The genesis of Ivan Fischer's orchestra shares similar features with
Mikhail Pletnev's Russian National Orchestra.
Both had to fight against the leaden indifference of a state-run apparatchik system that permeated even the world of art. Both found a powerful sponsor to help them. Without Kodaly's support, always a thorn in the side of the ruling political establishments, and Gorbatchev, these brilliant orchestras could never have been started or survived.
Now, 25 years later, both lead their orchestras into the very leading
ranks of the contenders in that wonderfully rich competition.
Ivan Fischer comes from a background that during the first half of
the last Century was dominated by a golden age of Hungarian musical
education. There was a stellar presence at the Academy of Bartok,
Kodaly, Dohnanyi, Hubay, David Popper, father of modern cello playing,
and at a more earthly but vital level, Leo Weiner, who for half a
century educated and inspired generations of the finest musicians of that age in his unforgettable chamber music
classes.
Although Fischer was born after that period, he still is the result of
those foundation years that produced Szigeti, Szell, Reiner,
Fricsay, Ormandy, Kertesz, Solti, and in our days, amongst many others, Andras Schiff.
Study in Swarowsky's famous class in Vienna for conductors and two
years as Assistant to Nikolaus Harnoncourt began a spectacular career for Fischer, in the course of which he has scaled all the heights conductors can
conquer, including Bayreuth. I feel he is in line now to achieve the
ultimate accolade - conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker's New Year
spectacular!
In the very first bars of Till Eulenspiegel, one already could hear
arising out of that silvery pond of strings the horn solo, which was virtuosic, witty and arrogant and yet with that full Wagnerian sound
quality. The frequent violin, clarinet and trumpet solos were striking
in concept, full of character and technically perfect.
Till Eulenspiegel has by now been reduced to a showpiece to show how
brilliant an orchestra can be. By that gauge alone, one could only
admire the standards by which the principals were responding to their
conductor.
The Orchesterlieder of Richard Strauss are rarely performed and four of
them found ideal interpreters in the combination of Miah Persson, the Swedish soprano who can be already heard in most of the great opera stages
and has excelled in Lieder performances all over the world, and
Fischer. Miah Persson has not only an impressive
stage appearence, radiant yet modest, but a faultlessly beautiful
soprano voice, never shrill in the heights and carrying far even the
most delicately breathed pianissimos. Her duet with the superb
principal violinist in 'Morgen', Op. 27, accompanied by the
orchestra in an unearthly pianissimo, deeply moved the audience and it
really insisted on an encore from this group of orchestrated Lieder,
in which Strauss learned his art of writing operas. He dedicated
'Morgen' to his wife as a birthday present, perhaps to atone for his so
grudgingly playing only second fiddle in a household ruled by Pauline
with iron hands.
Mahler's Fourth has been performed and recorded by innumerable
conductors and many created superb interpretations, although George
Szell's with the Cleveland Orchestra was perhaps the first fully to
unravel all the enchanting details, often hidden in meandering parallel
rivulets. Ivan Fischer could rely on a group of dedicated and
brilliant principals and rank of file players, the best that Hungary
can produce, who love and respect their leader and on whom he can
blindly rely, without great gestures or showmanship. The mutual
sympathies present in this orchestra, so often lacking in human
relations of that country, were visible and even felt in the audience.
I have a lifelong love for Mahler's Fourth Symphony. Having once had the privilege of playing Mahler's First under the incomparable Bruno Walter, I often wished during this performance that I could have sat next to the sensitive but almost acrobatically passionate principal cellist in the orchestra. The closing bars of the Mahler, after a movingly simple and hushed soprano solo by Miah Persson, slowly vanished into an unusually long silence in the auditorium, before a grateful applause allowed a brisk encore by Johannes Strauss to end a happy and relaxed evening.