony and the piano accompanied with playful musical figures. A truly idyllic setting, in the midst of which Gähres subtly accentuated the short waltz-motif. The third movement started like an attack, initially bringing back the work's main theme to the memories of the audience. Then the piano set in with a musical idea of its own, energetically taking over the lead. The young pianist also brilliantly mastered these most critical passages. The audience cheered her performance and was rewarded with an encore by Skrjabin, making this evening not 'purely Tchaikovsksy' after all.