Three concerts of the phenomenal
Staatskapelle-Berlin and their big boss,
Saint Daniel Barenboim just finished last night and it was excellent as I expected it to be - and more.
If I had to single one artist who I totally admire, then that would be Barenboim. That man is a performer, he's an extraordinary musician, and one of the best living conductors. Never Tristan sounds as good as with Barenboim, and he does it again and again.
After their run in London this wonderful orchestra [
founded in 1742 = one of the oldest in Germany] came to Paris to deliver a disturbingly excellent series of three concerts in which they presented 5 Piano Concertos by Beethoven and the orchestral pieces by Schönberg [
please see Boulezian and Intermezzo for details of the London concerts]
After the concert last night I felt I lived a special evening, one of those when you could tell there was a moment in which the performance crossed the threshold of perfection and the music's let you in an extra dimension. That happens sometimes with
Jansons and his orchestra, but this was the first time it happened to me with
Barenboim and
Staatskapelle with the program which did not include
Tristan und Isolde. In such a state of exultation, only 300m from the concert hall (
Salle Pleyel), I saw this glorious picture of
l'Arc de Triomphe [pic above] and thought it was a perfect fit for that Sunday evening.
