GÜNTHER HERBIG
UK REVIEWS
MANCHESTER'S
two symphony orchestras each put on big show-off concerts last week, linked by
the fact that members of the Association of British Orchestras were in town -
and, oddly enough, by the same little tune.
The variant version of Three Blind Mice used by Bruch in the slow
movement of his violin concerto (Halle, Thursday, soloist Janine Jansen) also
occurs in a totally different context in Richard Strauss's Alpine Symphony (BBC
Philharmonic, Saturday, conductor Gunther Herbig). Strauss used to joke about
it: maybe a strange sense of humour gave us this connection, too.
But more noticeable was the fact that each orchestra programmed a Strauss
blockbuster to end its performance.
Gunther
Herbig began his concert with Brahms' second symphony. What a joy this was: with
beauty throughout, in both solemn and lighter passages, and wistfulness
pervading all. He shaped every phrase, it seemed, and balanced the most complex
textures with a master's hand….
Herbig
brought charm and forcefulness in equal measure to the third and final
movements, and - characteristically - saved something special for the end, when
the closing bars from the brass were a thrilling paean of joy.
After that, the Alpine symphony was a hard act to bring off, and he aimed (again conducting scoreless) to emphasise its musical as well as sound-effect qualities (minimising, indeed, the bleating sheep and clinking cow-bells). The sunrise, summit and sunset were superb moments, and the storm an equal of any we saw outside last week. Robert Beale, Manchester Evening News
Royal Scottish National/Edinburgh Festival - Usher Hall, Edinburgh - Bruckner 3 - August 2006
"... Conductor Günther Herbig revealed the symphony's almost willful juxtapositions to great effect, giving its quirky dramatic energy beautiful expression. The strings playing polka against the brass chorale in the finale was sublime." Jan Fairley, The Scotsman
"... the strings of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra produced a convincing warmth of musical tone. Indeed, Günther Herbig achieved a general standard of performance that bore very favorable comparison with what has been heard over recent years from distinguished visiting outfits." Sandy Strang, Edinburgh Evening News
Royal Scottish National - Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall - February 2002
"...two vibrant Beethoven performances. A radiant Egmont overture benefited from deep thrusting playing by the RSNO strings, and set the tone for a sweeping performance of the Eroica symphony.
Here Herbig was in his element, giving the fast movements a majestic breadth, and shaping the funeral march with monumental authority..." Kenneth Walton, The Scotsman
Royal Scottish National/Edinburgh Festival - Usher Hall, Edinburgh - Beethoven in Vienna - August 2001
"The RSNO's forces were reinforced for the titanic 5th Symphony, and the result was certainly as loud as that which apparently deafened Prince Lobkowitz at the premiere... Here Herbig inspired a really most impressive and exhilarating performance of this perennially extraordinary work - how it must have knocked them back on that first occasion!" Laurence Hughes, The Independent
"...this feast served up lots, and served it loud.
Was the meal too big? Judging by the audience's impassioned applause that greeted the closing of the Fifth Symphony and the Choral Fantasy, perhaps not." James Mullighan, The Scotsman
Hallé Orchestra, Manchester - January 1998
"A SELL-OUT audience, alive with anticipation, helped to create the expectation of great things last night. And they got them. I don't know what has brought about the sudden resurgence in support for the Halle...it could be that word has got around that Günther Herbig, conductor last week and this, is one of the greats...
Herbig - who seems to be the unofficial chief guest conductor these days (and who better?) - brings life and distinction to everything he touches... The Beethoven symphony was one joy after another: wonderfully chosen speeds, allowing the music to dance and sing; exquisite balance, elegant shaping and eloquent expression; and, by the end, a sense of emotional and even spiritual exaltation that I have rarely experienced in the concert hall. It was music-making at its finest..." Manchester Evening News, Robert Beale
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow - March 1998
Alert to inspired sounds
"I honestly cannot tell you when I last heard this orchestra playing as sensitively as they did on Saturday in Ravel's Mother Goose Suite. And it was all down to conductor Gunther Herbig, who inspired a level of polish that put the ears on maximum alert.
With his hands caressing and tracing every curve and contour of the music, he conducted more like a lover than a sculptor, and the orchestral response was ultra-sensuous, with every aspect - flow, texture, rhythm, colour, and astonishing dynamics - shimmering with soft, weightless, floating exquisitely refined quality. This was playing of the highest order of sophistication... A fascinating night; hopefully Gunther Herbig will be back soon." Glasgow Herold, Michael Tumelty
Hallé Orchestra, Manchester - April 1998
"Gunther Herbig's return to the Halle podium was an auspicious one. A well-filled hall returned prolonged applause after his Bruckner Symphony, and he gallantly diverted the attention to the orchestra itself. He is a proper gent; and he is also a musician of enormous skill and authority, whom players respect and audiences keenly appreciate. I rather fancy he is the sort of chap Charles Halle must have been: cultured, appreciative of others' work, a master of his craft and dedicated to music...
Bruckner's fourth symphony is a work the Halle have notably recorded, under Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. This time it was the Herbig version - not just a different text of the score...but with a feeling all its own. This was the man who brought us a rich and resonant Beethoven's sixth not so long ago, and his Bruckner is vivid and disinclined to linger. You could expect emphasis to come from extra tension, not less, in this reading, and the fundamental speeds in each movement were finely chosen. His vision was rewarded with playing of fire and sustained brilliance from the entire augmented brass section, with fine solos from principal horn Laurence Rogers.
It was a great performance, and savoured by the Halle audience..." Manchester Evening News, Robert Beale
Hallé Orchestra, Manchester - April 1999
"If you thought the days of the great conductors were all in the past, then think again. Gunther Herbig's presentation of the "Pathetique" symphony of Tchaikovsky last night was one of nobility, emotion and power, the sort I remember from Barbirolli and Yansons.
Its speeds were brilliantly judged - the opening exactly "not too much", so that every detail could be heard, the faster sections thrilling without being hammy, the second movement going with "grace", as the composer wanted it, the third taut and precise...
Birth is what Wagner's Siegfried-Idyll celebrated. It contained some gorgeous phrasing, traced by Herbig's baton-less hands..." Manchester Evening News, Robert Beale
Hallé Orchestra, Manchester - March 2000
"When Gunther Herbig steps on to the rostrum with that deep, slow, dignified bow, you know that there is going to be something special in the music-making. His visits to the Halle are always a cause of thrilling and rich performances... he gave us an Egmont overture that was dramatic, poised and beautifully paced.... Herbig's approach to Dvorak's eighth symphony warms the cockles of your heart. There's excitement, and thunderous climaxes where needed, but what most impressed me was his handling of the inner movements. He chooses speeds that are steady, even relaxed, allows every detail of the rhythmic counterpoint to come through, and shapes the phrases and the paragraphs as only deep experience and musicianship can..." Manchester Eveing News, Robert Beale
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow - February 2002
"...a sweeping performance of the Eroica symphony. Here, Herbig was in his element, giving the fast movements a majestic breadth, and shaping the funeral march with monumental authority." The Scotsman, Kenneth Walton
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Usher Hall, Edinburgh - August 2001
"Herbig inspired a really most impressive and exhilarating performance of this perennially extraordinary work (Beethoven 5)." The Independent, Laurence Hughes