The sixth concert of the Philharmonic at Home subscription series, entitled Beethoven, "Czech Beethoven" and Martinů, took place on Thursday 22 May at the Besední dům. As the title suggests, the programme included works by Jan Václav Hugo Voříšek, Bohuslav Martinů and Ludwig van Beethoven. This time, the Filharmonie Brno was led by conductor Alena Hron and in the first half of the concert the orchestra was accompanied by Trio Bohémo, consisting of Matouš Pěruška - violin, Kristina Vocetková - cello and Jan Vojtek - piano. The entire evening was dedicated to the recently deceased Prof. Alena Štěpánková Veselá, Brno organist, former Rector of JAMU and one of the most prominent figures on Brno's cultural scene.
The programme of Thursday's concert opened with the Grand rondeau for piano trio and orchestra by Jan Václav Hugo Voříšek (1791-1825) - a composer often considered the Czech counterpart of Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven was a fundamental role model for Voříšek as a composer, with the former also expressing great respect for the works of the latter. Voříšek's Grand rondeau is one of the few works in which the orchestra participates and was published after the composer's death. Its performance by Trio Bohémo and Filharmonie Brno, conducted by Alena Hron, was enjoyable for its energy and varied dynamics. The conductor was not afraid to get very expressive with her gestures, which benefited the orchestra greatly. During the performance there were no rhythmic glitches within the orchestra itself or between the orchestra and the trio. An excellent performance was given by the three members of Trio Bohémo, of whom pianist Jan Vojtek clearly got the most space. It was his compositions that most often gave him the opportunity to show off his excellent mastery of technique, evident in the numerous runs, as well as his exemplary work with expression, most pronounced in the lighter and sometimes even jocular passages. Neither the orchestra nor the trio had any problems with intonation, except perhaps for a slight hesitation at the very end of the composition, when not all the notes were perfectly in tune during the faster passage played by violinist Matúš Pěruška and cellist Kristina Vocetková. However, it was only a few notes and the intonation was exemplary in the rest of the piece. The two musicians made up for this minor deficiency through their work with tone.
The first half ended with Concerto for Piano Trio and String Orchestra by Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959). This composition was not performed until thirty years after it was written, i.e. after the composer's death. Martinů put this composition aside after an unfavourable response from the publisher Schott, which asked the composer to revise it. However, the composer wrote a completely new work instead, called Concertino for Piano Trio and String Orchestra. The original composition was thus forgotten and was only discovered in the 1960s by Harry Halbreich in the home of Charlotte Martinů. As with the first piece of the evening, the orchestra and the trio showed exemplary energy, supported by excellent coordination and particularly evident in the tempo changes. This time there was not even a hint of intonation problems, and all the transitions in the musical flow between the trio and the orchestra went perfectly well.
After the intermission came Symphony No. 4 in B flat major by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), mainly characterised by its light atmosphere, levity and clarity of form. Alena Hron captured this levity perfectly. Although there were a few rhythmic hiccups, they were always brief, and within a few moments the orchestra came back together perfectly. Especially in the fourth movement, the individual players had to demonstrate their technique in several challenging passages, which in most cases they did an excellent job with. Their dynamic depth was very good in the first half of the concert, but here it could almost be described as perfect. The gradual crescendos and decrescendos, as well as the sudden dynamic shifts, came across brilliantly. The piece had a bounce throughout and its Thursday performance by the Brno Philharmonic was full of the excellent energy that the musicians put into the piece.
Thursday's concert offered the audience two late classical pieces. They were supplemented by a 20th-century composition, which, however, is close in its approach to the concerto grosso, a hugely popular form in the Baroque period. The compositions worked well together and the programme was varied. Of course, the outstanding atmosphere of the programme was mainly down to the excellent performances put on by Trio Bohémo and Filharmonie Brno conducted by Alena Hron, whose expressive gestures drew the necessary energy out of the orchestra.
Jan Václav Hugo Voříšek: Grand rondeau for piano trio and orchestra Op. 25
Bohuslav Martinů: Concerto for Piano Trio and String Orchestra H 231
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60
Trio Bohémo:
Matouš Pěruška – violin
Kristina Vocetková - cello
Jan Vojtek - piano
Filharmonie Brno
Alena Hron - conductor
Thursday 22 May at 7 p.m., Besední dům
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