Inevitably, Schumann’s Cello Concerto provided the title for the final concert of the Auckland Philharmonia’s 2025 Classic Series.
This autumnal score, his last substantial composition, is one of extraordinary emotional volatility; music of heartrending intimacy mingles with the almost abrasively brusque.
Mercurial soloist Daniel Muller-Schott gave a definitive performance, somuch so that the fanciful might have been forgiven for imagining the composer’s hovering presence.
When the German cellist last played this concerto here in 2017, I commented on his rhythmic freedom almost risking self-indulgence.
Eight years on, it seemed almost more so, giving Schumann’s soul-baring a new elegiac glow, peaking in his soulful duet with principal cellist Ashley Brown.
Throughout, conductor Giordano Bellincampi and his musicians were in unerring accord with their guest, tracing and tracking the subtle, ever-shifting flow.
Daniel Müller-Schott's lyrical interpretation brought new elegance to Schumann's score. Photo / Auckland Philharmonia
Muller-Schott’s carefully chosen encore was Song of the Birds, a song of peace by the legendary Pablo Casals.
The cellist’s yearning lyricism might well have caused weapons to be laid down if heard in the right quarters.
Surrounding the extremely serious core of tonight’s programme, all else was froth, in the best Viennese tradition.
Daniel Müller-Schott shares a light moment with Auckland Philharmonia cellists during a Schumann rehearsal. Photo / Auckland Philharmonia
Schubert’s Rosamunde overture could be seen as the missing link between Rossini and the later Strauss family with its swooning phrases and beguiling harmonic shifts, Bellincampi propelling its spirited dance with gleefully thunderous sforzandi.
I have always had problems with Beethoven’s ballet music for The Creatures of Prometheus. Certainly in concert, bereft of choreographic enlightenment, its music can be overly fragmented and, at times, almost boldly banal.
Yet there is enough freshness and spontaneity to give conductor and musicians obvious enjoyment and often one found oneself swept away by Beethoven’s blend of invention and chutzpah.
An extended cello solo was an opportunity gloriously taken by Ashley Brown, as were some gracefully competitive exchanges between James Fry’s clarinet and Bede Hanley’s oboe.
However, when Beethoven signed off with the same theme that closes his Eroica Symphony, one wished that these 46 minutes had offered more symphonic substance.
This Thursday, Auckland Philharmonia and Giordani Bellincampi offer just that with Mahler’s mighty Third Symphony, in what promises to be a spectacular end to the AP’s New Zealand Herald Premier Series.
