Classical review: Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

Published on Thursday 3 September 2009 18:56

DEUTSCHES SYMPHONIE-ORCHESTER BERLIN ***** USHER HALL

A YOUNG orchestra by German standards, the 63-year-old Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin performed at the Usher Hall on Wednesday evening with a finesse and assured confidence to rival that of their longer established counterparts. Conducted with never-ending verve by Ingo Metzmacher – the first German conductor since the orchestra was founded in the American sector of Berlin in 1946 – the programme they brought to Edinburgh was one that succeeded on several levels.

Musically, the combination of Webern's early Passacaglia Op1, the Violin Concerto by Berg and Brahms' last symphony, his fourth, worked as an entity. Straight away, Metzmacher's outstanding control brought a result. From tiny, pizzicato string beginnings to wild, dramatic climaxes he had the orchestra completely in his grasp. Detail was heard in all parts, particularly in the Berg, where violinist Christian Tetzlaff was a brilliantly virtuosic and sensitive soloist.

It was in the Brahms, however, that Metzmacher and his orchestra packed their most powerful punch. Distinguished by determination and grit, this was Brahms heard anew. Exquisitely balanced ensemble playing from wind and brass, coupled with the orchestra's burnished string sound, brought fresh buoyancy to this masterpiece of symphonic writing without ever losing a moment of its gravitas.