On Thursday 24 April, the Orchestre National de Lyon came to the Henry le Boeuf hall in Brussels. On the programme was Mendelssohn's Second Violin Concerto and Bruckner's Seventh Symphony. The soloist was Julia Fischer.
The whole programme was conducted by chief conductor Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider. The last time I heard this combination of Mendelssohn and Bruckner live was in Sint-Baafskathedraal in Gent, again with a French orchestra, the Orchestre National de France under the baton of éminence grise Kurt Masur with Joshua Bell as soloist.
Since I count Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider among the best violinists of his generation, but had never seen him conduct before, my expectations were high.
It was immediately striking how the orchestra hung on his every word (read: baton). The orchestra played with all its heart and moved the audience on several occasions. When you can hear a pin drop in BOZAR during both works, this speaks volumes.
Julia Fischer is a woman who makes an impression. She knows what she is doing. Only a shame that Mendelssohn's wonderfully beautiful concerto received a slightly too earthly interpretation and the fairy-tale element was really pushed into the background. Her interpretation was also completely different from Szeps-Znaider's own recording as a soloist. Ultimately, of course, this is a matter of taste and does nothing to detract from the outstanding qualities of this great soloist.
With an encore by J.S. Bach, whom Mendelssohn rescued from oblivion, the link between the fifth evangelist and God's minstrel after the interval was nicely made.
I wish to express my admiration for the orchestra, which played this symphony almost flawlessly. It was also striking that this music was close to Szeps-Znaider's heart. He even managed to raise the less successful finale to a higher level, and the scherzo had everything it needed: it was venomous, demonic, playful and challenging. One drawback, which shows that he still has room to grow as a Bruckner conductor. Bruckner was an organist. You have to register the orchestra, just as you would with an organ. When you immediately have the orchestra give its all, it becomes a heavy burden for the orchestra members and the listeners. Fortunately, he managed to make adjustments at times, and this work ultimately did not become the indigestible boa constrictor, as the feared critic Hanslick once characterised this sound cathedral.
I would like to hear this orchestra and its conductor more often in our region. It may (not yet) have the name and fame of its competitors in Paris, but it more than held its own. Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider has not yet reached the pantheon of the great Bruckner conductors, but he has everything in him to continue growing in this brilliant music. In the future he will astound us as a conductor. Keep an eye on him!
Werner De Smet